Director Bhav Dhulia has revealed that for the riveting thriller series, The Freelancer, he was on a lookout for someone with an international feel, great audience pull and a strong figure who could ace the lead character. Hence, he felt actor Mohit Raina was the perfect fit for the role. Dhulia needed his lead actor to be fluid enough to portray the many emotions of Avinash Kamath in the series.
Speaking about Raina's casting, Dhulia said, "Mohit Raina is an extremely versatile actor and fits into any role effortlessly. Mohit plays the character of Avinash Kamath who embarks on a journey from India to Europe and Middle East and how he became a Freelancer."
"We needed someone who can come across as rooted and grounded in Mumbai, and someone who can portray a sharp and smooth character who goes toe to toe with Terrorists, CIA, MOSSAD and other international players," he said.
Calling Raina’s performance 'brilliant', the director added,"We also needed someone who can pull off the action pieces across different terrains and landscapes."
The series is based on the book - 'A Ticket to Syria' by Shirish Thorat. The book attempts to share the story about the insidious operations of the Islamic State, and how the terror group has perfected a cross-country operation that converts thousands to a depraved cause.
Produced by Friday Storytellers, filmmaker Neeraj Pandey is the creator and showrunner. The Freelancer is about an extraction mission where a girl is held captive in the war-torn hostile environment of Syria, and her escape from the world of death.
Set to release on September 1, on Disney+ Hotstar, The Freelancer is headlined by Raina and Anupam Kher along with Kashmira Pardeshi. It also features Sushant Singh, John Kokken, Gauri Balaji and Navneet Malik, Manjiri Faddnis, Sarah Jane Dias amongst others in pivotal roles.