Sneha Desai – “I don’t have luxuries like writer’s block!”

Where did your journey begin and what made you a writer?

I am from Mumbai. I’m a thoroughbred Gujarati and I have been associated with Gujarati theatre for the longest time – it’s been almost 25 years now. I started off as an actress and the writing happened because the actress did not get the role she wanted to do. When I had a baby, I took a sabbatical from acting and started concentrating on stories. I started sharing one-line ideas or stories that I had read with my writer friends, and I’d ask them to develop those as I saw potential in them. Some of this was taken kindly and some of it was not. Then, to prove a point that there is potential in those stories or in those one-liners is where writing stemmed from. Writing wasn’t a competency that I ever trained for or even strived for, to be honest. But then it took off so well that now acting has taken a backseat and writing has become my core competency. From the Gujarati stage, I got Gujarati TV; from Gujarati TV, I got Hindi TV; from Hindi TV, I got Maharaj; and from Maharaj, I got Laapataa Ladies. So it’s been quite a journey. I’m a classic case of a drifter who has drifted in the right direction and great things happened along the way so I have kind of stopped planning now.

I started getting involved with Gujarati theatre when I was in college, and it was only as an actress. But yes, I have always been a voracious reader, I still am. I read everything from poetry to novels to comics. I remember I used to write great essays in school. At the time, the biggest high was winning an essay competition and seeing my name put up on the school notice board. But professionally, writing was never on the cards. I did not write a page till about 2010, which was way after college. My initial writing clicked not because it was great but because there is a lot of mediocrity in the Gujarati theatre scene. So even if you write something half decent, it is likely to stand out, make waves and get noticed. That’s what happened with me. If I look back today, I could have achieved a lot more with writing in Gujarati theatre. But the fact is that the success of those projects held me in good stead and without those, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I literally learnt on the job. What the audiences like and dislike, at what point you get applause, where you get a hearty laugh, all these things, I learnt on the job. That live audience in theatre taught me almost everything I know about writing. I still use that yardstick to measure the quality of my writing. I often ask myself after writing something, “If I were performing this on stage, how would the audience react?” It’s my most organic barometer for judging how a scene is shaping up.

On one hand, you have written full-blown mainstream TV shows and on the other, unconventional Bollywood films like Maharaj and Laapataa Ladies. Tell me about this journey.

After Gujarati theatre I transitioned into TV where I did act a little bit but was mostly involved as a writer. I got in around 2010 when there was an influx of regional channels. I started off with Gujarati TV. Initially, I was an additional writer who helped senior writers take some load off their backs. Fortunately, my colleagues were kind enough to show me how things worked. I had a great mentor in Atish Kapadia, who is one of the best TV writers we have. I have written many, many shows on TV. Mrs Tendulkar is what I started with. Then, RK Lakshman Ki Duniya, Biha Hamari Bahu Ka, etc. Currently, I am still associated with Wagle Ki Duniya and Pushpa Impossible. TV is still an ongoing love. In fact, I write 56 episodes of TV every month. Every format and medium has its own grammar. Now, I have been doing this for so long that I think I have cracked it in my subconscious. In TV, there is not much quality control. The timelines are the key factor. The thing you need to respect the most in TV is the timeline. What you write gets shot the next day or the day after. So there is no scope for revisiting a draft or modifying or tweaking a scene. You have to get it right the very first time. Then there are codes of conduct that you have to observe in TV. You can’t offend anyone, a certain kind of language cannot be used, and almost everything needs to be looked at from a family viewing lens. Churning out an episode day in and day out for so many years has made me internalize these processes. In that sense, the TV world is very different from the film world or at least the films that I have written so far. But in one way, the worlds are also connected. For instance, Maharaj came to me because I was writing TV in Gujarati. The world of Maharaj is fully Gujarati. I was brought in initially to help with the dialect. While I was working on the dialect, I modified some dialogue here and there which the makers liked, and they asked me to get involved with the dialogue. Then, since I was now working on the dialogue, I had to read the screenplay. I read the original book it is based on, and I made some additions and deletions to the screenplay. That’s what made them ask me to be an Associate Screenplay Writer on the project as well. So things just happened one after the other. When I went to narrate what I had written, Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao were personally there for the narration as it was Aamir sir’s son’s (Junaid Khan) debut. They liked what they heard, Junaid signed up for the film and then the lockdown happened. Now, everyone was free during the lockdown. So, at one point, I got a call from Aamir sir, and he said they were working on this amazing story by Biplab Goswami, and they would like me to convert it into a screenplay. That’s how Laapataa Ladies fell into my lap.

