The experience of an actual film from idea to screen will teach me more than most books and lectures.
— Sriram Raghavan
Some of our best writers are self taught. Screenwriting is a combo of craft and art. The craft part can be taught, about how to be visual and economical with scenes. However, finally it’s the individuality of the writer that will come into play.
On a serious note, I just enjoy exploring the unconventional. I like Alfred Hitchcock; I actually grew up watching his films. A thriller gives you much more scope of exhibiting creativity in terms of playing with the camera and sound, as against a typical love story.
My idea is to write a story where every character is well etched out, irrespective of their gender. Because they all are human beings and stories are on the situation and human mind.
As a filmmaker, I want to bring some value, some thought in the mind of my audience. When I embark on the journey of storytelling, I am an explorer.
Shoot The Piano Player' is one of my favourite films, though apparently it failed very badly when it released.
If I work with Shah Rukh, it will be as an actor, not a star. Whenever I have thought of making a film with some star in mind, I’ve abandoned the film in a few weeks.
With ‘Agent Vinod’, there was a lot of chaos with schedules and the film took a year and a half to shoot.
Hollywood thrillers give away almost 70 percent of the story in promos but still the film remains interesting. In India we do a lot of cuts and put in songs in promos to create an impact.
I am partial to thrillers but if somebody gives me a script like 'King's Speech' to do, I would love to do it too.
We all are scared of bad things… So when you are watching a film, you see your fears on the screen.
I'm not a social person. I don't like parties. I like small groups, we discuss ideas in my office.
People don’t know what filmmaking is even after they have made ten films.
As a filmmaker, I tilt towards stories which are crime-led.
Badlapur' is a drama, a character-driven story. It is not so much about plot.
Songs definitely add to the excitement about a movie.
Frankly, you cannot match the action in a Bond or a Bourne film. Forget budgets, it needs an expertise which I probably lacked.
My two bits here are that writing is a solitary job but there are times when one needs to discuss the work, and see what’s working and what’s not.
My working style is democratic and I want people to be honest with me. Reputation makes everyone agree with your point, which is dangerous for any filmmaker.
If you're unwell you can simply cuddle up in bed and tune into a thriller. It's the best remedy.
My women characters should not exist only to play the 'love interest' of a male character.
What you see in my script may not be what’s in the film. Sometimes it’s a very scary thing, when I have to shoot in the morning and the scene’s not good enough, and it’s only me there, and there’s no signal to even call the others and say, think of a better line.
Ever since my first film, I had more producers than scripts. And I’ve realised that a certain project requires a certain kind of producer for it to be made well.
Often I would get offers to remake films and that didn’t interest me. I have no interest in remaking a film in Hindi which has been made in the south already. I prefer adapting from a book than a movie.
My second film ‘Johnny Gaddar’ got delayed because of financial reasons. The film was taken over by another production house and in the process we lost a year.
When people watch good films they want other films to be of that calibre as well particularly when you cater to the same core audience.
I believe thrillers work if the story is good. It is not easy to make a thriller because the audience is making their own story in their minds as they watch the film. You have to break that expectation and still make them like the film.
People often get caught in situations or do something that they regret for the rest of their lives. What happens and how you try to cover up is the story. These are not career criminals.
Unless the movie is about to release, I don't like to be in the limelight. Then I have no choice, but after that you have to get back.
I wanted to make films, but the films being made in the 1990s were not my kind. I couldn’t break in, and even if I did manage to get a foothold, I didn’t know what I would make.
There’s this film called 'The Pledge', with Jack Nicholson in it. Now that’s a dark film.
When I started watching movies, I saw a lot of Hitchcock films. When I was 10, I saw 'North by Northwest' and movies like that.
I love songs but am inhibited to have my characters burst out to express themselves through songs. I use the route of using old songs at the right places.
Like you don't watch 'Octopussy' or any Bond film for the story. You see it for the smart lines, the glamour, the overall package.
When I finish my first draft I usually narrate it to some trusted friends who can give me feedback. All criticism is welcome.
‘Badlapur’ was my first film that did well, commercially. People have also watched the other films that I have made, but they didn’t bring in the footfall.
It is unlike the quintessential thriller where someone is up to something and the audience is speculating. 'Johnny Gaddaar' is the opposite of a thriller. In this case, the audience knows right from the outset what transpires and who the likely culprit is. It is a suspense caper.
I do not think that when I write a female character, I intend to reflect my thoughts on gender equality, but I always make sure that my female character is not decorative, they are human, they are good, bad, complex and close to reality.
For thrillers, it’s especially difficult to carve out a good trailer.
I’ve met Shah Rukh a couple of times. He had even dropped by on the sets of 'Agent Vinod'.
I have never had the problem of finding a producer for my films. I think I am just lucky because my first film didn’t do great box office business.
In love stories you have to establish the mood and then you can go on. Writing thrillers are difficult because every scene needs a twist. May be comedy is even more difficult but I have no experience of it.
I would not have been interested in doing just a revenge film simply because I have seen so many revenge films right from Clint Eastwood films to Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘Zanjeer’, ‘Sholay’ and ‘Ghayal’ and various variants of them.
Only three or four thrillers are made in Hindi cinema in a year. There is a fascination for crime genre but producers think thrillers don’t have that much of a market or will not get picked up for satellite rights.
When you are working on a real story it is your responsibility to get everything right and stay as true and authentic as possible.
There are certain actors I think I can approach whenever I am working on something and Shah Rukh is one of those. He's somebody whom I'd love to work with.
Right from childhood, I have enjoyed films which belong to the thriller genre. As a kid, I would read novels written by Agatha Christie and James Hadley Chase.
With 'Badlapur', I wasn’t even thinking about casting. I was wondering whether any producer will want to make a film with a story like this. It is not your expected, feel-good, or even your regular thriller.
Badlapur' has got an excellent soundtrack even though it wasn’t planned at all in the beginning.
If it’s a Hindi film, it has to have a Hindi title.
