National Award-winning director Praveen Morchhale takes producer, writer of Ayushmann Khurrana’s next to court alleging copyright violation; reveals idea of premature balding man was conceived and registered by him first in 2007
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 14, 2019)

On August 28, Praveen Morchhale, whose directorial Walking with the Wind bagged three National Awards in 2017, has filed a case against Maddock Films and writer Niren Bhatt in the Bombay High Court under the Copyright Act 1957, alleging that the story of their upcoming film, the Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer Bala, sounds similar to the screenplay he has written and narrated to several people in the industry. “I read a news article on Bala being a satirical comedy about premature balding, which was an idea I had conceived in 2005. I worked on it for two years and registered the story with the Film Writers’ Association (FWA) in 2007. After compiling information from various sources, I have arrived at the conclusion that Bala is very similar to my story and screenplay,” says Praveen.

The filmmaker however admits that he hadn’t met the producer of Bala, Dinesh Vijan, its writer or anyone associated with the film for a narration. “But the case isn’t about meeting or narrating the film to them. I’ve met hundreds of people and narrated my story to them, anyone could have put the idea in their minds. Since I have registered my concept and script, I can narrate it to as many people as I want, nobody can copy it,” he explains, adding that the film is based on the same premise isn’t a coincidence.

Praveen reveals that his script was called Mr Yogi, and like Bala, it was a satirical comedy on the struggles and hardships faced in such situations. “Even my script was about how the protagonist copes up with this unique and bizarre scenario,” he affirms.

Bala however isn’t the first film made on the concept of balding. The 2011 Vicky Bhardwaj directorial Hair Is Falling highlighted the problem of hair fall in youngsters in a humorous manner. More recently, the Shweta Tripathi-starrer Gone Kesh revolved around an aspiring dancer diagnosed with alopecia, a condition which results in rapid hair-fall.

Meanwhile, Praveen insists he isn’t doing this for publicity or money. “If my idea or screenplay has been borrowed, completely or even partly, they will be liable to injunction from the court. This case is filed to make a statement that you cannot just take off on somebody’s copyrighted idea or screenplay,” he asserts.

When Mirror reached out to Maddock Films, they denied the allegations. “Maddock is not aware of any case being filed against it by Mr Morchhale and denies that he has anything to do with its film Bala. Nobody from Maddock has ever met with Mr Morchhale or is even aware of him being associated with a story of a bald man,” read an official statement from the production house.

Vinod Ranganath, Chairperson of the Dispute Settlement Committee of the association, responds to the filmmaker
MUMBAI MIRROR (March 31, 2018)

A day after Mirror ran a story by Khalid Mohamed (March 30, Sai Paranjpye: Film Writers Are Vulnerable... They Get A Raw Deal) Vinod Ranganath, Chairperson of the Dispute Settlement Committee of the Screenwriters’ Association (SWA), sent this paper his version of events in the case.

The letter states: “Sai Paranjpye approached our then General Secretary Kamlesh Pandey to help her in the matter of her script of the film Chasme Buddoor. Pandey heard her out and explained to her that we have a dispute settlement committee which handles such matters. He requested her to fill out the complaint form giving details of the case, also attaching her script and her contract with the producer. He also informed her that the Dispute Settlement Committee (DSC) will go through the matter and then take a decision. It was also impressed on her that the DSC is a settlement committee and does not have arbitration or judicial authority.

Sai Paranjpye wanted immediate action to be taken which was not possible without a complaint being registered. She then asked about other options she could pursue. Pandey told her only a judicial court could ensure immediate action as SWA or DSC doesn’t have the power or jurisdiction to stop a films release. She then decided to go to court. So it was not as if the SWA didn’t want to help her. We couldn’t help her without her lodging a formal complaint. This is the reality.”

