Richa Chadha, Ali Fazal reunite for Spotify's 'Virus 2062'

Adapted from Chilean Spotify Original ''Caso 63'', the podcast is the first from Spotify India to be voice-led by Bollywood actors. 

The original 10-episode audio-thriller podcast is about a psychiatric patient, who claims to have come from the future, to prevent the spread of a deadly virus. 

In ''Virus 2062'', which was released on Friday, Chadha voices the character of Dr Gayatri Rajput while Fazal plays Patient 63, Peter Pereira. 

Fazal said the end-of-the-world stories have been told many times on the big screen but through their podcast “Virus 2062”, listeners can reimagine the future way they want. 

''We have seen movies on this where we are right now and it is happening, it is unraveling. We have grown up on stories on when the world will end, etc. Now it did end in a sense and we are in the beginning of a new one. 

''I think people all over the world have made stories about it. And this is the podcast version where we get into your heads and you get to make that story and reimagine the future the way you would. That is something unique for every listener,'' the actor said during a press conference. 

Fazal further said the makers have carefully and beautifully constructed the world of “Virus 2062” and he hopes people will understand it. 

Talking about the growing popularity of the dystopian genre across mediums, Chadha said, ''We are living in dystopian times and that’s why people’s imagination tends to get towards like a huge cataclysmic event in the world.'' ''Obviously, things like climate change and corona are not helping. I wish there was more dystopian concern about climate change than anything else, but we will get there.'' Fazal said he got “sucked” in the world of ''Virus 2062'' as it seemed that there is a universe waiting to be unraveled. 

''This is contemporary and futuristic; it has got sci-fi, is scary and it has got everything. Also, the beauty is we are not taking away people’s imagination, like how it is while reading books and radio plays,'' he added. 

Both Chadha and Fazal said they both loved the process of making the podcast. 

''I enjoyed it for a simple reason that (I had to be) without make-up and it just needed vocal warm up. I loved being completely disassociated from the visual and that clothes, make-up were all ignored. 

''I believe actors should do this exercise in modulation and being able to express themselves purely from the voice,” Chadha said. 

Fazal believes an artist should be prepared and train themselves in all mediums of entertainment. 

''It was a very mathematical process for me. The distance was so precise (between me and the mic), the voice had to land at the right note, the pitches had to keep wavering, etc,'' he added. 

''Virus 2062'' is produced by MnM Talkies and Unni Nambudripad, executive producer of Podcasts at Spotify India. It is currently streaming on Spotify.