‘I’ve Never Written With The Market In Mind’

‘When
I
am
working
on
a
series,
be
it

Paatal
Lok
on
Amazon
Prime
or

Kohrra
on
Netflix,
I
never
take
it
for
granted
that
we
will
be
back
with
another
season.’
‘It’s
only
at
the
end
of
the
season
that
I
ask
myself
if
I
still
have
it
in
me
to
take
the
story
further
and
if
I
would
like
to
meet
the
characters
again.’
‘If
the
answer
is
yes,
then
I
find
ways
to
make
the
journey
exciting
for
myself,
like
taking
Inspector
Haathiram
Chaudhary
to
Nagaland.’

He’s
never
played
by
the
rules.

He
listens
to
his
heart,
tells
the
stories
he
wants
to,
in
his
own
way.
The
result
is
hard-hitting
films
like Udta
Punjab
and



Sonchiriya
and
Web
series



Paatal
Lok
and



Kohrra.

Today,
writer-creator-showrunner

Sudip
Sharma
is
as
big
a
star
as
Jaideep
Ahlawat
but
success
rests
lightly
on
his
shoulders,
even
as
he
continues
to
tread
new
ground.

“These
are
difficult
times
with
much
less
work
happening
as
the
films
being
greenlit
are
of
a
certain
type,
with
producers
taking
very
few
risks.
This
is
true
for
OTT
platforms
too.
The
credit
for
success
goes
not
to
the
writer
and
the
story,
but
also
to
the
stars
or
even
a
popular
song.
For
a
script
to
become
their
calling
card,
writers
need
to
give
their
best,”
Sudip
tells


Rediff.com
Senior
Contributor

Roshmila
Bhattacharya.

Within
two
weeks
of
its
arrival
on
Prime
Video,




Paatal
Lok
Season
2
was
the
most-viewed
Web
series
across
platforms
with
almost
11.4
million
views.
Did
you
expect
this
kind
of
popularity?

I
was
hoping
it
would
though
it
is
a
little
more
niche
than
the
earlier
season
which
had
become
very
popular
for
various
reasons,
including
the
fact
that
it
came
during
the
COVID-19
pandemic
when
people
were
locked
up
in
their
homes.

In
fact,
Part
2
rode
on
the
popularity
of
the
first.
That
was
our
intention
because
when
you
want
to
tell
a
story
about
Nagaland,
it
is
best
to
do
so
as
a
second
season
of
a
show
that
has
worked
rather
than
pitch
it
as
the
first
season
of
a
new
show
which
I
don’t
know
how
many
platforms
would
greenlight.

Having
said
that,
I
confess
I
was
not
expecting
it
to
become
this
big.

For
months,
Manipur
has
been
burning
and
yet
largely
ignored
in
the
mainstream
media.
Then,
suddenly

Paatal
Lok
comes
along
and
strikes
a
chord
making
the
North
East
and
its
politics
dinner
table
conversations
across
the
country.
How
does
that
make
you
feel?

It
was
long
overdue
and
I’m
happy
to
have
played
a
little
part
in
taking
these
conversations
forward.

In
our
mainstream
media,
films
and
pop
culture,
the
North
has
always
had
a
hegemonical
presence.

Yes,
in
the
last
15-20
years,
we
have
been
going
to
small
towns
and
lesser-known
places
too,
but
they
are
mostly
set
in
the
Hindi
heartland.

It
was
about
time
we
looked
beyond
since
our
country
has
four
corners
and
offers
so
much
diversity,
which,
while
hugely
challenging,
is
also
fun
to
explore
for
a
filmmaker
and
a
writer.

Had
we
tried
to
tell
the
same
story
in
the
Hindi
heartland
instead
of
Nagaland,
it
might
have
appeared
stale.

A
lot
of
the
freshness
you
see
in

Paatal
Lok
Season
2
comes
from
the
location
and
I
hope
more
films
and
shows
tap
the
less-explored
parts
of
our
country.