Clockwise from above: Sai Paranjpye; Chashme Baddoor (2013); the 1981 original


Filmmaker Sai Paranjpye discloses how she was left in a lurch by the Film Writers’ Association over the David Dhawan remake of her cult comedy Chashme Buddoor
Khalid Mohamed (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 30, 2018)

Unbeknownst to many, five years ago, stalwart film writer and director Sai Paranjpye had appealed to the Film Writers’ Association — now known as the Screenwriters’ Association — to argue the case on her behalf against David Dhawan’s remake of her Chashme Buddoor.

The cult comedy classic had opened to rave reviews and housefull shows in 1981. As it turned out, Paranjpye who objected to the retread was left stranded at the last minute.

She had to take the matter to court on her own, with the help of lawyers who had tremendous regard for her track record and the ever-fresh laughraiser which had featured Farouque Shaikh, Deepti Naval, Ravi Baswani, Rakesh Bedi and Saeed Jaffrey.

“The Film Writers’ Association not only proved to be useless,” Paranjpye tells Mirror, adding, “I was assured by the top officer-bearers of the association that they would take care of everything. As a result, I lost out on valuable time, and had to go to court at just a few days before the release of the remake on April 5, 2013.”

The subject of the effectiveness of the Film Writers’ Association (renamed SWA in 2014) was addressed to the spry Padma Bhushan awardee in the wake of the controversy which has erupted over Cheat India, a film on scams in the education system, starring Emraan Hashmi which will get rolling in July.

The Delhi-based writer Dinesh Gautam and actor Imran Zaidi have alleged that Cheat India is a rip-off of their script Marksheet (also to be launched in July). Reportedly, they were vexed vis-a-vis their appeal for redressal to the Screenwriters’ Association.

On its part, the Screenwriters’ Association’s official stance is that it takes all complaints seriously and has strict protocols in place. “Knowing the seriousness of copyright issues, we make every effort not just to be transparent but also neutral, giving equal opportunity to both complainants and respondents to present their case. It is owing to the due diligence practised by SWA’s Dispute Settlement Committee that its intervention is taken seriously by the film and television industries. When cases adjudicated by SWA have gone to court, judges have asked for our report and have also upheld our decisions several times,” Vinod Ranganath, Chairperson of the Dispute Settlement Committee of the SWA, had earlier told Mirror (March 28).

Paranjpye, while speaking specifically on her Chashme Buddoor experience, points out that the rights for the remake were formalised without so much as a by-your-leave by the film’s co-producer Jayshree Anand Makhija. The creative rights which accrue to the writer were ignored, leaving her with no option but to appeal to Kamlesh Pandey, then honorary general secretary of the Film Writers’ Association.

As the release date of the retread produced by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, starring Ali Zafar, Siddharth, Divyendu Sharma, Taapsee Pannu and Rishi Kapoor, was nearing, Paranjpye was left in a quandary. “Nothing was happening,” she recalls. “I was even advised that I would have to handle the matter myself. Willy-nilly I had to go to court. Fortunately, because of my well-wishers, justice prevailed.”

Striking a cautionary note, she concludes, “I am not playing my seniority card at all, or tarring the association with one fell swoop of a brush. No writer, whose claims have substance, should go through what I did. Please understand that every writer — if he or she has a tenable case — should get a semblance of protection at the very least from the association. Film writers are vulnerable, they get a raw deal. It’s for the sake of all writers whose intellectual property rights are endangered, that I am speaking out today. Going to court is never a pleasant experience. But when a push comes to a shove, it has to be done.”

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 28, 2018)

A day after Mirror reported (March 27) that Delhi-based writer Dinesh Gautam and actor Imran Zahid had alleged that the story of Emraan Hashmi’s upcoming production, Cheat India, in which he also features in the lead, was ripped off from their film, Marksheet, the Screen Writers Association (SWA) has clarified that the organisation takes all complaints seriously and have strict protocols in place. “Knowing the seriousness of copyright issues, we make every effort not just to be transparent but also neutral, giving equal opportunity to both complainants and respondents to present their case. It is owing to the due diligence practised by SWA’s Dispute Settlement Committee that its intervention is taken seriously by the film and television industries. When cases adjudicated by SWA have gone to court, judges have asked for our report and have also upheld our decisions several times,” Vinod Ranganath, Chairperson of the Dispute Settlement Committee of the SWA, asserted.

