Adventures of a Writer

A writer is the backbone of a movie. If a filmmaker does not have a script, he/she can’t make a movie. And yet, screenwriters continue to be undervalued by the Bollywood film industry.   Writers need to be celebrated and valued as much as directors and actors.  I approached one of my dear friends JAIDEEP SEN to help me in my aim to showcase the work of legendary scriptwriters in the Bollywood film industry. Jaideep (or Raja as he is known in the industry) has spent years working with veteran filmmakers like Rakesh Roshan and Sajid Nadiadwala. He has scoured hundreds of scripts as Creative Director at Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, one of the top production houses in India. He is also a writer-director in his own right.   Raja responded with an enthusiastic ‘Yes’ to my request and said he would be happy to contribute articles showcasing the little known aspects of screenwriters. What’s more, he would love to put the spotlight on one of the most iconic of...

Charudutt Acharya is a film and TV writer who has written two dozen television shows, four films and a web series in a writing career that has spanned 18 years. He has donned the director's hat for his debut film Sonali Cable (which was produced by Rohan Sippy) In this interview, Charudutt shares his journey as a writer for the film and television medium... which has been "full of drama",  just like his writing!  Over to Charu.... Charudutt Acharya Hi Charu. Tell us a bit about your journey as a screenwriter. How and when did you start off? And what were the initial years like.  After my BA from Mumbai University, I did a few odd jobs and got into a film unit as a trainee in the directing department. There some of the technicians were from the FTII and encouraged me to apply. I got in and trained to be a director.  During my time at the FTII (1993-95) there was no separate screenwriting program, but we were taught screenwriting as part of the ...