The face of Indian cinema is changing. And behind this change is an army of talented scriptwriters who are pushing the envelope and coming up with some gripping plotlines. However, although the success of a film or a television show always depends on its content, seldom do scriptwriters come into the limelight.
Perhaps that’s the reason most youngsters today are more tempted to try their luck in acting and filmmaking. Deepak Panda is one of the few names to have carved a niche for himself as a scriptwriter. He has worked with the likes of Mustaq Sheikh, the scriptwriter of Om Shanti Om, Ra.One and Billu. Deepak, who wrote and directed the Odia film My Love Story, is now gearing up for the release of his Hindi short Dhonu that stars Chunky Pandey, Anshuman Jha, Kurush Debboo, Supriya Roy, singer-turned actor Meiyang Chang and YouTuber Jay Vijay Sachan.
Born and brought up in Berhampur, Deepak took to writing at a young age. He was passionate about films though for a long time he believed that what is shown on screen is real. “I had this misconception for years. When I was in class X, I watched the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Mohabbatein and during a friendly discussion a senior told me that what is shown in films is fiction. I then wanted to know who had written such a brilliant story,” he says.
Deepak had always wanted to be a cricketer. However, he got a new direction in life after watching Mohabbatein. “Scriptwriting was my newfound love and I started contemplating writing. My father, Ramnarayan Panda, who is a retired professor of English from Berhampur University, supported my decision. He is also a brilliant writer and I started following his style. I owe my success to him,” he says.
A chance meeting with prominent lyricist Srikant Gautam gave Deepak’s confidence a further boost. “I was in Class X when I went on a vacation to Ooty. There I met Srikant Gautam. I don’t know what was going in my mind at that time. I took a paper and penned a song. He was very impressed and told me: ‘You have a bright future’. His words were very encouraging. During my days as a student of engineering, I would often write scripts for college plays,” says Deepak.
Mumbai was the place to be and Deepak after completing his engineering, headed to tinsel town to try his luck as a scriptwriter. However, it wasn’t a smooth journey to success. “Getting a foothold in the Hindi film industry isn’t a cakewalk. I often used to ask myself if I was ready to slog through the trenches. Even after slogging for years and writing some great scripts, you won’t find takers for your work. Many think that reading a few books on scriptwriting and browsing through some good scripts can help you become a good scriptwriter. But it’s not that easy. Putting a few words on paper doesn’t make you a scriptwriter. One needs to understand the business of films and constantly improvise and weave stories that will attract the audience. Also, your content needs to be original,” says Deepak, who started as a ghostwriter and assisted the likes of Mustaq Sheikh and Sattwik Mohanty of Ranchi Dairies fame.
Working with prominent names helped Deepak hone his writing skills. With time came maturity, and finally he decided to write and direct an Odia film. “I remember the first screenplay I wrote. I felt it to be the greatest piece of writing ever done but I was wrong. I didn’t have a background in films but was lucky to have got the support of some very good friends from the industry. Finally, I came up with the script of My Love Story (2013), a romantic comedy that was appreciated by everyone. Not only did I write and direct the film, I also acted in it. I tried to rope in the likes of Babusan and Anubhav, but things didn’t fall into place,” he says.
The film also had two Hindi film actresses. While Katrine Kovi was paired opposite Deepak, Riya Sen was seen in an item song. Also, the film’s soundtrack boasted names like Udit Narayan, Shaan, Vinod Rathod, Babul Supriyo and Krishna Beura.
Deepak considers himself lucky to have got a chance to assist the legendary Dev Anand. “My father is a diehard fan of Dev Anand. It was a prized moment for him, when he spoke to Dev sir over phone. He said, ‘This is the happiest day of my life,’” says Deepak.
What’s his advice to aspiring scriptwriters? “The first question they should ask themselves is: Do I have the burning desire to become a scriptwriter and do I have the drive to succeed? There will be times when you might ask yourself: ‘Why am I doing this?’ and if your answer is, “because I don’t want to do anything else but only write” then no one can stop you.”
RASHMI REKHA DAS, OP