Members of the SWA are particularly upset about a comment made by the team of Marksheet — “the organization is toothless”. Ranganath clarifies, “Imran Zahid sent an email to the SWA in January 2018 asking us to take action against the producers of the Cheat India (T-Series, Ellipsis Entertainment and Emraan Hashmi) alleging copyright infringement of his script Marksheet. However, since his SWA membership had lapsed in March 2013, he was asked to renew it, as we can only accept complaints from members. He was advised to fill the complaint form as that would systematically reveal all the relevant details of his complaint.”

Ranganath goes on to inform that Imran re-applied for membership in mid-March and on being re-admitted, again wrote to the SWA on March 24, asking the organisation to take action against the filmmakers. An official complaint is still awaited.

“Hence, it is surprising that Dinesh and Imran claim that the SWA is ineffectual,” Ranganath says, continuing, “Being a union, the SWA doesn’t have judicial powers and can’t enforce decisions on non-members. It is only because of the credibility of our dispute intervention process that producers have honoured SWA’s decisions in the past.”

Both Cheat India and Marksheet are based on scams in the Indian education system and are expected to roll in July.

Writer-actor duo of another film has alleged that the script of Hashmi’s upcoming project is a rip-off of their script, which had been shared with the latter’s uncle, Mahesh Bhatt
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 27, 2018)

Delhi-based writer Dinesh Gautam and actor Imran Zahid have alleged that the script of the upcoming T-Series, Ellipsis Entertainment and Emraan Hashmi production, Cheat India, based on scams within the Indian education system, is a rip-off of their film, Marksheet.

While the script of Marksheet was put together by the makers around November 2012, when it was also registered with the Indian Script Writers Association, it was only last year, after a lengthy discussion with veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, that Dinesh and Imran decided to roll with their project. In June last year, Bhatt presented a play titled Baat Niklegi Toh, written by Dinesh and featuring Imran, which opened in Delhi and Mumbai. During the time, the trio spent days brainstorming about Marksheet.

“Bhatt saab has been Imran’s mentor for a few years now and even came on board as creative director, also supervising the final script,” Dinesh informed Mirror. Meanwhile, Bhatt’s spokesperson added that the filmmaker only gave the Vinay Bharadwaj production its tagline — “If you cannot beat them, cheat them” — and lauded the film’s gritty subject on social media. “However, he has not been associated with the film (which rolls in July) ever since,” the spokesperson clarified.

“After Emraan Hashmi announced his film Cheat India in January, we filed an official complaint with the Writers Association. Now, we will be sending legal notices to the three producers as our grievances have not been acknowledged. The script may not have been copied verbatim, but the concepts and case studies used in the story are the same. We shared every bit of our story with Bhatt saab and everybody knows how small this industry is. It is an embarrassing situation,” Dinesh said.

While T-Series, Ellipsis Entertainment and Emraan chose not to comment, a top executive associated with Cheat India dismissed Dinesh and Imran’s claims as baseless. “Some nondescript people are trying to gain publicity by piggy-backing on a big banner film. From 3 Idiots and Chalk N Duster to Aarakshan, hundreds of films have been based on our education system. While the title and story were registered around eight months ago, nobody knows what Cheat India is about as the script is not yet complete and the makers have not had any narrations,” the source argued. Shooting for this film, which has Emraan as the leading man, is expected to begin in July too with Soumik Sen as the director. It is scheduled to open in February, 2019.

The source also pointed out that widelyreported cases like the Vyapam scam of 2013 in Madhya Pradesh which involved politicians, senior and junior bureaucrats and businessmen are in the public domain. “No one can claim exclusivity or any copyright on case studies available on Google and Wikipedia. Anyone can make a film on any scam in the education system. May the best filmmaker win,” the source added.

