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The story begins in Meerut, 2005. Eighteen-year-old Sumit Aroraa is packing his bags to catch a train to the city of dreams, Mumbai. Like thousands who flock to the metropolis every day, Aroraa, too, wants to make a mark in Bollywood. Except, he plans to do it through his words and not his face. Aroraa wants to tell “authentic Indian stories the authentic Indian way” — by becoming a screenwriter.
A montage of events follows. Aroraa struggles to find work initially. Then he gets a writer’s job for `6,000 a month at Balaji Telefilms. He writes several youth-based TV shows for the next few years, makes ad films and writes and directs web series. Finally, he gets his first break in screenwriting for movies in 2018, by writing dialogue for the blockbuster film Stree.
Fast-forward to the present day. Among the many chasing the great Indian movie dream, Aroraa is one of the few who have turned theirs into reality. He is now among the highest paid screenwriters in the Hindi film industry and has written web shows like Selection Day and The Family Man. His upcoming projects include the films ’83, former cricketer Kapil Dev’s biopic, and Dostana 2.
“OTT has more work right now but it’s still less money compared to a film because even for the same amount you end up writing four times more for a series”- Sumit Aroraa
Debut: Vaidehi (TV Series, 2009) Major Works (Dialogue): Stree (movie); The Family Man, Selection Day (web series) First Cheque: Rs 72,000 (annual salary from Balaji Telefilms) Current Fee Range: Top-level
In the maximum city, Lucknow-born Juhi Chaturvedi is living a similar reality without having dreamt of it. An art director-turned-copywriter in advertising, Chaturvedi took to screenwriting to pass time during a sluggish period at work.
Source: Screenwriters Association, talent management agencies
In 2012, that brought about an unusual romcom to life in Vicky Donor. In the eight years since she wrote about the escapades of a sperm donor, Chaturvedi has won many awards and amassed critical acclaim for her screenplays of Piku and October, respectively. Her first screenwriting gig was almost pro bono. Today, she gets top dollar for her scripts, upwards of Rs 75 lakh by industry estimates.
Aroraa and Chaturvedi aren’t the only screenwriters whose careers have soared creatively as well as commercially in the recent past. With the audience choosing good stories (Stree, Andhadhun, Badhaai Ho) over great stars (Thugs of Hindostan, for instance) in the last few years, it has ensured that excellent writers are in high demand.
“A lot of good writers get into direction even if they don’t have the skills because they think it’ll get them the attention they deserve”- Atika Chohan
Debut: Margarita With A Straw (2014) Major Screenplay: Chhapaak First Cheque: Rs 2 Lakh Current Fee Range: Mid-level
In an industry where a grand total of seven actors are being chased by 70-odd filmmakers, writing has become that much more critical even to get a good actor on board a project, says Apoorva Mehta, CEO of Dharma Productions.
“There was a time when A-list actors could ensure a certain run at the box office. Today, no actor is bigger than the writing,” he adds. The entry of over-the-top (OTT) platforms looking to build a library of original content has further helped writers emerge as the most sought-after breed of professionals in the film industry at the moment.
“For feature films, writing is expected to be good enough to bring people to the theatres. But for the web, writing has to be top notch throughout, or the viewer will just tap the close button and leave,” says Aroraa. That said, the web has far more work to offer now. Most writers also enjoy the creative control that comes with writing for streaming platforms because, as Aroraa says, “you get the space and freedom to go into every character’s life to bring a world alive”.
Pure Numbers-
3-5% Screenwriters in the industry get over Rs 1 crore for a project
2x Jump in fee for top-level screenwriters since 2015
6-7 Leading talent management agencies representing screenwriters
10% The commission that agencies charge screenwriters for every project they manage
6 months Avg time most studios give writers to finish a screenplay
Rs 2-3 cr Studios pay to buy remake rights for south Indian films
50:50 Split of remake rights revenue between producers and top-level writerdirectors of Tamil movies
15-30% Share given to top-level writers of Malayalam & Telugu movies from the amount producer gets for remake rights
9 First-time writers in Netflix’s films/series out of India
Rs 25-50 lakh Avg pay per project for screenwriters in OTT
Source: Industry
This is arguably the besttime to be a writer in showbiz. Right now, production companies like Eros International, and OTT channels like MX Player have writers’ rooms — a concept popular in the West where a diverse group of writers brainstorm over ideas and develop them into scripts — to create some portion of original content inhouse. (Disclosure: MX Player is part of the Times Group that publishes ET Magazine.) Amazon Prime Video has even customised its writers’ rooms to suit India.
“The rooms exist but traffic and commute hassles are also realities of life here. So, writers often work from home or come in by rotation,” says Vijay Subramaniam, director & content head for India at Amazon Prime Video. Unlike in the US, writers work on multiple projects with different studios. “The writers’ room adapts itself to the non-exclusivity of its members,” he adds.
“Having an agency helps you get money commensurate with your efforts. My job is writing and I would rather stick to it and let the agency make the other processes smooth for me- Juhi Chaturvedi.