When you adapted a true story into a screenplay like Maharaj, did you fictionalise it a lot?

Not really. Maharaj is very close to an actual case known as the Maharaj Libel Case that played out in the mid-1800s. The film is based on a novel by Saurabh Shah, which is also called Maharaj. The novel is a full-blown courtroom drama and is full of legalities. We had to make it a little more entertaining while turning it into a film. The actual case was so famous that it is still taught in British law circles. It’s a landmark case and a landmark judgement.

How it happened was that Vipul Mehta, the screenplay writer, had done a Gujarati play on this subject. That’s how Siddharth Malhotra heard of the idea and he, along with Vipul, decided to make a film on this subject. I came on board quite late.

Since I come from a Gujarati family and since I am well-acquainted with the Vaishnav community, it wasn’t very difficult for me to get into the world of Maharaj. What I was very cautious about was getting the facts of the case right and that the film does not offend any community or individuals emotionally. What also took a lot of time was to get the geography of old Mumbai right and how people went about their day, what kind of work they did for a living, at that time. Getting the Flora Fountain area right, the Kalabadevi area right was both interesting and time consuming at the same time.

When you were treading on the lines of religion in Maharaj, were you afraid of moral policing and censorship?

Look, I think we were definitely cautious because there is no denying that the country is sensitive, the country is touchy. Having said that, I think we also need to understand the reasons why the country is sensitive and touchy. Instead of constantly picking on things and complaining about them, a writer also needs to understand why things are the way they are.

Why do you think are things the way they are?

Moral policing has come in very late. A lot that has been written haphazardly and irresponsibly has been allowed to be published uncensored in the past. So now, we are in an era of overt censorship as a balancing act. I don’t believe in censorship as such, but I think a writer needs to be responsible in their writing. There are a lot of people who feel that the sole responsibility of a writer is to deliver the pages that they are to write and do that on time. But I think we are all a part of society and we have a certain responsibility towards it. Different social issues can be addressed carefully through your stories and dialogue. The themes we choose to handle as writers and how we handle them are very important. That is strongly reflected in both Maharaj and Laapataa Ladies. I don’t think entertainment is the only pivot of screenwriting. Addressing social issues is as important, and especially if the story allows you that margin, then you must do it justice. Facts need to be presented as facts. People who have been on the wrong side of history, gender, religion, caste, social strata should not be deprived of their rights and the situations they come from in their portrayal. Writing should be inclusive of every such factor whether it is orientation, sexuality, right-wingers, left-wingers, progressive, non-progressive – the writing needs to be able to carry everyone along.

Do you think there is gender equality now among writers in the film industry and do you think that a woman can bring a perspective to a story that a man can’t and vice-versa?

I think a man can write what a woman can and vice-versa depending on his ability as a writer. However, the lens with which you approach a story would definitely be different because, as a woman, the way you experience the world is different. How I react to people and situations is going to be different from how a male would react. If there are so many female characters in Laapataa Ladies, it’s because they are, to some extent, my mother, my friend, my maid, etc. Somewhere, the injustice and the partiality that you have seen other women face stays with you and is poured onto the stories you are writing. That lens definitely helps as a female writer. Having said that, if a male writer is sensitive enough, well-read enough, is in touch with his feminine side, has enough female friends and has empathy, it is quite possible for him to write a woman’s story in the most fluid manner. We have seen time and again that some male directors and writers have come up with strong female characters, so it is certainly possible.

