By Somdeb Roy

“The smallest element of writing, fortunately, is writing itself.”

This is what my late Uncle, who was a writer by hobby, told me when I informed him that I want to pursue this craft as a profession.

10 years hence, I can ascertain the undercurrent of the statement to an extent.

Born in a family of doctors, in a city where the Hindi film industry was a weekend respite, I was introduced to cinema via television. And by cinema I don’t refer to the commercial releases wherein every second release the protagonist was either out to avenge the loss of his parents’ life courtesy a rich goon whose daughter the guy loved.

I am from Guwahati. The city back in the late 80s and early 90s was not quite known for its per capita income and overall economy. A black and white television was a bigger social currency than owning that dog Tuffy from Hum Aap Ke Hai Kaun. Cable streaming and operation was still a selective IMAX offering that generation. In 1990, if anybody told me Amitabh Bachchan debuted in the 70s, I would have laughed alike the decibels of Navjot Sidhu. For me films were television, and television was Doordarshan. What Sooryavansham is to Max, Jab We Met is to Star Gold, Satte Pe Satta, Rafoo Chakkar and Do Aur Do Paanch were to DD. Kids nowadays have torrents, Netflix and Kodi to absorb global content. I, on the other retro hand, alike my age group had just films shot at Mehboob, RK and Filmalaya at my disposal.

This might sound like a diss in tonality, but in retrospect, this was the core that shaped good cinema that is being offered now. Films back then were not a bowl of propaganda. The categorization was simple. There were entertainers aimed at the general audience, there was the art-house sphere on the verge of a commercial breakthrough. And then, there were bipolar films; still tracing a sense of belonging in either of the two worlds of cinema. Thank God, I was a kid back then.

In 1994, I saw Baazigar. The lanky protagonist captivated my imagination and drew a fanboy out of me. I had seen this guy on TV, but wasn’t aware of his name and repute. Shah Rukh Khan has the breaking point. Still a pesky little kid, this was something that triggered aspiration in me. The “Ek din bade hoke aisa kuch karna hai.” Moment had opened curtains for me. This was my moment.

But, for an eight-year old in 1994, this was a bit too early and dreamy to think of. It was just the feeling of amazement if you ask me. But now when I look back, this was my calling.

Now the hurdle growing up as a film lover was the clash of worlds I stood between. I come from a family that watched Ek Doctor Ki Maut, Saleem Langde Pe Mat Ro and varied other NFDC releases. I had to sit through those films, which looked like a task initially. Like a slow-burning thriller, I started digging into those films; watched Saaransh, Arth, Shatranj Ke Khiladi and many other films which my family lauded and considered right up there in the ranks.

I grew up. I was into my teens. Shah Rukh Khan was now a legitimate superstar. NFDC now had way more funds to push films. The art house sphere had exploded and transformed into a very credible zone. I was now a fat teenager whose weekly routine was studying, mimicking singers and actors to entertain my friends, watching every Friday release and spend Sundays on the recently bought Playstation. Movie tickets were dirt cheap in the mid 2000s. 50/- for balcony and 30/- for the popular seats to this date can outshine any big million or billion day. Such reasonable factor pricing facilitated me to watch some likable films multiple times; my version of a re-run. Thank God, I was a teenager in that era.

When Doctor’s child is inquired about his/her goals in life, the person asking the question, mostly wants the kid to reply, “I will be a Doctor.”.

And if the child doesn’t, there are consequences. I didn’t want to be a doctor alike everybody else in my family. And when your family has gone through business perils and a financial crisis, voicing an opinion isn’t one of the finest options available. However, my parents were not hell bent on forcing me. My mother, a college level musician and my father who wanted to enroll in National School of Design at his age, were aware where this was heading. By 2007, I had articles featuring regularly in a leading state daily. I became a columnist who wrote about films, television and Cricket sometimes.

Our financial credibility as a family had restored by the time I graduated from Gauhati Commerce College. Yes, I went for commerce. After being rejected by almost every science stream college resultant of my legendarily low marks in Science and Mathematics, I anyway didn’t have concentrated interest in Higher Secondary education. I finished my grads and was off to Pune for my masters degree education.

A stigma suggests that people in smaller towns aren’t quite open to writing as a profession. This delusion in my head was beaten to a pulp when I realized that in my batch of some 50 trainees, just two of us wanted writing to be our professional identity. This isn’t a bad thing by any means. Everybody might not consider creativity a goal to achieve or a peak to flag. But the scarcity and low demand planted a fear in me. See, low competition is low-scale business.

Now a post-graduate who mimicked his batch mates and seniors, I became a musician; the vocalist of a band. Through this occupation, I met musicians whom I grew up listening to, I wanted to get an autograph from and mostly the ones I mimicked to learn a bit of singing. In 2 years, I post graduated from Pune, and boy, back in 2010-11 the climate in that city could have competed on interplanetary levels of coolness. Love blossomed in my life, grades were good and I was happy with myself. Thank God, I was a Punekar at the turn of this decade.

Into Advertising as a profession, I got bored and gave up. I realized it was a mere fixation driven by the B-school fees paid to get into the industry. I had no love for the trade and realized if I continue spending my time in advertising, it would be a dishonest choice. I have no problem with jobs. Neither do I undermine them. But everything has a place value. I wasn’t tough enough for the sphere and space. I moved onto different things. I left Bombay. I left Maharashtra.

I was back to Guwahati. Quite alike the child I was in the 90s, I had no clue what my life was snowballing into. The only feeling prevalent within was the love to write, love to have fun in life and be grateful for whatever is left.

It’s been quite some time in Guwahati. I have written TV shows, music videos, branded content. I started the online spoof and humor space with my friends. It took us time and now our pact has commenced the standup comedy scene in Assam. We do shows regularly and it is in the drill of turning into a worthwhile industry in Assam.

I thought I was done with Bombay (Mumbai for the offended). I keep travelling over to the city. I am very grateful and humbled that people in the Bay call me and offer me work. I was associated with a comedy collective. Earlier this year I wrote humor for a Hindi film Awards Show, and yes, I don’t mind writing for award shows. It is good fun.

I am a professional screenwriter now. I do standup comedy every second weekend. I sing for myself whenever time allows. With my feature scripts in pitch mode, I now understand how important selling the scripts has become in today’s corporate framework. I can thank my advertising roots to an extent. It has facilitated me with the confidence to inject confidence and faith in the scripts to be landed.

Almost 11 years hence, the scenario has evolved. People now allow their children to do what is convenient and plausible for them. Alike my parents, there are countless other guardians who have belief in the child. If their offspring claims to be a proficient Banker or research analyst, they invest all faith and bets on that young lad or lass. And while working with friends and people close to me I have realized that the country will have countless more writers; young guns who are loaded with amazing content. Dignity of labor is the mantra of this generation, and man, it is one ubercool trend. Thank God, I am working with such brisk ticking minds of this era.

Growing up in a family with varied taste, I have understood that films aren’t a social responsibility. For that, you have activism and reforms management. I personally feel, there is neither commercial nor art house/offbeat cinema. Peel off the marketing aesthetics, and all you have is the desire to avoid unemployment and present good films.

As a writer, every nuance is work experience, every minute is a potential story arc. I still have no clue about where things are marching towards. I am just an an entertainer who gets paid to do what he loves. If I have to reach somewhere, I shall. Rest is beyond my control. From then to this moment, I feel, I am lost in the right direction.

“The smallest element of writing, fortunately, is writing itself.”