Excellence in Indian Screenwriting- What will it take?
From Rediff- Kamal Haasan, in association with the Indian Institute of Technology- Madras (IIT-M) will present a first-of-its-kind international workshop and seminar on screenwriting in the IIT campus in Chennai from May 29 to June 3, 2009.
Undoubtedly another good initiative but how much will it really change the reality? This post will try and look at more issues plaguing Indian Screenwriting and what can be done or needs to happen for Screenwriting to take established roots in this country.
First, let’s leave out the ‘Lack of Talent’ argument. Nothing can be done about that, if it’s true. We have what we have. If people don’t read, don’t see, don’t listen, don’t learn and don’t ideate, there is no hope. But that can’t be true. We do see gems of original screenwriting sprouting up here and there in Indian Cinema. Like Neeraj Pandey, who won the PFC Award for Best Writing last year for ‘A Wednesday’. Indian novelists are trailblazers in their own right. Undoubtedly, we have loads of writing talent, and loads of people mad about movies. There must be a significant intersection set.
So let’s look at the other obstacles.
‘You need Stars, not a good script to sell the movie’- This is probably the single biggest hurdle for Indian Screenwriting today. This fact is actually even shown in one of the better movies this year, ‘Luck by Chance’. When the lead actor backs out, the movie suddenly becomes un-saleable. The Lead Actor doesn’t want to take up an unconventional role as he finds himself trapped in the image of his own making and is afraid of failure. So he demands changes in the script and since HE is so important to the movie, the producer obliges. Now where does that leave the screenwriter and his original piece of work; in a pile of deep shit? You bet.
So who’s to blame? Frankly, it’s us, the audience who make juvenile movies like ‘Singh is Kinnng’ and pathetic rip-offs like ‘Hey Baby’ blockbusters. Every such hit is a setback the screenwriting profession and the respect that it deserves in this country. Why would you need screenwriters churning out original and creative content when you can make do with such drivel? The ‘movie is timepass’ argument needs to go. But the audience is king. And if they happy with what’s on offer, who are we to argue?
But it’s not all gloom and doom. The less than anticipated success of movies like ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ and ‘Chandni Chowk to China’ gives some hope. Maybe there shall be a day when the big banners look at the screenwriter and director attached to the movie before they worry about the actors. Every great script need not be a hit. But please, let’s not allow shoddy scripts to become blockbusters.
DVD Rip-Offs- No screenwriter can compete with a DVD library. As long as the Indian state remains lax on intellectual property rights, the pay-off for original screenwriting remains at a discount. The flip side of this coin is that we as an audience have no right to complain about DVD Rip-Offs while we watch movies on pirated CDs. Again, the state can come down hard here. I know it’s almost impossible to find pirated CDs of new Tamil Movies in Chennai. If other state governments show the will, this can definitely be enforced.
Nowadays, DVD Rip-Offs don’t remain a secret. Thanks to the vigilant movie-goers and the rip-off police on the internet who try to beat each other to be the first one to cry ‘Rip-Off’!!! But does this hamper the box office results to any great extent? Not really, unless it’s a once in a blue moon case of something like Kkrazy 4. But hopefully it will prick the ego of the people involved. They shouldn’t be getting any critical acclaim or awards. After a point, respect becomes as important as success. Hopefully the more established production houses should steer clear of blatant rip-offs.
The third obstacle is Paucity of Learning Resources. And this is where workshops like the one mentioned at the beginning of this post can help. Of course, there is no dearth of screenwriting resources on the internet which typically draw their lessons from Hollywood screenplays. But you will have to search heaven and earth to find screenplays of Indian movies on the internet. Why aren’t they made available? Wouldn’t you like to read the screenplay of say, a ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ or ‘Swades’ or ‘Oye Lucky Lucky Oye’ or ‘Deewar’ or a ‘Sholay’, if you are an aspiring screenwriter? There is nothing like the learning that you can get about writing screenplays than from reading screenplays themselves. At PFC, we have published a few that we have got our hands on but otherwise it’s almost as if one is looking for the Pirate’s treasure. I guess the older ones were probably written on paper and are locked up safely in a cupboard twenty thousand leagues under the sea somewhere but why don’t we have the newer screenplays available for public access? All the production houses talk about the importance of scripts but not one of them do the first thing which could help interested screenwriters in their journey!