Now, the other part of your question about gender equality in the film industry. Although things are way better than how they used to be, the gender ratio is still pretty skewed. Go to a HOD’s room or a Writers’ Room, there will definitely be more men there than women. But that should not throw you off. If it starts getting to you, and you change your behaviour to counter it, then that’s fair. Thankfully, it has never affected me. Forget bias, some of the best friendships that I have made have been with my male colleagues. You know, more than gender, I have lost out on minor opportunities because of my lifestyle. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, so the kind of networking that happens during a smoke break or over a couple of beers after work is something I have always missed out on. I come from a very traditional family. I have a child I am raising and am also responsible for his education and upbringing. While doing all that, I sometimes miss out on some bonding opportunities with my colleagues. But then I know that I don’t lose out as much by not doing that as I would lose out by doing that! When I am not working, I’d rather be at home.

And finally, I think if you are thorough with your work and you don’t give anyone a chance to point out your mistakes, gender doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, everyone is there to do good work and make a career. Everybody is looking for their next big hit; nobody wants to be embroiled in controversy. If you can contribute something valuable to the room, you belong there.

How does your acting experience facilitate your journey as a writer?

I think my acting experience gives me an incredible edge as a writer. Because I know very well what an actor looks for in a part when they read it. They are looking for meat, they are looking for a voice, they are looking for an opportunity to showcase their skills and also the quantity as well as the quality of the role. When I design my characters, there is a subconscious effort on my part to add some kind of dimension to each and every character so that it would be gratifying for an actor to play that role. The best example of this is Laapataa Ladies. Each character has their own moment whether it is the chutneywala or Abdul or chhotu or whoever else. Because you know, for an actor, knowing that they are not the protagonist or the hero or the heroine, there needs to be a motivation to go and play that role and have fun with it. So, even if there is one scene an actor has, it needs to be a kadak one. I know that hunger of an actor and I try my best to feed it as a writer. Secondly, because of acting, I have the habit of reading out my scenes. When I read my own scenes with the correct punctuation, in the correct tone, I get a good sense of the balance of a scene. I figure out if a scene is two lines shorter or if a joke needs to end at a particular place and the next two lines need to be edited out, for example. As an actor, I get that barometer well. My stage training has helped me visualize the audience’s reaction. I think there is a lot of stagecraft in my writing. Ending a scene on a hook is where my TV training comes into play. Since I write every day, there is no procrastination that hinders my writing. I don’t have luxuries like writer’s block.

Your first two films have been produced by big banners such as Yashraj Films and Aamir Khan Productions. Were you ever overwhelmed by the stature of these production houses and the people involved with them?

I think the image of bigness is more in our heads than in theirs. Because we tend to look at ourselves as professionally inferior to them. Aditya Chopra, Siddharth Malhotra, Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao are some of the most accessible people I have worked with. They are also extremely affable. As long as you are discussing work and what you are discussing has some kind of merit, they are open to as much discussion as you want to have. I never faced what you can call a tantrum from any of them. They have behaved most beautifully, most professionally, and knowing that I am a newcomer, they have literally nurtured me is how I would put it. They could have told me that they haven’t opened a school or that I should go and learn more before I spoke to them, but they never did. They handheld me at the right time and also left me on my own at the right time. So, my initial fear that I am working with such big people as a newcomer and they might judge me or make fun of my writing or narration, turned out to be invalid.

Aditya Chopra is famous for respecting his privacy, so I didn’t get to meet him too often but whenever I did, he spoke with great calmness, affection and comfort. He answered whatever I had to ask him. Even if he ever made a change to the script, he would explain exactly why he did that. Those discussions actually school you as a new writer.

Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan are the most hands-on people I have worked with. They are very happy to discuss not just your film but also any other film in the world; very open and generous about all the projects that may be happening in their company. I was free to sit for meetings on other projects as well, and meet people on other projects and exchange notes with them. Kiran and Aamir are happy to groom younger writers as well, so the spirit was truly positive.

