Newbies rewrite bolly script

Scriptwriter Aje Monga is a happy man. “I hadn’t imagined that my debut film would be received so well,” says Monga who has co-scripted filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar’s Corporate. Another newcomer, Shibani Bhatija, who had penned the blockbuster Fanaa, is hoping she will get lucky again with the much-awaited Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna.

Meanwhile, adman-turned-scriptwriter Rensil D’Silva still can’t get over the response Rang De Basanti has generated. “I had never thought I’d go on to write one of the highest grossers of our time,” he says modestly. 

Industry observers point out that till recently, anybody could have scripted a Bollywood “formula” film with its trademark twists and turns. “The concept of a script did not exist in the industry for the longest time. So, there was no real need for writers,” says trade analyst Amod Mehra.

The script, however, is changing in Bollywood and the storyboard is moving in a new direction.

Though, scriptwriters are yet to get the recognition they deserve, they are suddenly sought after. And new voices are being heard all the time.  As producers churn out films for different, even niche audiences, the opportunities for scriptwriters are increasing.

“A screenplay is now being viewed as the most important tool to make money,” says Monga. This spells good news for writers who are paid better now-anything between Rs1 lakh to Rs25 lakhs, say industry sources, depending on the budget of the movie.

Filmmakers like Ram Gopal Varma and production houses like UTV have also helped rewrite the formula, say trade pundits.

Interestingly, some of the most successful films in the recent past have been penned by newcomers, including Jaideep Sahni (Bunty Aur Babli), Manoj Tyagi (Page 3), Vijay Kumar Acharya (Dhoom 1 and 2) and Bhavani Iyer (Black).