Other Enablers- In spite of the above if you have still managed to write that screenplay, there are other obstacles. I can register my script online with the film writers fraternity in the US but to do that in India, I would need to make that trip to Mumbai, become a member and do it the old school way. I think it’s also a more expensive proposition in India (if you are a freelance writer) unless you probably churn out 4-5 screenplays in a year. The FWA was planning to have an online service but am not sure if that’s up yet.
Then there’s the ‘It’s not what you know, but who you know’ obstacle. But really, isn’t that the case in almost every profession to some extent? In the real world, life ain’t fair and merit doesn’t get what it deserves. Filmdom is probably more insulated than your run-of-the-mill sectors but again your own efforts and the internet world can hopefully bridge some barriers. PFC hopefully can play its own small part in some way, some day.
The Money- I have kept this at the end because, really I feel that in spite of whatever unionization efforts take place, in the end it is the market which will decide the price of your product. And if the obstacles mentioned earlier don’t get resolved, you will never get the price that you think you deserve. Which means people with the talent will go elsewhere. A pity.
P.S.- Just the other day I came across websites which host unproduced scripts. The upside is that the author may get exposure and feedback regarding his work. The downside is that it is ultimately his responsibility to protect his work from being stolen or plagiarized and there are no guaranteed benefits in terms of monetary returns. Do you think PFC could/should provide a similar service?
Tags: Screenwriting
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This is an excellent write-up! And, yes, I also wish more Hindi screenplays were accessible to readers.
@dazed&confused: good post!
let me point out the irony of the first point about stars selling a movie and then u mention LCB. now, LCB had the stars scattered all-over and a good screenplay, it still did not do well.
so, where does that leave us?
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i think, stars or no stars, a good movie will be recognised sooner or later. in 2008 itself, a lot of movies like aamir, wednesday, mmj ect proved a point
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dvd rip-offs have also slowed down. i dont recall when was the last tat i saw an exact copy of a movie. concepts being stolen, that keeps happening every now and then. but thankfully, entire movies being ripped has not happened in a while
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paucity of learning resources … this is a genuine concern. when people get lazy, don’t put a thought to their work, or don’t even know what’s new outside their houses then they churn out crap. when people stop learning and adapting, they just vegetate.
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lastly, lack of knowledge on how to go about it is the killer… at least for budding writers. they don’t have a proper guidance.
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lastly, PFC should host the screenplays in a separate section after having an e-contract from the writer that he wants to display his work. later if the writer sees his work being stolen and put in some movie, he should not comeback to PFC and blame them. PFC can just be the enabler, a medium, but not be held responsible for cases of plagiarism. the risk lies with the writers …
@dazed&confused
The problem my friend lies in the way movie industry is currently oriented ,it needs a radical overhaul ,currently it’s not at all people friendly ,it’s closed to the ordinary man/woman on the street who wishes to be part of it and it’s very very unfriendly to it’s audiences.
Capitalist/market model doesn’t always work for every industry ,what we need is people’s participation in the industry on the lines of PC/Software revolution of the 90’s which saw the computer move out of the basement of mega-corporations into people’s homes .
and on the lines of the internet which oversaw information flowing from the dusted basements of libraries into our personal hard-drives .
It’s not for no reason that Microsoft chose to ignore the internet for a long long time ,because it’s very people friendly and democratic,and due to this fear they could not see the business potential it provided.
The music industry is already trying to be free from such chains with many open initiatives in this direction (read about the DRM battles in the courtrooms of US)and I wish that this initiative succeeds.
people friendly doesn’t necessarily mean anti-business ,we need to change that outlook.