Stree
2
writer
Niren
Bhatt
pointed
out
that
this
is
the
worst
time
for
writers
in
the
film
industry
which
is
feeling
the
dearth
of
original
content
and
paradoxically,
it
is
also
the
best
time
as
only
disruptors
will
survive
today,
and
writers
are
the
biggest
disruptors.

I
agree
that
these
are
difficult
times
with
much
less
work
happening,
and
not
every
writer
is
getting
an
opportunity
to
write
for
the
screen,
as
the
films
being
greenlit
are
of
a
certain
type,
with
producers
taking
very
few
risks.

This
is
true
for
projects
not
only
in
the
theatrical
space,
but
on
OTT
platforms
too,
and
of
the
stuff
getting
made.
The
credit
for
their
success
goes
not
to
the
writer
and
the
story,
but
also
to
the
stars
or
even
a
popular
song.

For
a
script
to
become
their
calling
card,
writers
need
to
give
their
best.

Even
if
it
is
something
light,
like
a
horror
comedy,
a
popular
genre
today,
they
have
to
ensure
that
their
writing
shines
through.

Talking
of
horror,
you
gave
the
genre
a
new
spin
with
the
fantasy-comedy

Phillauri
and
the
supernatural
horror

Pari.
Today,
why
aren’t
you
creating
your
own
horror
universe?

Honestly,
I
had
very
little
to
do
with
the
writing
of
either

Phillauri
or

Pari;
I
was
just
the
creative
producer
and
advisor.

The
gestation
period
for
a
film
or
a
show
—
from
the
writing
to
the
release
—
is
two-three
years.

In
my
case,
it’s
been
longer.
During
this
time,
the
market
changes
with
demand,
so
I
have
never
written
with
the
market
in
mind.

I
chase
after
what
excites
you
with
a
certain
degree
of
perfection.

Even
with

Paatal
Lok
Season
Two,
there
was
no
deliberate
plan
to
journey
to
Nagaland.
We
went
there
because
it
offered
a
distinct
cultural
and
political
landscape
which
we
thought
would
be
interesting
to
explore.

If
someone
were
to
give
you
a
generous
budget
and
the
freedom
to
explore
a
subject
of
your
choice,
what
would
it
be
today?

(Laughs)
Wow,
I
hope
that
day
comes
soon!

I
guess
it
would
be
a
personal
story
rather
than
another
investigative
thriller,
probably
set
in
Assam
since
among
the
North
Eastern
states,
it
is
the
one
I
understand
best
having
grown
up
in
Guwahati.

You
have
an
MBA
from
IIM-Ahmedabad.
Ever
looked
back
and
regretted
moving
to
writing
instead
of
continuing
your
career
in
the
FMCG
sector
with
a
multinational
company?

That’s
how
I
may
have
begun
my
career,
but
even
back
then,
I
was
uncomfortable
despite
the
MBA
which
had
trained
me
for
the
job.

I
was
doing
all
right,
but
had
I
continued,
I
would
have
been
miserable.

I
realised
this
was
not
my
calling
early,
during
my
two
years
on
the
IIM
campus.

I
had
wanted
to
quit
midway
through
the
course
but
conventional
wisdom
was
forced
on
me
and
I
was
urged
to
get
my
degree
and
then
see
how
it
goes.

So
I
completed
the
course,
was
a
part
of
the
corporate
world,
but
had
no
fondness
for
it
and
was
happy
to
leave
it
behind.

What
was
the
family’s
reaction
when
you
quit?

Predictable.

Why
are
you
doing
this?

Are
you
sure?

But
I’m
grateful
my
father
allowed
me
the
freedom
to
make
my
own
choices
even
if
he
didn’t
agree
with
them.

It
took
around
10-12
years
for
my
parents
to
make
peace
with
my
decision
since
it
was
so
far
removed
from
their
way
of
thinking.

Your
writing
career
took
off
with
the
2008
Hindi
film,


Superstar,
featuring
Kunal
Kemmu
in
a
double
role…

Before

Superstar
I
was
working
on
a
short
film
with
a
few
friends
I
had
met
during
my
management
training
days
at
Coca
Cola.