Meanwhile, the team of Marksheet, that had met cops of the Delhi Police and CBI officers, accessed charge sheets filed in different courts as part of their research for the film, is disillusioned by the turn of events. “If big and influential fish in the sea eat up the smaller ones how will newer writers survive? Over the last three months, I’ve come to believe that the Film Writer’s Association is pretty toothless,” Dinesh said, determined to fight this case of alleged plagiarism to the end.

Contemporary political themes dominate the opening session of the fourth Indian Screenwriters Conference
Ektaa Malik (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 4, 2016)

Kurta-clad, jhola-toting lekhaks rubbed shoulders with the designer-stubbled, cargo shorts-donning Yari Road hipsters at the St Andrews Auditorium on Wednesday morning. The venue buzzed with contagious energy as the Salim-Javeds, Juhi Chaturvedis and Himanshu Sharmas of the future came out in full force to participate in the opening session of the two-day fourth Indian Screenwriters Conference, a Film Writers Association (FWA) initiative. Contemporary political issues dominated the discourse as the rather impressive panel of speakers debated the theme of this year's conference: "Do our stories reflect India's reality?"

"We are all stories, and we regale each other with them. India is where storytelling began. The Ramayana, the Mahabharata, Kathasaritsagara and the Panchtantra. These are the stories that have surrounded us forever and I am just scratching the surface. Today, when we are surrounded by social and political cruelty, religious violence and economic disparity, are we really telling these stories?" questioned noted Hindi literary figure Ashok Vajpeyi, in his address as the special guest. The former Sahitya Akademi chairperson touched upon a variety of issues; from Dalit oppression to cow slaughter, and emphasised the need to protect India's pluralism. "We as writers attempt to tell the truth, but we are also victims of self-doubt. We are too quick to judge. But literature doesn't judge."

This was followed by the keynote address by 'rural reporter' P Sainath who spoke at length about intersection of realities - and how they are narrated. "There is nothing as Indian reality - there are multiple Indian realities. Malabar Hill and Chanakyapuri are as much a reality as [are] Dharavi and other such places," shared the author of Everybody Loves A Good Drought: Stories from India's Poorest Districts. "I think we are failing - as writers in various forms of that discipline - when we are confronted with these realities. We are unable to look at what happens when these realities intersect. But that's where the action is. Whose stories do we try and tell?"

Kamlesh Pandey, writer of Rang De Basanti, and the general secretary of the FWA, urged writers to back the rural zeitgeist to the 70mm screen. "I think Do Bigha Zamin was the last film that showcased our villages. Since then - they have all but disappeared from mainstream narrative. Stories are all around us - they are looking for us, we just need to welcome them," said the doyen of urban tales.

The fourth Indian Screenwriters' Conference in Mumbai will address disconnect between cinema and social reality, gender equations, writers' rights, and the digital platform
Nishi Tiwari (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 30, 2016)

When the Film Writers Association (FWA) kicked off its Indian Screenwriters Conference in August, 2006, it was attended by 275 screenwriters at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune. The second edition, in December, 2008, saw 575 screenwriters and writer-directors in attendance at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research in Mumbai and the third, at St Andrew's Auditorium, in 2013, had 700 screenwriters. Now entering its fourth edition on August 3-4, the conference, titled 'So Near So Far - Do Our Stories Reflect India's Reality?', returns to St Andrews, expecting a foot-fall of almost 800.

According to screenwriter Anjum Rajabali (Ghulam, Raajneeti), one of the most vocal FWA members who will serve as a moderator on two sessions, the conference has helped bring about many changes in the industry. "The importance of a script is acknowledged more clearly now. Many people don't confirm films unless they have a bound script in hand. Writers' fees have improved as well; people recognise the value of a good script, and, more importantly, that of a good writer. You may have also noticed that writers are being featured more prominently in film publicity," he explains.

With seven sessions that address topics ranging from gender equations in films to the fledgling digital platform and the way forward for writers' interests - including pay and rights - the conference will open with a keynote address by veteran journalist and Magsaysay award winner, P Sainath, with Sahitya Akademi award-winning poet and essayist Ashok Vajpeyi as the chief guest.