Debut: Vicky Donor (2012) Major Screenplays: Piku, October, The Sky Is Pink First Cheque: Undisclosed Current Fee Range: Top-level
For some players, though, exclusivity seems like the way forward. “Poaching of writers has come to a point where we have started doing a ‘roka’ (signing a long-term contract) with a writer who matches our platform’s sensibilities,” says ZEE5’s programming head Aparna Acharekar, in all seriousness.
Words’ Worth
A lot of screenwriters are now represented by talent management agencies like Kwan, Tulsea and Matter Entertainment. These agencies negotiate contracts with producers on the writers’ behalf and even help them package and pitch their scripts and ideas to the right people in the industry. Ashoo Naik, head of licensing and new businesses at Kwan, also highlights the importance of writers having spec scripts (speculative or unsolicited screenplays). Spec scripts may take time to sell: Bhavani Iyer wrote the screenplay of Lootera nine years before the film got made. “But you tend to get a higher fee if you have more leverage on a project,” says Naik.
Gautam Talwar, chief content officer at MX Player, sees this as a radical shift from the time talent management firms only represented onscreen talent. “Now most of them have a serious roster of writers and directors as clients.” It helps formalise the process but also increases the cost of talent, he says.
Subsequently, many writers, including Aroraa and Chaturvedi, have seen their fees double, triple or even quadruple over the past five years.
“I’ve heard stories of screenwriter duo Salim-Javed getting paid as much as the actor, even deciding the actors for their projects in some cases. I hope those stories are true”- Nikhil Mehrotra
“I’ve heard stories of screenwriter duo Salim-Javed getting paid as much as the actor, even deciding the actors for their projects in some cases. I hope those stories are true”
The agencies see this as a much-needed intervention. “In the West, the compensation of actors is about 20-25% of the production budget, whereas in India that is 50-75% of the production budget,” says Datta Dave, founder of Tulsea. If a star’s fee constitutes a huge share of the budget, other elements, including script development, take a backseat, he reasons. So, the job of Dave and his ilk is to make sure those in the backseat get their due.
Chaturvedi signed up with Tulsea after Piku released and came to know of her “craft’s worth”. “Money conversations aren’t the easiest ones for writers. Having an agency helps you get money commensurate with your ideas and efforts. Personally, I wouldn’t ever ask for money; my core job is writing and I would much rather stick to that and let the agency make the other processes smooth for me,” she says. After Vicky Donor, she says she got a slew of weird pitches. “Your agency helps you filter such calls as well,” she adds.
Apoorva Mehta, CEO, Dharma Productions
In 2016, Chaturvedi’s story for Vicky Donor was adapted for a Telugu remake called Naruda DONORuda but all she got was her name in the credits. Those were pre-agency days for writers when few people bothered about having a royalty clause in the contracts in case their story or screenplay got adapted into another language or medium. Now, all talent management firms try to include such clauses in their writer client’s contracts with studios. Film industries in South India already have guidelines for such scenarios.
“In the case of Tamil movies, many writers also direct their features. All contracts mention that proceeds from remake rights —that go up to Rs 3 crore — will be split equally between the producer and the writer-director,” says a Tamil director on condition of anonymity. In the case of remakes of Malayalam and Telugu movies, renowned writers usually get a certain percentage of the total amount.
In the Hindi film industry, the head of the writing department is often not paid on a par with peers in other departments like music and cinematography. Writers reckon it is because those are more evident revenue-generating streams for the film. “The ability to assess the value of a script is still wanting in the industry,” says Anjum Rajabali, veteran screenwriter and executive committee member of the Screenwriters Association.
Screenwriting Overseas
United States- $110,000 Avg sale price of a speculative (unsolicited) screenplay in the US in 2017-18 Source: Writers Guild of America
China- $500,000 Avg sale price of a spec script from a renowned writer in China in 2017-18 Source: The Hollywood Reporter Survey
Britain- £11,000 Minimum rate for script per 60-minute episode of a series, as specified by the BBC in 2018 Source: Writers’ Guild of Great Britain
However, filmmakers vie to take credit for the said script. A lot of screenwriters ET Magazine spoke to wondered why directors want to share credit only with the writer. “They are the captain of the ship. They instruct the sound recordist, the music director, the editor, the actor. Nobody shares credit with the actor for giving them acting instructions. Why apply different rules to writers?” asks a screenwriter, who wishes to remain anonymous.
The directors’ tendency to take away part of the writer’s credit and limelight often pushes many good writers into pursuing direction, says writer Atika Chohan, who wrote the screenplay of Chhapaak, a recent film based on the life of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal.
Now, some people are great writer-directors. But to get into direction just to get all the attention is a disservice to screenplay writing, she feels. “The skills that go into screenwriting can take someone’s whole life to excel at.” Chohan urges stakeholders like actors, producers and directors to acknowledge writers. “It will only benefit the business as more writers will work on their craft instead of wanting to be a director,” she says.
