By Navjot Gulati

I started the process of peddling around the story idea of Running Shaadi back when it was called ‘Chandu Bana Majnu’ in the year 2011, when I was a 24-year-old young and full-of-angst writer. I found director Amit Roy in the year 2012 during MAMI (Mumbai Film Festival). The film got made in the year 2013. It was ready to release in mid-2014.

The film came out in the year 2017, the same year I turned 30.

Between the film getting made and finally getting the long-delayed release, I grew up. For a long time, I used to feel that once I have a film that is officially out, the world will change.
Guess what? The world did not change, I did.

I became calmer. I used to think that getting one film out means that you have made it in life. I was completely wrong. The purpose of a writer’s life is to keep writing and telling stories; at no point are you supposed to stop thinking and writing new scripts. I became very cynical about getting films made, but finally seeing my name on the big screen, combined with the encouragement by a lot of peers, gave me the strength and belief that it’s possible.

running

My learnings during the process of this six-year long ‘wait’ are listed below (because l love making pointers in my posts; deal with it):

1. A lot of writers dread narrations. Yes, they do suck the life out of you, but trust me when I say this: narrations can make or break your film. And I’m not talking about lazy studios, actors and producers. It’s You. The more you narrate your script, the more times you can visualise it like an audience would see it, and more the chances you get to make it better.

2. The tonality of the script needs to be the same in the head of the writer, on paper and most importantly, for the director. If you are thinking about making a laugh-a-minute film, then make sure that the director and the writing support the thought process till the end.

3. If you see something going wrong on the sets of your film as a writer, don’t put your foot down in front of everyone. Be smarter, let those scenes be shot the way the director wants. Wait for the edit to happen. He will believe you then, and push to reshoot. The key during this process is to be CALM. The writer can never lose his/her cool.

4. Letting go of your material is the best thing you can do. Once the film is shot, move on to the next as soon as possible. Ideally it should be with a different director. If you keep working with the same director you’ll never be able to grow, unless you end up forming partnerships like the Abhijat Joshi-Rajkumar Hirani and Anand Rai-Himanshu Sharma combo. These are the exceptions, not the rules.

5. Be friends with the actors; they are the carriers of your material to the world. The system is designed in a way that it will always discourage a writer to interact with actors, but you have to make sure that you find your way around it.

6. The trailer of the film is as important as the final cut of the film. Make sure that they let you have a say in how it’s cut and put out for the world to see. The same goes for the background score and music, too. They will discourage you from doing it, but you must find ways to get involved in the process.

7. Be careful as to what the importance of your film is in the life of the producers you are making the film with. It should be something that is as important for you as it is for them. I know this is tough to crack, but it’s something that is achievable.

8. It’s a thankless job. Get used to not being thanked by people when the film is coming out. Especially the producers and actors; most of them forget that you are the one who made the film possible. It was your imagination. But don’t be bitter. Wait till your next film is announced and then see how they start giving you feelers. <wink>

9. The most important lesson for me has been: become a director yourself. The day they know that you have the power to tell your story on your own, they will respect and pay you more.

navjot dir

For many years I thought I was meant to be a writer, someone who needs a great director to tell his stories. But the process of waiting it out, and the lack of respect and money for writers, has turned me into a director. Also, the sheer lack of willingness and foresight in the established directors has added to this decision. I have been directing digital content since 2015 now, and I’m all set to direct a feature film this year.

Earlier I used to be just another writer, now I’m a writer who CAN direct. The world may feel this jeopardises the writing career. Well, let me put it this way: I wrote close to 25 scripts to get one out as a writer. As a director, the first one I wrote for myself is getting made. It took a lot of hustling, but it’s happening.