Writer of Piku and Vicky Donor, Juhi Chaturvedi joins Sudip Sharma (Udta Punjab) and Tushar Hiranandani (Housefull 2, Ek Villain) for the session, "Changing Gender Equation in Film", which is moderated by Sanyuktha Chawla Shaikh (Neerja, Bobby Jasoos) while indie pioneers - Neeraj Ghaywan (Masaan), Hansal Mehta (Shahid), Shonali Bose (Margarita, With a Straw), Meghna Gulzar (Talvar) and actor-filmmaker Rajat Kapoor talk about "Little Big Films". "This year is different in the sense that it involves a lot of introspection - what are we doing on our part? Is it enough? We're also opening up the dialogue by inviting studio and channel heads like Ronnie Screwvala, Ritesh Sidhwani and Gaurav Banerjee (Star). It's a big step towards addressing issues in a more public, transparent way," Rajabali concludes. 

Sunil Baghel (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 18, 2015)

Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; January 19, 2015)

Director-writer Anand Kumar, who had filed a case against the makers of Sharafat Gayi Tel Lene over denying him credit in the film, has something to cheer about. Four years ago, Kumar had filed a complaint with the Film Writers Association (FWA), alleging that that his colleague had stolen his script and sold it to the film’s producers, and also moved the Delhi High Court, which has vindicated his stand.

A source close to Kumar says, “He had registered a case against Rajesh Chawla for stealing the script of the film and selling it to Tandav Films a few years ago. He also filed a complaint against the makers. The FWA ruled in his favour but he was not given due credit in the film. So he moved the court again and has won the case.”

Not only that, the makers have also been asked to pay him a compensation of Rs 11 lakh, the source adds. Kumar confirms the news, saying, “I know Rajesh since childhood and he used to assist me. It’s upsetting when a friend betrays you. But, now the court has given its verdict, asking the makers to give me credit in the film and pay my dues, which I received on Thursday. I have always had faith in the judiciary.”

Gurmmeet Singh, the director of Sharafat… remained unavailable for comment.

The Association found stark similarities between his and Jyoti Kapoor's script
Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 27, 2014)

On Tuesday evening, the Dispute Settlement Committee of the Film Writer's Association passed a decision in favour of Jyoti Kapoor in the plagiarism case she had filed against filmmaker Kunal Kohli.

An expert panel from the FWA went through both the scripts and observed that "some of the situations and sequences are quite unique to merit attention. Taking into account the fact that the respondent (Kunal Kohli) had access to the complainant's script, these points of similarities suggest that the respondent's work was definitely influenced by the complainant's work."

Jyoti had accused Kunal of stealing her script. She had claimed that Kunal met her in January last year and expressed interest in buying a script of hers. Since the duo couldn't agree on credit-sharing and the renumeration, Jyoti, who has previously written Daawat-e-Ishq, took her script to another production house.

She was in for a rude shock when she learnt that Kunal is directing a film, based on the same premise as the script she had shared with him. She filed a case against him with the FWA on October 10 this year, while Kunal maintained that his was an original script written by him and Sukhmini Sadana.

Hours after the FWA verdict, Mirror spoke to Jyoti, who said, "For me, this means truth and justice has prevailed."

However, Kunal reacted sharply to this. Speaking from London, where he has already started shooting the film based on the contested script, he said, "The FWA's decision is based on 3 points that are non-existent in my script. I've appealed against that."

Jyoti maintains that she did not file the case for a monetary settlement. "Kunal needs to stop this film and move on to another script. Since my script has already been acquired by another production house, I am not looking for money. This fight was for one's rights as a writer to pitch one's work without the fear of the idea being stolen."

To which Kunal shot back, saying, "She's lying that she doesn't want money. I have a letter from her lawyer asking for a monetary settlement." 
--------------------------
Film writers celebrate Jyoti Kapoor’s victory, but rue lack of respect for original ideas
Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; November 27, 2014)

The Bollywood writers’ fraternity has hailed the judgment of the Film Writers Association (FWA) upholding Jyoti Kapoor’s plagiarism allegations against filmmaker Kunal Kohli.

