The Walking Dead: Dead City breathes new life into the beloved Walking Dead television series by transporting the story to the heart of New York. In this thrilling installment, Lauren Cohen’s Maggie and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan are brought together once again, this time on a mission to save the son of Maggie and Glenn (RIP). With its captivating character-driven conflict and unique setting, The Walking Dead: Dead City stands out as one of the most compelling stories in the Walking Dead universe in recent years.
While much of the action in The Walking Dead: Dead City unfolds in Manhattan, the early episodes introduce us to Maggie’s new Hilltop community. One fresh face in this community, and in the Walking Dead universe as a whole, is Nina, portrayed by Pallavi Sastry. Sastry, an accomplished actor and producer, fearlessly dives into the world of The Walking Dead despite not being a fan of horror. Although this is her first major network television show, Sastry has already made a name for herself with her involvement in various exciting projects, including the film Land of Gold, currently available for streaming on Max.
Pallavi Sastry recently sat down with FilmmakerFocus to discuss her experience joining the Walking Dead universe, her hopes for season 2, and more.
Pallavi Sastry on The Walking Dead: Dead City
FilmmakerFocus: What was your relationship like with the world of The Walking Dead before taking on this role, and how did you prepare for it?
Pallavi Sastry: You can actually stream that movie on Max now, so anyone can watch it. It was a script that we were passionate about from the very beginning. As I mentioned earlier, my sister is my producing partner, and we were searching for a feature film to collaborate on. We had worked on some documentaries and shorts individually, and through our network, we came across an incredible filmmaker named Nardeep Khurmi, who is the writer and director of this film. He also stars in it. He had been making shorts for about 15 years and was ready to take on a feature film. He just needed producers to come on board, because it’s challenging to secure funding and big-time producers when you’re not already a well-known figure. But we were determined. We said, “We want this. We want to make this.” I had never seen a movie that so beautifully explored the immigrant experience. The main character and another key character are both first-generation immigrants, but they come from different cultures and yet share so much in common. That’s what storytelling is all about for us – telling a timeless, classic story. This film is a road trip drama with a surrogate father-daughter dynamic. We’ve seen that before, but never from this perspective. So when that element colored the movie, it was incredibly exciting for us. We joined the project right from the start, won a major award at Tribeca for full funding, made the movie, premiered at Tribeca, had a year-long festival run, and eventually sold it to HBO.
I’m not sure how much you can reveal, but going back to Dead City, was there a particular moment or experience during filming that truly captured what it’s like to work on a show like that?
Pallavi Sastry: I’m trying to find the right words to express this. I think it’s safe to say that it’s incredibly exciting to be part of a show towards the end, where you can sense the direction it’s heading and feel that there’s more to come. And there definitely is.
FilmmakerFocus: Beyond the current season, you mean?
Pallavi Sastry: Yes, exactly. That’s how I feel, and the ratings are looking great. The reviews are positive, so I think we’re all feeling pretty hopeful.
About The Walking Dead: Dead City
