Sriram Raghavan-'Write, Write and Write and You Shall Evolve !'

'Write, Write and Write and You Shall Evolve !' – Sriram Raghavan

Report on the Master Classes at MAMI

By A. RADHAKRISHNAN

Adlabs IMAX- Theatre No. 3



Sriram Raghavan,, a journalist turned film maker, is an exciting writer-director.

His is an unabashed passion for story telling. His directorial debut 'Ek Hasina Thi' starring Saif Ali Khan and Urmila Matondkar,got him noticed and his second mainstream film, both directed and scripted by him- 'Johnny Gaddaar' successfully launched the career of Neil Nitin Mukesh. Despite his passion for thrillers, he is now working on a love story with John Abraham and Aishwarya Rai.
"A project with Ramu didn't take off, but he introduced me to another script which was simple, but sort of novelish and too descriptive, with the girl as a protagonist. The script of the first half covered just three pages and seemed sort of rushed through. Our job was to make it interesting. Thus came Ek HasinaThi.


I don't think I have been inspired, though for my research, I read a lot of thriller authors. I watched many jail break films and went to every jail in the country to see for myself. The idea was not to copy scene by scene, but it was fun to see various ways a film could be made. But again, you have to look for honesty in your work. That way a lot of influences show in my work. In fact I would say '
better be inspired and better have researched.'


On the one hand, you sometimes start with a character, which builds up through the story and on the other hand we have plot oriented like Johnny Gaddaar.It is difficult to say what an ideal script is. But I guess something like Deewar where the camera is so powerful.

The novelty of the script is important. 'It is not the story but how you say it' that is important. The idea itself is so strong. I would say don't spiral bind your scripts. The plot of Johnny Gaddaar is mathematically clear. Kundan Shah once told me that 'the plot has no life and a life has no plot'. The whole thrust with Johnny was to make the audience feel the characters are real people.
'Inspiration' is a deadly word in India! But watching Indian and foreign films from yesteryears is like looking at a large reservoir of Gods. This expands my thought process to the limits. Research is essential.

It helps to keep actors in mind while scripting. Neil Mukesh was my first choice for Johnny Gaddaar. . The script evolves over a time, with the actors and cameraman giving me their inputs. I have not worked with bound scripts but you should always have room for change. Script writers are not born. There is a certain sequence in the brain which brings it out.

To be a good scriptwriter, you got to keep writing and writing. Only through practice can you evolve. There are no short cuts or formulas. You will then get the feel of it.

You can take a certain amount of liberty in scriptwriting but you cannot blur fiction and reality. The script should be simple, give the maximum economy and introduce a strong story

The problem with India is the dearth of good writers. I am looking for good script, but my advice is for you to get it registered first with the proper authority.

I am inspired by scriptwriters like Javed and Salim as well as from American films. I love Hitchcock too. A good scriptwriter can be a good director. Every director has to be a writer too.

But all said and done, the script is the most important part of any film.'