'People worship Krishna. People don't worship Ved Vyas, who wrote the Mahabharata.'
'It's a cultural thing because we don't see the heroes behind the screen, we see the heroes who are in front of the screen.'
Riding high on the success of Stree 2, Screenwriter Niren Bhatt has firmly established himself as a master of blending horror and comedy, a genre that has garnered immense popularity in Bollywood over the past few years.
With films such as Bhediya, Munjya and Stree 2 under his belt, he is the creative mastermind behind Maddock Films' much-loved horror universe which will keep expanding in future with new films like Thamba, Bhediya 2 and Stree 3.
In this candid conversation with Rediff.com Contributor Mohnish Singh, Bhatt reveals the secret of his success: "If the storytelling is correct, it connects with people."
Stree 2 has set a new benchmark in Bollywood. How do you feel?
I'm feeling great, obviously, with such a success. We don't know how to process it.
It's a great feeling when you work hard on something for so long and eventually, it connects with people, resonates with them and gets its due.
What, according to you, connected with the audience?
Good storytelling, in any form or genre will connect with the audience.
If it is engaging enough for people, be it horror comedy, action films, spy films or any other genre, it will connect with the audience.
In simpler words, if the storytelling is correct, it connects with the people.
When you were working on this particular story, did you expect it would become the biggest Bollywood blockbuster of 2024?
See, when we make scripts, we just concentrate on getting the script right, getting the screenplay right, getting the dialogues right.
It should be entertaining enough.
It has to be true to the subject.
It has to be true to the story.
It has to be true to the characters.
We don't think about numbers.
We knew it would be received well and that people would like the film, that they would laugh, blow whistles...
But we never thought in terms of numbers.
What do you think the future holds for the horror-comedy genre, particularly within the framework of Maddock Films?
It's not about the genre.
It's about the storytelling. So good storytelling in whichever genre will work.
If I give example of my films, Bhediya, Munjya and Stree 2, everything has connected well with people.
Obviously, we would like to expand the universe further, include more characters, and do justice to the existing ones.
You are a lyricist also, but have mostly penned lyrics for Gujarati films. Why do you not write lyrics for your Hindi films?
I write for Hindi also. In Stree 2, the rap song featuring Pankaj Tripathi, is written by me.
Having said that, it's a different job altogether. I can't do two jobs at once.
I need to concentrate on screenplay writing because I'm predominantly a screenplay writer.
If I start writing Hindi lyrics, my entire day will be consumed by that, going to music settings and meeting producers and music labels...
More or less, I have been screenplay writing for the last 10 years, so I can do it relatively quickly.
Screenwriters often don't receive the same level of recognition as directors or actors. Why do you think that is?
See, it's a cultural thing.
People worship Krishna. People don't worship Ved Vyas, who wrote the Mahabharata.
It's a cultural thing because we don't see the heroes behind the screen, we see the heroes who are in front of the screen.
Most of the people just connect with that, and they don't take the efforts to know who created those heroes.
You cannot blame people or anyone for that.
Have you ever faced any personal challenges or frustrations regarding recognition or credit for your work?
No, I haven't.
An interesting thing about recognition... I used to write for Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chasma. Even a person who has done a cameo in an episode will get mobbed wherever he goes.
But I, even after writing 500,000 episodes, will not get recognised by people.
Then again, I need to understand it.
It's the nature of my job.
If my ambition is to be famous, I should do something which will make my face famous.
I should become an influencer or something like that.
But if my ambition is to write, then I should understand the nature of the job.
Do you think screenwriters need to be as rebellious as Salim-Javed used to be in their heyday?
Salim-Javed is a different case study. They are a once in a millennium kind of people.
The kind of success they had, the kind of craft they had, the kind of power and command they had over the medium was unparalleled.
Today's screenwriters can't even dream about stuff like that.
Having 23 blockbusters out of 25 films is unbelievable.
If you can create that kind of value for people, then obviously, you will command more power, respect, money, everything.
Tell us about your early days in the industry. What drew you to screenwriting?
I come from Bhavnagar in Gujarat. Even there, I used to write plays.
When I went to study in Ahmedabad and then Baroda, I continued working in theatre.
Even during my MBA in Bombay, I was doing plays. I have also pursued an MA degree. I'm a double postgraduate.
When I started a corporate job as a business consultant, I would write plays alongside.
Eventually, from plays, I graduated to television serials and then Gujarati films.
I wrote a Gujarati film, which has just re-released. It's called Bey Yaar. It was a blockbuster in Gujarati, starring Pratik Gandhi in his debut role.
It was Divyang Thakkar's first film and Sachin-Jigar's first film in Gujarati.
So from Gujarati films, I graduated to Hindi films.
What led you to quit TV and focus on films?
TV is too exhausting. It tires you because it's a daily medium.
You have to deliver an episode everyday. It requires a lot of discipline and burns you out.
Somewhere I decided that I have worked hard enough and now want to concentrate on films.
Obviously, we grow up watching cinema, so our first fascination is always with films.
I was doing Gujarati films and some Hindi films alongside television. Then one day, I stopped doing television entirely, and started doing just films.
While the loyal audience of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma watches the show religiously, there is a segment of the audience which feels that it is being overstretched. Do you think so?
No. Actually, what happens is that Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma is watched by a particular age group. When they are in that age group, they watch it. Then they grow out of it.
Then a new generation comes, and they fall in love with that show. Then, they also grow up.
That show has seen many generations.
People watch it and then fall out of it.
My daughter, who is now 11, used to be a big fan of the show. Now she is watching anime.
It's a cycle and it goes on like that.
Is there any favourite actor or director that you want to write for?
See, I am comfortable writing with Amar Kaushik because most of my films have been with him.
He has done wonders with my scripts, so obviously, he is my favourite director.
In terms of actors, I am a bit biased because my career started with Pratik Gandhi. Most of my Gujarati films were with him. So he is my favorite actor alongside Rajkummar Rao because he has been a predominant part of my films.
Another favourite is Abhishek Banerjee because he has also always been in all my films, like Made In China, Bala, Bhediya, Munjya and Stree.
If you ever get an opportunity to write a biopic, who would you pick as the subject?
I would like to write a biopic about myself only because it is very difficult to show the internal conflict externally.
Whatever the writer does is always happening in his mind. It is a challenging job to show it on screen.
Maybe someday, I'll be able to do that.
What are you currently working on?
Currently, I am working on this vampire film. It is the next in the horror-comedy universe of Maddock Films.
