Best time for writers in B’wood: ‘Luka Chuppi’ writer

By Ahana Bhattacharya

Mumbai, Aug 31 (IANS) "Luka Chuppi" writer Rohan Shankar feels, with content being king right now, this is the best time for being a writer in the film industry.

"I got recognition after 'Luka Chuppi', my first Hindi movie as a writer, but the problem (of writers being ignored) persists in Bollywood. However, the situation has improved over the last two or three years, because now films are content-driven. Every actor, when approached for a film, first asks what the story is, and not who the director or producer is. The transformation has started," Rohan told IANS.

He added: "Content-driven films like 'Badhaai Ho', 'S're', 'Bareilly Ki Barfi', 'Hindi Medium', 'Shubh Mangal Saavdhan' and 'Luka Chuppi' have been ruling the market over the past couple of years. I feel, it is the best time for writers in the industry. I am very fortunate that I am writing films at a time when content is being given the highest importance."

The journey was not easy for the boy from Kalyan, because a break in Bollywood does not come easily for outsiders."

"I always wanted to be a writer. I struggled for six to seven years but didn't get a good opportunity. During this time, I worked in multiple roles such as assistant director and production manager. I did almost everything except serving tea on the sets!" he said.

"Luka Chuppi" took a lot of time and he had to give a test of his patience. The writer shared: "I wrote the first draft of the film around 2012 - 2013. I narrated the script to (director) Lakshman (Utekar) sir in 2014, but it didn't work out at that time. After that, I narrated the script to several others. Everybody liked the story but the film somehow couldn't happen. Then, I approached Lakshman sir again, and this time he agreed."

Interestingly, the story of "Luka Chuppi" has been inspired by an incident from the writer's own life. "I used to stay in Kalyan and travel to Mumbai daily for work. I was dating a girl at that time. It was a lot of travelling for me, so I decided to shift to Mumbai. She offered to stay with me in Mumbai in a live-in relationship. Even though my family is very accommodating, I thought of how it would feel if they came to visit my Mumbai house one day and discover that a girl stays with me and she is not my wife yet. The relationship didn't work out but the thought kept haunting me, which I translated into a story," he said.

However, instead of setting the story in Mumbai, the writer chose to make North India the base. Revealing the reason, Rohan shared: "When the story idea first came to mind, I had a feeling that it should be set in North India. People are more conservative there, especially in the small towns. Forget live-in, even dating has to be a secret because people don't accept it. So, we based the story in Mathura to make it more relevant."

With its out-of-the-box content and humour, "Luka Chuppi" was instantly loved by critics as well as the audience, and tasted success at the box office.

"It is my first Hindi film as a writer. The movie connected with the audience and worked well. It feels very good," he said.

"Everybody gave me due recognition starting with the film's trailer launch event to the screening and later. The director, producer and actors have credited me everywhere. I have met other people from the industry, who have offered me work. So, I think I have received due recognition as the writer of the film. I am very happy," he concluded.

Rohan Shankar is currently writing a script inspired by the National-Award winning Marathi movie "Mala Aai Vhhachy!" (I want to be a mother). This movie will again be directed by "Luka Chuppi" helmer Laxman Utekar and is expected to go on the floors later this year.