The association has stated that Kohli’s upcoming project, Phir Se, has been influenced by the Daawat-E-Ishq writer’s story that she had sent to him much before he completed his script. Jyoti had filed the complaint against Kohli earlier this month.

Vinod Rangnath, chairman of Dispute Settlement Committee of FWA, confirms Jyoti’s victory while the visibly excited writer tells hitlist, “I am glad that we are talking about things like copyright protection and ethics which were almost non-existent in the industry until recently. I look at the FWA judgment as a landmark decision and a moral victory, not only for me but also fellow writers who have faced a similar situation. Until we stand up for our own rights, no one else will.”

Following the verdict, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) has written to the filmmaker asking him to stop work on his project until their meeting with the joint dispute settlement committee of Indian Motion Picture Producers Association about the case takes place on December 10.

Dilip Pithwa, general secretary of FWICE, says: “We have already notified Kunal Kohli about the FWA verdict which has ruled in Jyoti Kapoor’s favour. If he continues shooting for the film, we will launch a non- cooperation movement against him.”

Copyright society needed
While the writers’ community has welcomed Jyoti’s victory, it feels there still are other issues that need to be ironed out. Writer Sanjay Chauhan, who has penned the script for films like I am Kalam and Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Maara, says the concept of a ‘film industry’ was a misnomer. “Had that been the case, writers would have been paid for research and development for a project, like it happens in the West. I am glad that more writers have started fighting for their rights and the FWA and the Indian Copyright (Amendment) Act have given them the courage to speak out. Of course, there are a few producers like Ritesh Sidhwani who understand the rights of a writer and will encourage you to register your script before sending it to their office,” he states.

Scriptwriters believe that though awareness about their rights is gradually growing, original ideas aren’t worth much. Anand Sivakumaran, who has written for films like Kalyug and Nazar, states, “At the international stage, for every character you create, you have a copyright on it and make money for a lifetime.Here, we can keep fighting individual battles but fundamentally nothing will change unless a copyright society is formed and the amended Act is implemented. In our industry, only money is respected so the one who gets paid Rs 50 crore is held in high regard, not people with original ideas.”

No room for originality?
Though the film industry has been stressing on the fact that content is the king, the ground reality is dramatically different, argues writer-director Amit Masurkar. He says, “The producers don’t respect writers as they are ruled by ‘ stars’. Hearing industry people say that there no good writers in Bollywood makes me laugh as it is all rubbish. We are there and have gone to them with our script but they didn’t bother reading it. They don’t mind buying the rights of a foreign film for Rs 50 lakh but will not pay a writer with an original idea.”

Amit is full of praise for Jyoti for pursuing the case against Kohli. He says plagiarism cases are commonplace in Bollywood. Without divulging the names of those who stole his ideas, he recalls, “I am someone who discusses ideas openly and one of my friends used it to his advantage. A day before his film was to release, he called me up to inform that he has stolen a sequence from my script and asked me not to create a ruckus! On another occasion, a director working with a famed studio lifted the first half of my script and sent it to a star. Luckily, the actor informed me about the same. The film eventually was not made, so I did not knock on FWA’s doors.”

Case file
Writer Jyoti Kapoor filed a case with Film Writers Association (FWA) earlier this month after she came across media reports about Kunal Kohli’s film, Phir Se.

Jyoti found his premise similar to the one she had narrated to him in January 2013. Kunal Kohli denied the allegations but was asked to put his film’s shoot on hold till the case was resolved. The FWA sent both scripts to experts for comparsion and uncanny similarities were found. Producer Trilok Malhotra is now making a film on Jyoti’s script.

Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; July 25, 2014)

On July 26, the Film Writers Association (FWA) will hold a workshop for screen and television writers in order to sensitize them to gender issues, especially the portrayal of women in cinema and television.