Could you take me through your journey of writing Laapataa Ladies?

I was working on Maharaj, and I had gone to meet Junaid to give him a narration. As I said earlier, Aamir sir was there in the room as it was his son’s debut. Later, he called me and told me that there was a film they were working on and asked if I would like to work on it. Only a dumb person would say no to an offer that comes on a platter like that and that too from Aamir Khan! So I said yes. They were very clear about their offer. They told me to develop the story the way I wanted to, if they liked it, they would take it ahead or else they would pay me for my effort, and we would shake hands and part ways. It was an open offer. There was no exploitative term in the contract or anything of the sort. They sent me the story written by Biplab Goswami and I wrote a draft of the screenplay the way I wanted to. I quite enjoyed the freedom I wrote it with and fortunately, Aamir sir loved my first draft. The original story was in a more serious, activism kind of zone. I approached it in a slightly sarcastic and comic way, which is what they loved a lot because that would make it more accessible to the general audience and make the thought more palatable. If you talk about activism, exploitation and women’s issues in a serious, make-you-cry way then it doesn’t fly with a lot of people. So it became a lot more entertaining. Of course, the first draft that I took to them is very different from the final script that we shot. After the first draft, they told me that I had got it, but we were still not quite there, but they would like to take it ahead with me. Then came the subsequent drafts with their feedback and it was a terrific learning experience – a kind that people would pay lakhs of rupees for in a film school and still may not quite get.

What would be your advice to screenwriters who are just starting out?

First and foremost, read, read and read! Read literature, fiction, comics. Even read crap because sometimes it’s important to know how not to write. Try and fill yourself with so many words that you can access them whenever you want to. Secondly, watch films. Watch whichever films you like – world cinema, Bollywood, Hollywood, regional, whatever you like. Maybe you’ll find your genre somewhere there. It’s not necessary that every writer should be versatile. Maybe someone will go on to become a genre specialist. Ask yourself why you like watching a particular film three or four times. Why has a particular character stayed with you for a long time? If you can try and dissect it psychologically, nothing like it. Nowadays there is a lot of material available online about screenwriting and so many workshops that keep happening. One should take the greatest advantage of it all and at the same time retain your gut feel. If you believe a particular scene is best written the way you have written it and it goes against the established notions of craft, no problem. Just write it. You will get a hundred chances to modify it but writing is very important. Many writers waste a lot of time thinking about their next big film, next big character… I’d say don’t think too much. Just start writing. The contact between pen and paper is so magical that however much you think before writing, it becomes something else when you actually write it. So just write. Lastly, I would say travel a lot. You will meet so many characters along the way that it would save you a lot of effort while writing. You will get ready made prototypes.

Which films and filmmakers have influenced you?

There are lots of such people. But a disclaimer before I name some of them. I have never studied film, and I may not have explored cinema as much as I would have liked to. I know film buffs who devour every film at every film festival right, left and centre. I am truly jealous of such people because I never did it and now I don’t have the time to do it.

I love Yash Chopra’s films. His acumen for backing the right scripts was outstanding. Then, who doesn’t like the writing of Salim-Javed? Trishul and Shakti are some of the finest scripts in my opinion. Then, I like Farhan Akhtar’s work a lot. I like Zoya’s work a lot. I think Aamir Khan has an excellent sense of scripts. He is a great filmmaker, a great actor and on top of that, he has an exceptional eye for every aspect of cinema. His is a brain that I would love to steal someday. He knows the business aspect, the marketing strategy; he knows all of it incredibly well. Then Anurag Kashyap. The kind of writing that he does is so edgy, quirky and sharp. And he cares two hoots about anything else. At times, he comes up with duds but most of his failures too are noble.

Mihir Chitre is the author of two books of poetry, ‘School of Age’ and ‘Hyphenated’. He is the brain behind the advertising campaigns ‘#LaughAtDeath’ and ‘#HarBhashaEqual’ and has made the short film ‘Hello Brick Road’