Juhi Chaturvedi, National Award-winning writer of films like Vicky Donor (2012) and Piku (2015), recalls how during her growing up years, there was a culture of adda at home with the elders of the family regularly engaging in spirited conversations about the important issues of the day. Chaturvedi is one of several writers who was invited for the launch of Mumbai’s first Writer’s Lounge, an initiative undertaken by First Step Entertainment Capital (FSEC) to address a problem faced by many writers in the city — the lack of a dedicated space to converge, discuss ideas and of course, to write.
In Mumbai, the lack of space is an issue that so much revolves around, voiced Ishani Banerjee who moved to the city a little over three years ago to write her first film Aligarh (2016). Banerjee, a guest at the event, described the all-too-familiar struggles of house hunting and adjusting to a new rhythm of work, and life in her initial months in Mumbai. Coupled with that was the unavailability of peaceful spaces that one could withdraw into to write. Homes, given the city’s well-known paucity of space and exorbitant rates, are shared areas too busy with activity to provide the solitude required to work on a first draft. Many even opt to leave town in search of a retreat. But besides being a rather unaffordable alternative for most, it is also impractical as many scripts demand regular collaboration with other team members. Cafés, being the only workable alternatives, are a common recourse for many who wish to meet like-minded people to exchange ideas. But while traditional cafés may offer writers some much-needed boost and inspiration, they can be somewhat impersonal and distracting as workspaces.
Swati Semwal, writer, director, actor and Creative Head of FSEC who moved to Mumbai from Dehradun a few years back, first came upon the idea of a writer’s lounge while attempting to address her own need for a designated space for writers. The lounge which is in Versova can be used free of charge, offers Wi-Fi and coffee, Semwal guarantees, and can currently accommodate around 15 people with plans of expanding further in the near future. Reservations are often made in advance. There is however one criterion that writers availing the space need to fulfil: they should be members of the Screenwriters Association. This is just to ascertain the seriousness of the people coming in, says Imran Ashraf, Founder of FSEC, which seeks engaging content, looks to hone and nurture new talent and offers writers the opportunity of seeing their stories made into films. FSEC encourages them to pitch ideas, provides scope for discussion and consultation and even a platform – Net Pix Shorts – for their short films.
At Writer’s Lounge, people will also, crucially, get to meet and interact with other writers. Writer-director Tanuja Chandra, also present at the launch, spoke about the solitary nature of the writer’s job and of the importance of communication and feedback on work. It is lamentable, she admitted, that despite providing the very foundation of a film, writers are not valued enough for their contributions. The Writer’s Lounge, she said, is an important measure being undertaken in that direction. Juhi Chaturvedi however added that this lukewarm attitude extends not just to writers but to cinematographers, editors, costume designers, music directors and all other members on a film unit with interest and attention reserved only for the actors and the filmmaker. While the director is undoubtedly the captain of the ship, each member plays a role in giving the film its final shape and form. Film is a great collaboration, says Chaturvedi, and journalists ought to start by talking to the others.
Given the presence of an all-women panel at the launch of the lounge, conversations naturally drifted towards the subject of women writing and of the small numbers of not just writers but women workers in general across industries and professions throughout the world. The traditional age-old compulsions of the domestic space which often prevent women from being able to devote the time and energy that certain kinds of work require were discussed. Moreover, as Chaturvedi remarked, for years there has been a resistance to view the woman’s point of view as valid and hence, considering the multiple factors that hold them back, women too need immense encouragement to step out of the house.
There is a great workforce out there, opined Chandra, with their own experiences to mine and their own stories to tell which are different from the ones that have been told over hundreds of years. These new perspectives, she said, need to be tapped while a more welcoming attitude towards women would radically change the creative space in terms of the content that will be generated as well as people’s outlook towards it. To that effect, the lounge initiated by Semwal may be described as a step towards Virginia Woolf’s famous prescription for women writers to find a literal and figurative space of their own.
Writer’s Lounge, Versova; 9766584402
