Rohan Shankar, a screenwriter who made his Hindi debut with the blockbuster film Luka Chuppi, believes that discovering tales in our nation is simple since every city has a storey to tell.
“I love wandering around different cities and meeting people. With such a large expanse and mix of cultures, there is so much to write about in our country. We have so many taboo subjects that need to be brought to the fore in simple and satirical way,” says screenplay-dialogue writer of Mimi and Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari.
Shankar calls himself a writer by chance. He recalls, “I never had in me to go ahead with MBA etc so I decided to try my hand at a film institute. I landed at a private institute in Mumbai. At that time, I knew only two professions in the film line acting and directing. So, I inquired about them and I was told that the fees for both the courses was well above ₹1 lakh and I was like itna paise toh nai hai mere paas (laughs).”
“So, I just took the brochure and scrolled down. There was this course in writing that was for 25K and I was like mujhe yahi karna hai. As it was not a popular course, we were just one or two students. Soon, I started enjoying writing and rest is history,” he adds.
A die heart fan of the golden-era films like Katha and Chupke Chupke, Shankar started his writing career with critically acclaimed Marathi comedy-drama Lalbaugchi Rani directed by Laxman Utekar.
“I love drawing inspiration from old films because they have real characters and had some kind of social element in them. That’s what I try to bring to my content as well. Thankfully, this is the best time to work in Indian cinema. Because as creative person, I’m getting complete freedom to explore content like never before. Also, exposure of cinema is at all-time high due to multiple platforms and that’s more the reason so many good stories are being told.”
Known for his witty yet conventional screenplays, Shankar is busy writing multiple projects. “With the recently released film Helmet’s screenplay and dialogues receiving good reviews, I am feeling really happy to be able to write what is being liked. Also, making small cities one of the characters of my writing too is something that has gone down well with the viewers. Soon more of my work will hit the screens.”
