Bhavani Iyer, the screenwriter behind popular Bollywood films such as Black (2005), Lootera (2013), and Raazi (2018), is currently in Nepal to conduct a screenwriting workshop organised by the Shikshya Foundation in collaboration with KathaSatha.
Recently, Onlinekhabar caught up with Iyer for an interview, where she discussed the workshop, the current state of Bollywood, the evolution of her screenwriting process, and much more.
Excerpts from the interview:
Since you are in Nepal to conduct the workshop, can you tell us how the organiser reached out to you?
Pravesh Gurung is a dear friend of mine. We know each other since he worked in Guzaarish and that was a film I wrote.
He told the Shikshya Foundation, his organisation is conducting a workshop and he asked if I would conduct it. Then it did not take me half a second to say yes because I love Pravesh and then I love interacting with students. I love meeting fellow writers.
A total of 16 writers have been chosen on the basis of the scripts that they have submitted and I will be working through scripts with them and I will also be talking about writing my process, my journey as a writer and all of that in the workshop.
What are your expectations from the participants of the workshop?
Well, I have done a lot of these kinds of workshops and master classes. These kinds of settings always bring out some of the most incredible talent because they are pure, they are untouched by commercial aspects.
At this point, they are pure storytellers, which is very exciting. Interestingly, most of the time, the teacher ends up learning much more than the students. I am truly looking forward to that. I am actually a little nervous because, as you know, I am not a trained writer myself. Most of the time, the writers who attend these workshops are trained professionals. So, I need to be able to bring my own experience as a writer.
Talking about yourself, how did your journey as a screenwriter start?
I was a journalist before and then I became a writer. What journalism did is it lent me discipline in writing. So, I am very mindful of deadlines. Writing is a never ending process because you are never happy with what you have because you can keep getting better and better.
I think journalism was a stepping stone for me to get into fiction storytelling because I do not believe I was a very good journalist. In journalism, you need to be very strict with facts and have a strong grasp of the physical world around you. I was never particularly good at that. My mind works better in creating stories and using imagination. So, transitioning from journalism to screenwriting felt like a very natural progression for me.
It has been two decades since you started writing. So, over all these times, how has your writing evolved?
My screenwriting craft has evolved tremendously because I am constantly writing. When you practice consistently, even less skilled artists improve over time. I believe my craft has grown much stronger over the years.
A lot of my life experiences have added greater depth to the stories I tell now. Earlier, I probably lacked that depth because I was young and had limited life experience. I grew up in a somewhat sheltered and privileged environment, so I did not fully understand the outside world or how it functioned.
However, over the years, I have experienced loss, pain, and grief—emotions that have added richness and texture to my writing.
In Nepal screenwriters spend a few times because the producers hurry for the release date and screenwriters do not get enough time to write. Do you think it is important to pay more attention in the writing process?
Absolutely! When writing movies, you must dedicate ample time to the writing process. Writing is the skeleton of your film—the stronger its foundation, the stronger the movie will be. If you spend minimal time on it, cracks will appear, just like cement that hasn’t been given enough time to set.
I have worked on films that took years to come to life. Lootera took nine years to get made, Kaafir took 13 years, and Sam Bahadur took seven years to complete.
Now, let’s talk about the current state of Bollywood. In recent times, we have seen a few filmmakers expressing disappointment with the industry. Just recently, Anurag Kashyap stated that he is moving away from Bollywood. What’s your take on the current scenario of Bollywood?
I feel that every industry or creative space goes through phases of rebirth, and I believe Hindi cinema is currently on the cusp of one. What often happens is that when a particular film succeeds, people start treating it as a formula, assuming that following the same approach will guarantee a hit.
If horror films are doing well, other filmmakers also rush to make horror films. The Hindi film industry has reached a point where it feels like no new stories are being told.
There are many beautiful stories being written and attempted, but most producers and studios prefer projects that easily capture the audience’s attention. Hopefully, they will soon recognise what truly works and shift their focus back to storytelling. When that happens, I believe we will see great cinema once again.
It has only been a decade since Nepali filmmakers started exploring local stories and telling them through film. We are still in the early stages of this shift. Previously, most Nepali films were heavily influenced by or directly copied from Bollywood. As a screenwriter, how important do you think it is to explore and tell local stories?
I feel that the heart of any story is where it is born from and what you as a writer can lend to the story is your world you know. The world you lived and grew up in. I always believe that the more local your story is, the more global it is. So the more you go inward the more your stories reaches outward.
In Nepal, there are many filmmakers and aspiring filmmakers who do not want to be confined to the domestic industry—they aim to expand beyond Nepal. In this context, how can Nepali filmmakers collaborate with Indian filmmakers?
I am sure collaboration is possible because storytelling is no longer confined to a specific region or language. In India alone, films and series are made in multiple languages, yet Hindi remains the most widely spoken. Recently, a series called Poacher was promoted as a Hindi show, even though 90% of its dialogues were in Malayalam.
Today, language and regional barriers are fading, making collaboration easier. Any Nepali writer, cinematographer, or music composer who wants to work with an Indian filmmaker can certainly do so. Pravesh Gurung is a great example of that.
As a screenwriter, how challenging is it to preserve the originality of your script throughout the filmmaking process?
That is the biggest struggle for any writer, artist, or director. However, the key is to never give up. It’s essential to retain some level of creative control over how the film is made. If you don’t have direct authority, ensure that you at least have a voice in the process.
This is the only way to keep the story true to your vision and maintain its authenticity from the moment you first started writing it.
In Nepal, one of the major challenges for screenwriters is inadequate pay. What is the situation like in India?
In India as well, writers are still not paid as much as they should be. However, organisations like the Screenwriters Association advocate for writers’ rights.
In any industry, especially a creative one, individual artists often struggle to fight for themselves. That is why having a dedicated body, like a writers’ association, is crucial. If such an organisation is established, it can help ensure that writers receive the recognition and compensation they deserve.
Lastly, anything you want to tell about your future projects?
Well, there are a couple which have been announced.
There is a film I have written called Kamal or Meena which is based on the love story of legendary actor and director Meena Kumari and Kamal Amrohi and it is set against a movie called Pakiza that they created which took 16 years to make. Then there is a political drama Maharani Gayatri Devi, another biopic that I am writing. So there are a bunch of very interesting stories.
