Bollywood's Writers Have No Place on the Page

Once feted, the Hindi entertainment industry's screenwriters are struggling to make a living today

- Lata Jha [e-mail] NEW DELHI

Close to intermission, a particularly intense sequence plays out in Superboys of Malegaon, a coming-of-age drama based on the real-life story of a bunch of amateur filmmakers set in the eponymous city in 1990s and early 2000s Maharashtra. After a huge showdown with his friends, a drunk and disgruntled writer screams: "Writer baap hota hai."

The young man, feeling betrayed by these young boys he has grown up with and with whom he has just made a film on a shoestring budget, wants to remind them that it is essentially because of the writer that everyone on a film set has a job. But like many others in Malegaon, the friends don't seem to get his creative sensibilities, and he soon leaves for Mumbai to chase his dreams, only to return penniless a few years later.

The Reema Kagti-directed film, which released in theatres this February, is an ode to parodies of Bollywood blockbusters of the 1970s and 80s that sustained several careers in the small Maharashtra town for years. It also pays tribute to the 1975 action epic Sholay and its writers, Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, an inspiration for many who landed in Mumbai over the years, chasing a career in film writing.

In the 70s, Salim-Javed (as their name appeared in movie credits) thrived in and dominated Hindi cinema to the extent where they could command rates higher than many leading stars. However, unlike that era, screenwriting, often considered the foundation of a good film or show, is hardly bringing returns or rewards for those committed to the craft in the Hindi film and over-the-top (OTT) industry today.

Writer Darab Farooqui, who wrote a long Instagram post on screenwriters this February, told Mint that writers receive 10% of their remuneration upon signing a contract (for a film or show) and must then write the entire script, which, if approved, garners an additional 10-20%. The rest will be paid only if the project is approved and when the actor signs on.