Writer Kamlesh Pandey (pictured, right) says, “Men have women to thank for everything — right from a sense of beauty to creativity and sensitivity, and yet they use their talent to reduce women to being sex objects. I remember the film, Tootsie, where Dustin Hoffman plays a male actor impersonating a popular female character in a TV show. In the film, he says that the best part of being a man was being a woman! So yes, this workshop was long overdue.”

He adds, “This workshop is aimed at creating awareness among our content creators so that they resist whatever pressures they may be facing against projecting women as powerful, independent individuals. Women ought not to be associated with ‘tandoori chicken’ or some such disgraceful image.” He says that this workshop was necessary because he feels that the entertainment industry as a whole has to be blamed for the wrong portrayal of women in cinema and on TV. “It seems to be ingrained in the culture and DNA of our films. We need to change this,” he says.

The FWA is also concerned about the rise in sexual violence against women in the country. Says Anjum Rajabali, “Women characters are sexually objectified, stereotyped in regressive ways, and are portrayed purely to cater to the male point of view. More often than not, gender relations are depicted in an unequal way. Hardly is the onscreen woman depicted as an individual, with her own independent point of view.”

Looks like all this will change gradually and the workshop seems to be a step in that direction.

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; February 22, 2014)

Saket Chaudhary, 39, is curious, sensitive and structure-oriented. He is little closed and creates a space around him, making it difficult for others to get in. To him, competence matters more than financial success and he needs to be convinced that what he is doing, he is doing well. His parents have only asked one thing from him — to do in life whatever makes him happy and independent and that has emotionally made him secure and freed him from the burden of having to explain to others what makes him happy. It took seven years to make his second film but he sailed through the tough emotional period, thanks to his co-writer Zeenat Lakhani. Over an hour-long conversation ahead of his romantic comedy Shaadi Ke Side Effects, he spoke to Bombay Times about Farhan’s need for order, Vidya’s comfort with chaos and why sessions of whisky with Aziz Mirza were invaluable. Excerpts:

How did you become a filmmaker?
I am a Punjabi, born and brought up in Delhi. My father was into marketing of pharmaceuticals and is now retired. After graduating in Physics, I had more or less decided that I would not do that even though I sat for the JEE and wanted to do something related to writing, be it in journalism or advertising. So then I went to Pune and did a masters in Mass Communication, post which I came to Mumbai when I was 21. I started assisting ad commercial makers for a year and then started writing Movers And Shakers and became the head writer for the show. I then started assisting Aziz Mirza and that is the first time, I started helping out with writing in a feature film. I met Santosh Sivan, who was the cinematographer, who asked me if I wanted to write Asoka and that’s how I wrote my first film and decided that I wanted to be a filmmaker.
 
Who are the people who have encouraged you in your career? 
I wrote my first script for Pyaar Ke Side Effects, but no producer was willing to make it till I met Rahul Bose, who liked the script and took me to meet Rangita Nandy, who then decided to produce it. When I came to Mumbai, my parents supported me financially for the first year, after which I took care of myself. Despite being the seventh assistant to Aziz Mirza, he allowed me to participate in writing and he allowed me to speak in front of himself as also in front of a giant star like Shah Rukh Khan, which gave you confidence. Aziz sahab is this grandfatherly figure, who is extremely accepting and open and he has his durbar, where everyone contributes and gets to share his whisky, that is his pride and joy. His way of working was very fluid, but I learnt how to think on my feet. Then there was Santosh Sivan. I was just 25, but he gave me the confidence to go write a film like Asoka and that was a massive learning curve. He understood the camera and is a genius and one of the most fearless people I know who can do anything. I am neither fearless nor fluid like Aziz sahab or Santosh and may be that is why I liked them so much. I studied at Springdales School in Delhi and I remember telling my teachers in fifth standard that I wanted to be a writer, but they not only didn’t mock at that, which could easily have been the case in Delhi, but they were very encouraging. I would finish my English paper in half hour as I wanted to spend the balance one-and-half hours in writing my essay. And lastly, but most importantly, I never had to worry about my parents’ support. Even in fifth standard when I wrote stories, they would read them out to me and always encourage.
 