Debut: Wazir (2016) Major Screenplays: Qarib Qarib Singlle, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga First Cheque: Rs 1-2 lakh Current Fee Range: Mid-level- Gazal Dhaliwal
“People can watch content for free. To get them to subscribe or visit theatres, you need fresh writing. For that, you need to acknowledge and appreciate writers. Producers and directors do that now”
In a recent interview with film critic Rajeev Masand, filmmaker Karan Johar acknowledged dialogue writers Sumit Roy and Hussain Haidry for his upcoming movie Takht. “A lot of producers and directors came to know of my existence after that. And these people have yet to see my work,” says lyricist Hussain Haidry, who debuts in screenwriting with the Dharma Productions’ multi-starrer in 2021. Haidry hopes other filmmakers will follow the trend of talking about their writers. A lot of them already are, says screenwriter Gazal Dhaliwal. “People can watch content for free. To get them to subscribe or visit theatres, you need fresh writing. For that, you need to acknowledge and appreciate writers. So, producers and directors are doing that now,” she says.
Debut: Black (2005) Major Screenplays: Guzaarish, Lootera, Raazi First Cheque: Rs 15 lakh Current Fee Range: Top-level
“A writer’s fee is always a negotiation. It depends on how much you are willing to be bamboozled. Creative people tend to take it personally but it’s just business”- Bhavani Iyer
Even regular moviegoers are seeking out their favourite writers, says Bhavani Iyer who has been approached by fans of her writing in movies like Black, Guzaarish and Raazi, among others. Most recently, a Pakistani woman left her a voice message after watching the web series Kaafir, which she wrote last year. The series revolves around the struggle of a Pakistani woman prisoner in India and her battle for justice. “She told me that something similar happened to her uncle 20 years ago and that watching the series gave her a sense of closure, a hope that maybe he, too, found someone to help him get justice.”
For writers like Iyer, who are cooped up in a corner of their writing rooms while actors and director carry out promotional activities, messages like this are a welcome connect to the audience. Dhaliwal, who is visiting her hometown in Punjab, still gets messages on social media from viewers who are moved by her writing in Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, a film about closet homosexuality in small-town India. An Instagram message from a closeted lesbian based in London stands out for her. “She said she cooked up an excuse to go watch the movie by herself and wept through most of it. It made her feel that she’s just like everyone else. She hopes one day she will take her parents to watch it.”
“Writers also charge a fee as per their self-esteem. But with more awareness of the Screenwriters Association’s recommendations, people are becoming less exploitative of writers now”- Hussain Haidry
Debut (as dialogue writer): Takht (2021) Major Works (as lyricist): Qarib Qarib Singlle, Mukkabaaz First Cheque: Undisclosed Current Fee Range: Mid-level
The last three years have been rather overwhelming for Dhaliwal who ventured into screenwriting in 2009. From not getting paid in lieu of “getting a chance”, to getting a piddly sum for many years, to finally coming in the mid-level fee bracket — Rs 40-70 lakh — Dhaliwal has travelled a long distance. So has Chohan. Yet, she feels it is a bit premature to say that things have transformed for every writer in showbiz. “Maybe I am the eighth or the eighteenth person on this list of transformed writers. But it is still a very short list,” says Chohan.
What Has Changed
More employment avenues courtesy of OTT Better fee More acknowledgement Awareness of rights
What Has Not Changed No royalty for writers in addition to fee Writers not getting paid on a par with other key departments of filmmaking
Directors taking additional writing
credit for supervision
A lot of entry-level writers are still not paid the industry rates or the rates recommended by the Screenwriters Association. Often, they are too desperate for work to refuse the producer’s terms. “Many first-timers are paid nothing and they willingly accept it,” says Nikhil Mehrotra, who has co-written screenplays for Dangal, Chhichhore and Panga, among others. “I know this because I get calls from people who are willing to work for no money, and that’s sad.”
Writers also charge a fee as per their self-esteem, says Haidry. “But with more awareness of the Screenwriters Association’s recommendations, people are becoming less exploitative of them,” he adds. According to Writers Guild of America, a spec script went for $110,000 on average in the US market in 2017-18. In China, a renowned writer’s spec could be worth half a million dollars as per a survey by The Hollywood Reporter. The BBC has minimum rates for screenwriting across platforms. Scriptwriting for a 60-minute episode of a drama got the writer a minimum fee of £11,000 in 2018, says Writers’ Guild of Great Britain.
India may be behind these markets but most platforms are shelling out big bucks for quality writers, even if grudgingly, says Aroraa of Stree fame. Some of his lines from the movie are now popular memes.
“I can visualise trailers saying ‘From the writers of…’ after some writers give two-three good films,” says Ferzad Palia, head of Voot Select, Youth, Music and English Entertainment at Viacom18.
According to Mehrotra, though, it will be tough for the current legion of writers to beat the stuff of legends that were the screenwriter duo Salim-Javed of Sholay, Deewaar and Don fame.
“I’ve heard stories of Salim-Javed getting paid as much as the actor, even deciding actors for their projects in some cases. People say directors queued up outside their house to be chosen for their scripts. I hope those stories are true.”
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