ZIDDI GIRLS & CURRENT WORK
Tell us more about Ziddi Girls— how did the idea take shape and what can we expect from it?
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I was approached by the show runners, Rangita and Ishita Nandy of PNC to write the show. Initially, I was surprised that they were approaching me, a man, to do this, but I did not question their faith in me and went for it. The idea took shape initially drawing from my own experience of college life in Delhi University, making me ask questions about how today’ s college life would be different, especially for young women. Then I went on 10 day trip to Delhi and spent time interviewing and photographing young women in and around all-girl colleges- talking to them in depth about their lives. Slowly, that became the material that became the show.
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How do you approach
writing femaleled narratives or coming-of-age stories in today’ s social context?
There is only one approach: you have to engage with your subject! That means you have to go out and talk to a lot of young people, which is exactly what I did. And you have to talk to them with compassion and with very open ears, trying to step into their shoes, understanding the challenges that they face celebrating their triumphs, having empathy for their challenges.
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What are some current projects you’ re excited about that we can look forward to?
I’ m working on a medical drama and. that’ s very exciting. I’ m also working on a film about the life of the Buddha.
ADVICE FOR ASPIRING WRITERS
What are the most common mistakes you see young screenwriters make— and how can they avoid them
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I feel that many young writers do not read widely. They limit themselves only to films and screenplay. I would advise young writers to read a lot more- all different types of stories, striving to understad why they work. Also, I would say that learning how to be a writer isn’ t only about polishing your skills as a writer alone: it’ s also about polishing yourself as a human being; developing your sensitivity and understanding the place of creativity in your life, its mechanics, how it works in your life.
What’ s one writing exercise or technique that changed the game for you
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I would recommend 2 books: " The Artist ' s Way " by Julia Cameron and " Big Magic " by Elizabeth Gilbert. Both books suggest exercise and approaches to creativity that were very useful for me, and I keep coming back to them.
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