What is Shah Rukh Khan like?
He was a massive star but he was very friendly and did not have an attitude that a star his stature could have had. Santosh Sivan being a South Indian would be on the floor by 9am wanting to start the shoot but Shah Rukh would not show up till 12.30. But once Shah Rukh came on the set, he just switched on and was extremely spontaneous and organic.
 
What is Farhan Akhtar like?
Farhan is also very invested in the script. For him, your evaluation comes from the script and if that is good, he has full confidence. He is very precise in taking up things in the script. He does not let go of something he is uncomfortable with and even though he will make his point in a polite manner, he will make his point. Either you have to convince him or he will convince you. He likes to concentrate a lot, so the set needs to be in a certain organised manner for him. He likes quietness. Even if I do my best, the fact is that our sets are very noisy, but due to him I learnt how to cut the chaos on the set to give actors their space. He likes order. In fact, his order is borderline OCD. Farhan will not shout but he makes his point well enough.

How about Vidya Balan? 
Vidya read the script four times and took two narrations before she said a yes. But once she is sure, she invests herself completely. I remember once the house in which she and Farhan live in the film was ready, she went there a day in advance to make the space her own and in fact, changed some things there that she felt would go with her character. She will keep a constant conversation about the script going with you to take references of your life and use her own life references for acting. The film is about what happens to a couple after they have given birth  to a child. So she drew references from her sister Priya as she was a mother. As much as Farhan operates with order, she does not mind working with chaos. Both Farhan and Vidya come from directorial backgrounds (Vidya was an assistant director on TV). I love and respect when actors read the script as that is the only tangible thing you have before the film. You'd believe that everyone does it, but there are a lot of people who don't read scripts and just take a narration. Both Vidya and Farhan read the script thoroughly to the extent that they would come back with notes on it.
 
What makes you a part of the executive council of the Film Writers Association? 
I am extremely passionate about the Film Writers Association and feel that writers should get their due recognition and return. If we need to make better films in this business, then it may be the most clichéd thing that story is the most important thing, but that does not reflect in a way. A storywriter gets paid from 10 lakhs to 80 lakhs if it’s a senior writer compared to a senior director, who could get paid upto 7-8 crores. I am a director and a writer and can safely tell you that as much as come parts of a director’s work may be bigger and larger, but it is not that much larger what a writer creates. Why should a writer be paid just 10% of a what a director is paid as the writer generates employment for everybody else. Tell me which director can go to work if a writer doesn’t write a script? A producer will tell you it is his money driving the film but had there not been a story, he would not make more than his bank interest on that money. A certain recognition and royalty is an aspect in any civilised society today. Why should there be so much resistance to it over here?  

How do you safeguard a script?
When I was in the Film Writers Association, I was in the dispute committee and would see how people’s work was stolen and advised them on what to do. I learnt from there. I am fairly precise on the legal process, have lawyers and register my script before I give a narration to anyone.

There was a gap of seven years between your two films. Was that period tough for you?
After Pyaar Ke Side Effects, I wrote another script that was not as good. But I had wasted a year-and -a-half writing it. Then I wrote Shaadi Ke Side Effects which I had resisted to write earlier as I did not want this to be my second film. Getting up and just sitting in front of your computer for that many years is an incredibly difficult process. It’s one of the loneliest things to do. Of course you have to enjoy loneliness to write. But a blank page is damn scary. I lived in a bare minimum manner during this time as I did not know the future. You see your friends acquire things you have not acquired. But it made me reach a conclusion that you have to believe that writing is your calling and that life is not going to pan out for you like it has for other people and therefore you lower the expectation from the things you want from life. My co-writer Zeenat was a personal and professional anchor as we have been in this journey for so many years together. It was even more difficult for her as this was her first film and she had to wait for so many years. But we were a constant support to each other. I could see that my parents were concerned about me, but they never said it. To grow up with the emotional freedom in your head that you can do whatever makes you happy and independent is the best thing your parents can give you. You land up internalising that whatever I am doing has to satisfy me and I don't have to explain that to other people.