I say this because of an article that recently came in PFC ,about open cinema and it’s implications ,the article was a bold attempt at providing answers to the questions that we are all tired of hearing but we chose to ignore that idea and move on and we keep cribbing about the same things again and again.
Good write-up D&C but I guess this situation will continue unless all the branches of the tree
( Indian cinema) decide to do something about it.
BTW RNBDJ is the biggest hit in SRK’s career and also the biggest hit for YRF- so dont equate it with CC2C.
Another ‘first-of-its-kind’ workshop. This is the first one this year, in 2008 there was a virtual deluge (Mirchi Movies, Buzz18-Whistling Woods, Sankalan…). I wonder if all of them combined threw up a single interesting work, a potential movie.
Sankalan looked promising with its line-up of fantastic mentors, but there has been no word about it after the initial phase. Their site hasn’t been updated since last year! Who were the winners, did anybody hear? (Feb is long past). What kind of scripts did they come up with? Are any of them being produced? What about the other writers selected for ‘the lab’? Are they making any headway in the industry? I really hope to hear some positive news there.
Regarding PFC and scripts, I think there is a huge potential here. I suggest PFC — and others too — start the ‘agency’ model here as is the norm in Hollywood. People with a creative eye and networking skills can turn into agents for writers, trying to find buyers for their scripts and earning commission off the sale. Here too it’s important that agents be people with credibility, with a certain street cred. Otherwise it could just turn into a racket where fly-by-night operators steal scripts and ideas.
Another thing PFC can look into is having its own screenwriting competition. An annual affair like PFC-ONE. Screenwriting on a smaller scale, say a contest to write a 25-page script. Can be called PFC-25!
With 25- or 30-page limit, and possibly a given topic, the judges will have sufficient material to parse talent, without the nightmare of wading through unending rubbish. There could be specific rules about formatting so that everybody is on the same page i.e. invite only formatted pdf screenplays, done on Final Draft, Movie Magic, Celtx, Zhura or other free screenwriting software. This will increase awareness among budding Indian screenwriters about professional script formatting.
Regarding prize, the winner(s) could be given a contract to write a film for any of the independent directors connected with PFC or for production houses keen on working with new talent. Sky is the limit here.
Amanda, crazyrals- thanks for the support!
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Vineet- I am not sure about what you’re trying to say here…
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Sethu- Was it?! Gosh, I read the early reports which seemed to suggest that RNBDJ response was quite disappointing.
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Ravi- I agree with you. These workshops do promise a lot but the final delivery is still a quetion mark. And thanks for your other good ideas as well. But unfortunately, PFC is not a website belonging to the media arm of some corporate biggie but only a forum where authors like me and many others share their passion for cinema. It takes a lot of effort from our side to organize something like a PFCOne. As you might have seen on the main page we depend on donations from well wishers to stay afloat. So in this situation, we are severely constrained in terms of what we can deliver keeping in mind the incremental effort and cost involved. But keep sending us your ideas. If not us then somebody else who is reading this might help in bringing about a change!
RaviG, good suggestions about having writers’ agencies. I’ve been thinking about that for quite some time now. We’ve got casting co-ordinators, so it shouldn’t be long before we have script agents too.
As for Sankalan, three winners have been picked and the final pitch is in a couple of weeks from now.
This is a good article. It all comes down to the same obstacles. Even if you have a good screenplay in hand – you have to KNOW someone in the industry to get it seen. Beyond that, even if you get it seen, convincing someone to pay you for it when they can borrow from a Hollywood or a South Indian film for free is the next challenge. It’s certainly not impossible, but it’s tough – you’re right, there is no lack of talent, but the general attitude toward screenwriting keeps most of the talent away. It’s almost like filmmakers think, “Well, if I have a good script, that’s great… but if not, no big deal. We’ve got Akshay/SRK/Salman/Katrina/whoever so it won’t matter.”
Sethu has a point though – the RNBDJ and CC2C example is a bit confusing. I don’t think you can compare the two, since RNBDJ was quite successful whereas CC2C was the biggest disaster since Drona. Also, RNBDJ’s script was simple and lacking in originality, but it was coherent and the film was entertaining. CC2C on the other hand… I’m not even convinced there was a screenplay.
