Well-known writer duo, Sajid-Farhad tell us how much of a thankless job it is
Sajid Farhad
Mumbai: They are among the most famous writers in the Hindi film industry and have been associated with superhits such as the Golmaal series and Chennai Express. Sajid-Farhad, who have worked with top directors like Rohit Shetty and Raju Hirani, have just released their directorial debut Entertainment. In an exclusive interview, they candidly admit that they have been fortunate to have been at the right place at the right time. That’s because the industry is very step-motherly towards writers. Excerpts from the
interview:
Your films always focus on the supporting actors as much as the lead cast. Like in the case of Johnny Lever in Golmaal 3 or the goons in Chennai Express.
Sajid: Characters are more important to us. Like Tusshar Kapoor didn’t have a single line in Golmaal, but his character stood out the most. Forget our films. In Kahaani, people still remember the kid who played the chaiwala.
Farhad: We have grown up on old films. In Padosan, both Kishore sahab and Mehmood were superb, but the people around them those five characters, they are still remembered.
Where does one begin to search for characters?
Farhad: The most disgusting thing in the industry is the myth that you have to go to the mountains and write.
Sajid: We write at home.
What issues do writers face here?
Sajid: Writers suffer a lot. Producers keep saying that the script lays the foundation. But in that case they should pay the writers what they deserve. They should be acknowledged like they are in Hollywood, where writers always take the top spot in credits. When actors receive awards, they say the script was fantastic. So then why not mention the names of writers, like they mention directors?
Farhad: The only person who has mentioned our name on stage is Prakash Raj. He did that all the nine times he received various awards. People here take writers for granted. We are well established today, but writers go through a lot. The bitter truth is that once their work is done they are ignored.
You began as lyricists. What was that like?
Farhad: Yes, we started off as lyricists. We used to go from studio to studio with a tub…
Sajid: He means a plastic tub, in which you wash clothes.
Farhad: We never just said the lines of our songs. We made them hear it with a tune and rhythm. We went on the sets of Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega and bribed Salman’s driver to meet him. Salman sat with us for one- and-a-half-hours.
Sajid: He cancelled his shot and heard 18 songs on that day. I still remember that night. It was in the make-up room of Kamalistan.
Farhad: Salman locked the song for his next film Hum Kisi Se Kam Nahi. We were thrilled, but unfortunately, he couldn’t do the film. But he told us even though he was out, our song was not. However, our jackpot was M Bole Toh in Munnabhai MBBS.
How was it working with Raju Hirani?
Sajid: I think he is a magician He has a magic wand that in one swish can take you from comedy to tragedy. It’s amazing the way he gels the scenes. Even if we achieve 10 per cent of what he has done, we will have made it.
How did you happen to join Rohit Shetty’s team?
Farhad: While we were writing Shiva with RGV, we happened to meet Rohit Shetty, who was writing Sunday. He was looking for dialogue writers. We narrated about six pages of dialogues to him. Everybody knows that Rohit is very poker-faced while hearing a script. But if he loves something he is capable of rolling on the floor. We have worked with him in eight films and he has taught us that all the lines that made him laugh should never be left out.
Sajid: I don’t call him a director anymore. He’s like a brother.
Any funny incident while narrating a script to an actor?
Sajid: We were in the middle of narrating All the Best. Fardeen Khan, for the first time, was a part of Rohit’s film. And he fell asleep while Farhad was narrating. We were in splits.
Farhad: Sanjay Dutt was listening intently while Fardeen kept snoring. The cup he was holding tilted and the drink dropped. It could have woken up anybody, but he was fast asleep.
How different are Ajay, Akshay and Shah Rukh from each other during a narration?
Farhad: As compared to others, our interaction with Ajay has been very limited. That’s because he is very sharp. He will listen to you and get on with his work.
Sajid: We have narrated scripts to Akshay even during wee hours of the morning. He is so focused that he gets you energised as well. He is very disciplined. When we narrated Chennai Express to Shah Rukh, it got done in two hours. The remaining eight hours were spent in Mannat where we got a glimpse of his lavish hospitality. He told us about his journey in cinema and then towards the end he said, ‘I said all these things, because I am doing your film.’
Do you fight when you don’t agree on scenes?
Sajid: We fight while working in every film. In fact, we fight so much that mom says we should stay separately.
Farhad: And when we don’t fight, we feel something’s not right about the script. People do not forgive you if your comedy is bad.
( Source : dc )
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