One
of
them
coincidentally
was
Puneet
Krishna,
the
co-showrunner
and
lead
writer
of
the
Amazon
Prime
crime
drama
series

Mirzapur.

I
had
just
come
out
of
business
school,
Puneet
from
XLRI
(Xavier
Institute
of
Management),
Jamshedpur,
and
one
day
he
suddenly
asked
me,
‘Is
this
what
you
want
to
do
for
the
rest
of
your
life?’

I
responded
by
saying,
‘No
man,
I
want
to
make
movies.’

We
started
working
on
the
short
film
which
never
got
made
but
during
the
process,
I
discovered
my
love
for
screenwriting.

It
was
like
an
instant
calling.

I
got
sucked
into
it.

I
was
writing
at
airports,
on
flights,
between
client
meetings,
whenever
I
got
time
from
work,
which
was
pretty
hectic.

I
wrote
a
couple
of
scripts,
they
never
got
made,
but
they
gave
my
life
a
new
direction.

I
realised
I
was
enjoying
this
a
lot
more
than
the
job
I
was
being
paid
to
do.

That’s
how
this
journey
started.

And

Superstar?

Superstar
came
my
way
early;
I
wasn’t
prepared
for
it.

Anyone
who
can
write
calls
himself
a
writer
but
the
question
I
would
ask
myself
was,
‘Can
you
become
a
good
screenwriter?’

It
took
five-seven
years
and
8
to
10
scripts
before
I
started
feeling
I
could
take
this
up
as
a
profession.

Before
that,
I
was
throwing
everything
at
the
wall,
struggling
to
find
my
voice.

The
earlier
scripts
did
not
come
from
a
place
of
talent,
experience
or
method.

What
would
you
say
was
the
turning
point?

I
think
it
was
the
action
thriller

NH10
which
released
in
2015,
but
I
wrote
it
in
2011-2012.
That
script
gave
me
a
lot
of
confidence.

The
film
was
reportedly
inspired
by
real-life
honour
killings
which
continue
to
grab
headlines
periodically.
Ever
thought
of
a
sequel?

No.
For
me,
it’s
all
about
treading
new
ground,
both
in
its
story
and
geography.

Once
I
have
dealt
with
it
with
a
certain
degree
of
satisfaction,
I
move
on,
leaving
it
to
others
to
explore
the
subject
further
from
their
point
of
view.

How
then
are
you
able
to
sustain
interest
in
a
long-running
series
like

Paatal
Lok.
which
will
definitely
return
with
season
three,
maybe
four
and
five?

When
I
am
working
on
a
series,
be
it

Paatal
Lok
on
Amazon
Prime
or

Kohrra
on
Netflix,
I
never
take
it
for
granted
that
we
will
be
back
with
another
season.

It’s
only
at
the
end
of
the
season
that
I
ask
myself
if
I
still
have
it
in
me
to
take
the
story
further
and
if
I
would
like
to
meet
the
characters
again.

If
the
answer
is
yes,
then
I
find
ways
to
make
the
journey
exciting
for
myself,
like
taking
Inspector
Haathiram
Chaudhary
to
Nagaland.

Will
there
be
a
second
season
of

Kohrra?

Yes,
the
second
season
of

Kohrra
should
be
out
by
year-end.

This
time,
I’m
not
just
the
writer
and
creator,
but
also
the
director.

Direction
is
a
little
more
work,
but
not
much
different
from
what
I
have
been
doing
as
a
creative
producer
and
a
showrunner.

What
surprises
will
you
spring
in

Kohrra

Season
Two?

Suvinder
Vicky’s
character,
Sub-Inspector
Balbir
Singh,
was
very
well
received
in
season
one,
but
he
is
not
going
to
be
a
part
of
season
two
as
I’m
done
with
his
story.

There’s
nothing
left
for
me
to
explore
even
though
he
was
the
main
protagonist
and
got
a
lot
of
love,
so
we
are
going
to
introduce
a
new
character.

Sometimes
you
have
to
make
these
tough
choices
to
keep
the
series
exciting
for
the
audience
and
you.