The growing corporatization of Bollywood and the influx of external investors have meant the film industry will have to “get its act together and follow best practice”, says Meghna Ghai-Puri, daughter of Ghai and president of Whistling Woods International.
One consequence of the growing professionalism of Bollywood, ever since it gained industry status in 2000, is the revitalization of the Film Writers Association of India, the body that protects the rights of scriptwriters. Established nearly 60 years ago, but until recently lacking in real clout or “teeth”, the organization is becoming more militant, according to Rajabali, and has recruited scriptwriters such as himself to its steering committee.
Although she says that the industry has discouraged young talent with poor wages, Ghai-Puri believes this is gradually changing: “If good talent comes about and we can prove a good screenwriter can make a film work, the pay will increase. The future is that way and the film industry is moving in the right direction.”
Whistling Woods, which was established in 2006 to inject greater professionalism into the industry and meet international standards in training, insists that all students take classes in scriptwriting, regardless of their specialization. The school also plans to introduce shorter scriptwriting courses for writers and professionals, and currently conducts workshops with the British Council to help students translate their ideas into scripts.
Yet, of a total of 190 students at the school, only nine have opted to follow the scriptwriting speciality with the remainder following their dreams in the fields of acting, directing, producing, and other technical crafts. Rajabali believes that simple supply and demand forces will eventually correct the imbalance, but says the craft of scriptwriting is not yet convincingly portrayed or understood by the media, and “is not glamorized enough”, especially given how cost-effective writing is.
Debating questions such as “How does one use silence in cinema?” with his post-graduate class of aspiring scriptwriters and expounding on concepts such as “How sub-terrestrial emotionality is what gives you insight into human nature,” the veteran scriptwriter reminisces on learning his craft by seeking nuggets of wisdom from established writers and by rewriting the scripts of his favourite films from memory.
“The thing is, you don’t need investment or technology to teach someone to write,” says Rajabali. “It just takes a piece of paper, a pen, and a place to sit under a tree, and you have a script. No other skill in cinema can be taught in such a cost-effective way.”