The New Theatres Are Now OTT Platforms: Prakash Kapadia, Screenplay Writer

Movies like Tanhaji, Padmavat, Bajirao Mastani, Devdas are some which one can watch again and again. And this is not because of the glamour, glitz and actors but because of the fact that such movies are far from just this much. It is because of the connection with the dialogues’ with the actor and the superb delivery of the same.

We have Screenplay Writer - Prakash Kapadia to thank for giving us these beautifully wrapped epic writings. In an exclusive interview with BW Businessworld, Prakash Kapadia talks about his first break and journey to OTT platforms. 

How has the scenario changed in the film industry due to Covid-19?
The new theatres are now OTT platforms. The working crews are now almost one-third of what used to work. The investors are now scared to invest as returns are very uncertain. Daily workers are going out of jobs.  But as we know there is no business like “show business”. Media has always been a pastime for people. I personally don’t think that the media as an industry is never gonna go out of work till there is boredom in the world.

Change is the only thing that is constant, and people have to adopt these changes. In life, one needs to learn how to adapt to change. What could be a better example of this than the situation we have faced in the past year. The pandemic taught us so much!

Everyday shoots felt as if we were working in a nuclear factory because of all the rules and regulations around Covid. Daily testing and wearing the PPE suits is now a daily part of our lives.

How did you get your first break?
It was in 1999 and my first Gujrati film, "Dariya Chorus" had just been released, the actor of the film had good ties with Sanjay Bhai (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) so he was invited to see the movie. After watching the film all of us were standing in the lobby of the theatre, me being an introvert by nature I was standing in the extreme corner of the lobby when Sanjay Bhai came out. On being asked about how the movie was, he replied "iss film ka hero tho uska writer hai" and this was when I was introduced to him. What a moment it was! We started talking and Sanjay Bhai offered me my first Hindi film "Devdas" since then Sanjay Bhai and I have done a lot of movies together.



How is screenwriting different from story writing?
In life, we see the world and perceive the reality, whereas in films we see the shots together and perceive the story, the writing of those enactments which make you appraise the story is called a screenplay or as we say screenwriting. The story is a base, the platform on which we weave the screenplay revolving around the puppets of the story. Once the storyline is clear the rest of the maze can be weaved.

What challenges does a dialogue writer face?
Dialogues make a character which is liked or hated by people. The characters’ personality, region, language, dialect, their accent, mannerism, style, punctuations etc. play a big role while writing dialogue such as Chunnibabu in Devdas, the wordplay became a big hit, punctuations of Amitabh Bachchan in film Black portrait him as a psycho teacher, Bajirao Mastani's dialogues had a Marathi dialect.  



Yes, writing words for some other person is a job we need to concentrate on more.  You need to be in the character while writing words for him/her. During the time I was writing Devdas, I was under depression, because of my character, I could feel his pain, so at times all this becomes very difficult for a writer to separate his personal life from the characters he is bringing to life in the writings.  

Please share one element that is very much required to write dialogue?
You just need to understand the character, if the character is of an age old era you also need a good vocabulary, but if the character is of a recent time you just need to be him and the dialogues will just come to you.

How different is working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ajay Devgan from working with other top directors?
When you are perfect it makes no difference, while I narrate, characters come to life,  it becomes easier to execute than. It is very simple to work with the directors that hold a vision for the screen. If directors are the captain of the ship then the writer is the sea of emotions on which they sail.

Laughter, I like to have choices but my work leaves them with no choice. Working with different directors makes me more versatile; it opens many of the faces within me. But when it's Sanjay Bhai there is a kind of a healthy competition which we have like I ace in scripts and he aces in the direction which results for the betterment of the film.  

What are you writing next?
I am working on Baiju Bawra for Sanjay Leela Bhansali and a few more which will be declared soon.

What is your advice to writers seeking a break in the Hindi film industry?
You are always welcome in this industry, it's an ocean of opportunities but remember you will be sailing in the ship of your skills powered by your talent so enter only if your ship is ready to face the waves of obstacles.

The work of a writer starts way before anyone in the film, it is his responsibility to prove that his imagination will see the light of day. People come to Bollywood with big dreams but I should warn you don't enter until you have sweat to lose. Don't take this as demotivation but a reality check before you enter the industry. It's a rosy picture from above but when you reach, you need to clear the thorny stems.