He has written one of the biggest movie hits of the year -- Dhoom: 2.
He has also written one of the most popular television serials in recent times, Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin.
And now, his next film is one of the most awaited films of 2007: Mani Ratnam's Guru, starring Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhavan, Vidya Balan and Mallika Sherawat.
Vijay Krishna Acharya, better known as Victor, seems to have hit the jackpot ever since he wrote Sanjay Gadhvi's Dhoom.
He tells Komal Mehta how it all happened.
How did you become a film writer?
It was not a strategic choice but more of an instinctive thing. I have done theatre, and some documentaries. I wanted to become a director. I thought that if I knew how to write, my job would be simpler.
I started my career as an assistant director to Kundan Shah in the film, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na.
At that time, I also got a chance to write for the TV show, Just Mohabbat.
How did Jassi happen?
I worked in television from 1997 to 2003. Jassi happened in 2003. Producer Tony Singh showed me the format of Ugly Betty. I loved it because it was unconventional and was the story of an underdog.
I started working on it fulltime as a creative consultant. The title Jassi Jaise Koi Nahin was mine.
I wrote 260 episodes, and left just before Jassi's makeover. I thought if Jassi had a makeover, it would be a joke on the audience. People liked Jassi because she was not dependent on her looks. After the makeover, she looked odd and I think by then, the audience had moved on.
How did Dhoom happen?
I was not a big Hindi film buff. A friend of mine was assisting Sanjay Gadhvi. He told me that Yash Raj wanted to do a lighthearted film. I suggested some ideas about how that film could be a buddy flick, which Sanjay liked. They had an idea about this cops and robbers thing, and a biker guy who helps the cop
When Dhoom released, neither John Abraham nor Abhishek Bachchan were stars. Ditto for Rimi Sen, Esha Deol and Uday Chopra. And Sanjay Gadhvi's previous film, Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai hadn't done well either. So how did you think of an unconventional idea with a cast like that?
Dhoom worked because it was an unconventional movie. When the audience came in, there were no expectations. One did not know what one was getting into. It didn't look like a Hindi film. We decided the strength of the film would be that it had no story.
The story credit for Dhoom:2 has gone to Aditya Chopra.
The story idea is his. The Sunehri-Aryan (Aishwarya Rai, Hrithik Roshan) love story was also Adi's idea.
How much tougher was Dhoom:2?
It was tougher because it was a sequel. People would come to watch Dhoom:2 with some expectations and the idea was to belie those expectations. Besides, the film was supposed to have enough dum to stand on its own.
Were you told to give more attention to a particular character? Dhoom:2 is very Hrithik-centric.
No. That seems to be a general perception but honestly, Jai is one of my favourite characters; and Abhishek Bachchan, one of my favourite people.
I also loved writing Ali; he is the soul of Dhoom. Jai and Aryan were my tribute to Salim-Javed. I've grown up watching them.
Adi said that they should like flip sides of the same coin. There was no villain, just a hero who is a thief. Dhoom:2 works on a James Bond kind of a format -- the stronger the villain, the stronger the hero.
Hrithik is a guy who makes a living stealing. And he does it with so much style that it brings him on par with the hero, who again has his own style. Jai is like a huge gambler. He is planting the girl, forging a robbery and trying to con the thief. I don't think Abhishek was smaller than Hrithik. If they meet in this neutral space, they could be friends.
In the film, there is a scene at a café, where Hrithik and Abhishek introduce each other as Amit and Vijay. Are you a Bachchan fan?
Oh yeah, a huge fan.
And your name is also Vijay.
Yes, I'm a child of the 1980s. If there is a Bachchan fan club, I should be its president. I've grown up acting like him in front of the mirror.
Dhoom:2 had quite a few incomplete plots.
That's because there was just no space for them in the film.
Your favourite character?
No favourites. But the character I was very happy with was Sunehri. This girl from Andheri is a wannabe, but somewhere she manages to go beyond herself. She was talkative like Sholay's Basanti. Her moral world is ambiguous and you don't know what she would do next.
Dhoom:2 had a bit of a Bunty Aur Bubbly flavour to it, particularly towards the end (when Amitabh Bachchan's cop character lets go of the two robbers).
Ahhhhh! I think, yes, the fact that Jai lets them go. It's close.
Is there a Dhoom:3?
Maybe. I think they should definitely make it. There should be a Dhoom every one and a half years.
Is Guru about late industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani?
Somebody like him. Guru is also the story of a man whose life mirrors the changes India went through between 1950 and 1980. It is the story of an enterprising man who is not born into a name. It is on the strength of sheer enterprise and mind that he went on to become a force to reckon with.
What was working in Guru like?
It was a great learning experience. It gave me a lot of confidence because I felt that the kind of ideas that inspire me can be conveyed without being arty or crass. Mani Ratnam is a true filmmaker. He lives for the film. And when you're with him, you live for the film.
