IFFI 50: Meghna Gulzar is a very lazy writer

Film-maker Meghna Gulzar, screenwriters Juhi Chaturvedi, Pooja Ladha Surti, cinematographer, Modhura Palit and columnist Sumedha Verma Ojha spoke on Nuances and Process of Filmmaking at the In-conversation session in the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Goa.

The session was moderated by Indian film journalist and critic Madhureeta Mukherjee.

Writer Juhi Chaturvedi, who has written films like Vicky Donor, Piku and October among others said, “For me the draft of the film has to be mine, it can’t be someone else’s. I work with director Shoojit Sircar (he directed all the three Juhi films listed), but he doesn’t know what I am going to write though he always has an idea about what I am writing. Though it is important to listen to someone’s opinion but the world around the characters should come from within me.”

Known for making blockbuster thrillers like Talvar and Raazi, filmmaker-writer Meghna Gulzar, daughter of lyricist-writer-director Gulzar and actress Raakhee, shared, “I go through the cycle of detachment and attachment. Film-making is an extremely fulfilling process, but when the film comes to the edit table, I look at the footage very objectively. I totally assess things at the edit, but again sound and music get me attached.”

“I love collaborative writing (Talvar was written by Vishal Bharadwaj, Raazi by Meghna and Bhavani Iyer, Filhaal by Meghna alone) since I am a very lazy writer. The verbal jamming with my co-writers is fun. More than a conflict, it would be a different point of view if ever I have creative differences at the script level,” she added.