As for the suggestion about PFC hosting scripts – it’s a nice idea in theory, but if I had written a script that I felt was good, there is no way I’d post it online anyway. I’d seek feedback from writer friends or film-loving people whose opinions I value, but there is no way I’d want to put it online. If I narrate my story to a director and the director steals it, well, I probably can’t do anything about it, but at least I know what happened to it. If I post my script online, I may never even know if it’s been stolen. Too risky in an industry where intellectual property theft is basically an accepted standard. Unfortunate but true. :(
very nice write up…..and thanks for the info about the seminar….cant wait…
@D & C: A good write up that raises relevant points. But you know what? I agree with all the points u mentioned but I have another one to add to ur list. I am a writer and I have attended some of these nice to not-so-nice workshops. I have noticed one trend amongst writers – we all feel (I deliberately write ‘we’ so please fellow writers, dont take offence) think we are above all others – viz. directors, producers, actors et al. We often feel we are the only ones working hard towards a film and we become overly fierce about our rights. Nothing wrong in it, you may say. Yes, nothing wrong. But many writers, some of whom are yet to even write their first complete script, get arrogant and feel that they need not listen to anyone else because the world is conspiring to distort their baby. Many of us just refuse to listen. That is a problem for any creative person. Of course I wouldnt say all writers are like that, but a large number of them are. I have heard new writers say “Why should I listen to the inputs of some faltu director who doesn’t know his job?” Not a good sign! In the process of retaining our self respect, we often get unreasonable.
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Another problem that might be there is lack of exposure to reading. Again, this is not applicable for everyone. By reading, I mean all kind of reading. Literature, current affairs, autobiographies, fiction, mythology, fantasy, research.. Anything! If writers dont read, travel, go out, meet people and generally explore the world around, where is the raw material on life going to come from? Many writers believe writing means cocooning yourself. Maybe you cocoon once you know what you want to say. But staying in that cocoon, the only story that you will have to tell is that of a caterpillar. My two pence!
Well, the Chennai guys usually lament that pirated VCD’s rule the roost in Chennai, while Bollywood has controlled piracy :-)
Looks like a case of grass being greener…
Kenny- Sorry I haven’t kept myself upto date with Sankalan. Are you in the final three?! What’s happening with Ek Plate Kung Fu?
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Jibin- If you attend the workshop, do post about it here…
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Arati- Thanks for your comment. It’s always a pleasure to interact with a writer.
Well, I am not a writer. I have held full time jobs in three different sectors and let me tell you that people are the same everywhere. Everyone tries to hide their insecurities with bravado, pettiness, cynicism or any other word which has seven or more letters. I am not surprised that writers are like what you describe especially since everyone can have an opinion about a screenplay! So yes, a little humility can go a long way. But I also feel what you see and hear is also a factor of frustration in the community of which I am only a fringe.
And I agree about the reading part. But the luxury of extensive research, which might involve travel, conducting interviews, would be a perk of only established writers, do you think?
Plum- My reference was wrt to pirated vcds of only Tamil movies being scarce in Chennai, not Bollywood etc. If you are saying pirated copies of new Tamil movies are easily avalable in Chennai, then that’s news to me!
@ Arati
Well said.
@D&C
I’m not in the final three but all of the 12 can still pitch and Mahindra might still do something about them. Hence my last blog post
All these points regarding industry’s approach towards scripts and scriptwriters are fine. But the question is why currently the system is functioning the way it is functioning.
If there was really a felt need for some great scriptwriting why the major players in our industry is not doing something about it? Can it be that the notion of centrality we give to scriptwriting in its potential to ‘redeem’ our film industry- it exists only in the minds of some aspiring scriptwriters? May be that there are other pressing concerns for our film makers regarding how to improve the quality and market of Indian cinema. May be film industry is feeling that any one can write if need arises- all you need is a pen and paper. But for cinematography you need some one who can actually operate the camera- it cant happen overnight. So may be we, who are passionately arguing sitting in some film forums, should not be taking it seriously when all established film makers are talking about dearth of good scripts as the single evil ailing us. It may be just a way of putting the blame somewhere else. Where they can say they are not in direct control.
