is tightlipped about the story. "I'm bound by a non-disclosure agreement," he says of the film, shooting for which begins in a week. This is Sahni's third film for India's premier film production house after Bunty Aur Babli and Chak De India. Earlier, he scripted Jungle and Company for Ram Gopal Varma and Khosla Ka Ghosla for Tandav Films. Closely involved with Yash Raj's film development and planning division, Sahni spoke to Shuchi Bansal on his projects and trends in scriptwriting.
Which came first, songs or scripts?
The first songs I wrote were "Maaeri..." and others for Euphoria, and for Shubha Mudgal's Ab Ke Sawan album. Then I wrote films.
Could you share details of your latest films?
The Chak De India story is woven around a women's hockey team and its coach, played by Shah Rukh Khan. It is directed by Shimit Amin who made Ab Tak Chhappan and produced by Aditya Chopra. I've written the script and lyrics for the Madhuri Dixit film too. That's all I can say.
How has scriptwriting in India changed over the years?
There was a time when scripts were written with characters in mind and actors used to be cast depending upon their unique strengths or weaknesses.
Then came a phase of superstars where a lot of films were made just in order to cash upon a star's appeal "" it was a terrible phase of the eighties which did neither the stars nor the film any good and almost took the business down with it.
Now, again, more and more films are being written first and cast later according to the demands of the roles, which gives both the stars something to bite into as actors, and the audience something special to watch.
Why have things changed?
For three reasons. One, there is huge amounts of interesting content on cable TV and the Internet and the monopoly of feature films as the sole source of entertainment has been severely hit. Two, the consumer is driving the change.
He is not willing to settle for the same rubbish having paid Rs 150 for the ticket and more for food and beverages. Three, it's the arrival of a new breed of writers, actors, directors and producers who have grown up with other influences besides just mainstream Hindi films, and it shows in their work.
Will the value of stars diminish?
Stars did and always will play an important role in mainstream mass product entertainment anywhere in the world. It is in our nature to build stars and then follow their lives and times, whether in movies or in media.
Are new writers making a difference to Indian cinema?
Yes. They have little patience with the old mainstream masala genre, but are smart enough to take its plus points and create new products.
The films I write are loaded with my own experiences. The characters and their motivations in Bunty Aur Babli were a direct offshoot of my travel experiences to small towns during my consulting and advertising days. I realised that the young in small towns were restless, hungry and eager to get somewhere.
Any future trends in filmmaking/scriptwriting?
I believe very strongly that as screenwriters, we are the R&D and product design division of our industry, and I act, behave and work accordingly.
In studios, when there are more of them, scriptwriting will begin to look more and more like product design, and screenwriters like product designers.
With never before scaling up, there will be a huge need for managers of the creative process "" creative producers "" people who have been associated with enough films to know both the process of making them and the audience's mind.
But they would need to have a systems and management bent of mind to be able to shepherd multiple entertainment projects successfully, dealing with marketing and distribution on one end, and actors, writers and directors on the other.
These managers cannot be business school graduates "" the film making process is too full of intangibles for their liking, they will only get ulcers "" these will need to be screenwriters and directors with a talent for management.
The screenwriter will have take more and more responsibility for the product he or she designs. The trend has already started showing in spurts, but it will become the backbone of the business' operations in a few years.