And this workshops and conferences- how serious are they in spotting new talent? As D & C mentioned in this article what has come out of the various conferences and competitions in the last 2-3 years? Is it because that in the initial phases of these ventures the organisers couldnot find the quality and standard they were searching for? Or is it that all these ‘talent hunting’ is a midday madness which loses its vigor after initial one week?
Melanie- Not sure how I missed reading your comment earlier. It’s good to hear from writers who are on the ground and trying to make it happen.
Yes, probably RNBDJ was a bad example- I should have stuck to Drona!
Hmmm…probably writers already in Mumbai won’t find any value in PFC hosting scripts. But maybe talented part time writers in various parts of India and the world might see some value?
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Scriptlarva- I fear what you say might be true about why the industry may not value screenwriters enough. And as far as the workshops and the talent hunts go, even if they don’t help land writers the big contract, at least they may help them to build contacts in the industry which may help them in the longer run. I guess a parallel can be drawn with the singing competitions on TV. We don’t see many of them blazing a trail outside the confines of the competition but definitely gets them some attention which can’t be bad at all. So we need more of these workshops and hunts. If they work, great, if not, well, nothing lost, in my opinion.
And Scriptlarva- I updated myself on your blog. Man, you should write on PFC more often. You don’t have to write reviews, even your thoughts on screenwriting deserve a place here.
@Arati
Very nice points.
@D&C
I’d replied but my comment vanished. The top 3 for Sankalan have been selected. I’m not among them, but the rest 9 of us can still make a final pitch, which should be in a couple of weeks. I’m trying to gather public support for Ek Plate Kung Fu through my last post.
And you’re right about Sankalan helping build contacts with good people
Kamal Haasan, conducting workshop and seminar on screenwriting is like rajapakse announcing ceasefire in sri lanka..
I don’t know much abt screenwriting. so i am little off the topic. When i watch titles of a movie, sometimes it says, story by A, screenplay by B, and dialogues by C. Many times i don’t know, whom to praise if i liked the movie.
And if director didn’t modify anything in the script, then how much credit i can give to him, if i like the message of the movie.
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I love reading script on net. First i read, because i cudn’t get some dialogues. and later i got hooked to reading script. because instead of actor-actress, and images. i cud see the idea directly and separately.
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In many bollywood movies abt movies, i have seen that script is never complete. it completes when the movie gets completed, or it gets modified so much that, one has to write the complete script after watching the movie.
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Thanks for the article, and i wish scriptwriting becomes more powerful. and ppl appreciate and acknowledge writers more.
D&C – Gosh, not me personally! But I know some people who’ve done it. It’s challenging but not impossible, you know? On the whole it’s an amazing industry with lots of people who are dying to make good films and get their stories out there, and they are getting more and more opportunities than ever lately. We are slowly moving in a new direction, I believe! This is good!
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I forgot to mention I loved your point about how really the audience is somewhat to blame for this. We the viewers determine whether or not a film is a hit. So if we start paying attention to well written films, going to see them, talking about them, then we are gradually going to start seeing more of them. It’s in our hands!
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AB – That’s a totally valid point about different people doing story, screenplay, and dialogues. It’s certainly confusing – I have no idea who to credit either in that situation. Everyone, I guess?
Thanks D&C
Would definitely try to write more in PFC.
@D & C (12): I would like to believe that.. But I think even the supposedly smaller writers can go out and meet people. One needn’t have money to travel to London to write. A writer will always find his motivation. But there is no substitute to meeting people. We all will, in one or the other, tell stories about people. Even in animation films, we humanise animals and creatures. If we dont meet more people, whom will we write about? Doesnt matter where we meet them.
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@Kenny: Thanks!
What about the biggest culprit of all – India’s ever ready acceptance of mediocrity in all walks of life?!!!