Would you write a screenplay on deffered payment?

I've come across this question a lot. The answer has to be : Never!

Most 'paid' assignments don't get made into films. I'm sure somewhere on the net you will find a statistic of 90-10 or 98-2 (more likely) ratio to prove it. Chance of a 'no-money-upfront' deal making it through is set in fairytale land. Sure it happens, though I don't know anyone it has happened to, but it is the same thing as buying a lottery. In fact it is worse because you've got to work for 3-6 months before you have a shot at the dream as opposed to just forking out a couple of bucks.

My simple logic is: if a producer can't raise money for a script he's probably just fishing anyway. Basically the producer's plan is to take a writers investment and try to build his fortune on it. Doesn't sound like a good business deal to me.

I get a counter logic from desperately needy writers: "What if it was a reputable, verifiable person asking, should I do it?"

Writers are an insecure lot and easily buy into false dreams. But they've got to stop to think about what these producer credentials are worth. I mean, if they can't raise money for the most important component of a film they couldn't be worth much. Remember without a script a producer would have nothing.

The other fact to consider: A writers job is done when he hands in the script. So basically the writer is the only one to have delivered on his commitment. Everyone else can just walk away from there as they have nothing invested in it anyway.

Election time again.

Once again the heart is filled with dread. Instead of looking forward with enthusiasm I, like so many others, am dreading the outcome. This election I am having a harder time concentrating on the emerging stories than normal. The two main parties have nothing new to offer, their sales pitch is tired and worn out. The only thing that separates them is their jostling for the higher moral ground which I'm afraid is mostly imagined as the people see them as two sides of the same coin. So the Third Front with all its prime ministers in waiting is probably the only interesting boat to follow. That it has a very real chance makes me want to pack my bags and immigrate to Pakistan or Sudan or some banana republic.

Face booked cooked!

As summer approaches I don't know what to do with myself. It's been some time since I've written anything interesting. The economy is slow, it's too hot, nobody is buying films any more; the list of excuses is endless. Endless waiting for Mastang Mama's post production to finish and to get into the next stage, release and all the pre-release madness, has had a strangely soporific effect on me. It's like the tap has been turned off. I am spending time on silly pursuits like finding friends on Facebook. Its great fun to find people you meet every other week in real life on the net. But it is strangely addictive. For a long time I resisted getting onto both Facebook and Linkedin for precisely the same reason. I'm hoping to break out of this addiction sooner than later.

Time for security for politicians to go!

Much has been said about the horrific attack on Mumbai. My purpose today is not to talk about that as I am still very angry and will only end up bashing politicians and bureaucrats. More politician bashing is only going to be more and won't really serve a purpose.

One of the recurring themes through the course of this week has been to withdraw state provided security from politicians and bureaucrats. This suggestion makes a lot of sense to me. It is not because I think that would 'serve them right' as a lot of people believe. I think a larger more important policy shift can be achieved from this move.

In India neta’s (small, big or pint sized), bureaucrats, public servants and even the neighborhood paanwalla get a PSO for their personal security. This decision is based on an analysis of threat perception done by the police. In plain speak it says that our law and order situation is so bad that the police cannot hope to protect it’s citizens without assigning a posse of personal security guards to them. And only a lucky few who are in positions of power get it.

My rational is simply this; if you remove this security cover from everyone, except for a handful ministers in government, there will be added incentive for these people to invest their time and energies in providing a law and order apparatus that provides basic safety to all citizens. Their stakes in our safety will suddenly be different as it will also affect their safety. Police will have to account for lapses if any in a way that they don’t have to right now. I believe courts will be set up at double speed for speedy disposal of cases. Basically it will create an environment where being associated with crime will become a bad business decision.

In most developed countries politicians don’t need personal security. Average legislators go about their business like regular people. They have enough faith in the law and order machinery to provide them with protection. Why can’t we build our systems to provide for such security for the average citizens?

On a different note: For the life of me I cannot imagine why an Indian politician who has scores of murder cases against him needs the police to protect him.

Apathy or resilience?

As another set of bombs went off in India killing 25 people one is left wondering if it is apathy or resilience that makes India tick. This is one in a long series of blasts and frankly I don’t see Indians either being scared or caring.

Reams have been written about Mumbai’s train blasts and the subsequent revival of the system and the great Mumbikar spirit. That the Mumbikar’s were riding the same trains less than 24 hours later has been hailed as a great victory over terrorism. But I think it has nothing to do with courage. Over the years everybody has got so used to attacks and other such tragedies that they are dismissed as non issues. ‘As long as I and mine aren’t directly affected it is okay’ attitude is more the way of life.

We have gotten so used to seeing home minister after home minister making the same promises on TV that by now we don’t even need to hear them to know what they are saying. Basically the poor sod is on mute in real life and no one is listening. The cops whose duty it is to keep tabs on terrorists, crooks and other such are doing such a fine job that people have zero faith in their abilities to either investigate or intercept the terrorists. We don’t expect to be safe at all. In fact we expect to be bombed and attacked all the time. When we get home in one piece it is a blessing.

In all of this there is a great lesson for the terrorist. Surely by now they must realize that all their best efforts are futile. The very purpose of bomb blasts is defeated if we don’t care. The idea is to scare a society, but this society doesn’t care enough to be scared. I have a suggestion for Osama and his like. Do something that will shock us like say building a hospital. Do something out of the script. I am sure everyone will stop what they are doing and take notice.

I hope it's well done!

I woke up in the morning with a hangover to beat all hangovers. Hiroo (The DOP) called later in the day asking if anyone got the number of the truck. Even now much later in the following evening the wooziness is still there. I think we got a little smashed at the wrap party and a little silly later by drinking some more at home. But it felt well deserved.

Mastang Mama (50% Mast- 50% Tang) wrapped last night with the filming of the ‘Paisa’ song. I am looking back with a mixture of happiness and sadness. The road ahead is both inviting and daunting. Also now the realization that the die has been cast is finally hitting home. We are committed to the visuals we have shot, there is no going back from here. I do hope we have done them well. At this point I have no perspective on what we have created. Everything looks great and crappy at the same time. The only consolation is that better filmmakers than me have gone through this phase.

As I move on into the post production phase the mind is now looking ahead. What should I take on next, where is the next one coming from? There are a few scripts ready but it is still early days to commit to any one story. There have been feelers but it is still early to get into any active discussions. I am keeping my options open.

Arundhati Roy strikes again

Once again Arundhati Roy has political parties of all hues frothing at the mouth. This time it is her comments on Kashmir that have both side of the spectrum coming together. It is amazing see her achieve something so monumental by simply speaking her mind. Even major national calamities don’t have these parties speaking in the same voice.
Though I don’t generally agree with much of what she says on this one occasion I feel she has a point. For a very long time I have held the view that you cannot live with someone who doesn’t want to live with you. It is a simplistic argument but it holds true in any relationship. Be it a partner in a marriage or a grown child in a parent’s house or, on a larger scale, entire communities living in a country. This is especially true for a country like India which is an amalgamation of diverse identities who have come together to live under one constitution. The simple assumption is that we must want to belong to India for India as an idea to work.
In light of this India’s obsession with Kashmir just doesn’t make sense to me. Here is a community that hates Indians. They have been reluctant ‘Indians’ from the very beginning. They don’t feel the need to contribute to India in anyway. They have their own little world that is sustained by monies paid by the Indian tax payer. The Indian state has bent over backwards in trying to keep them happy over the last 6 decades. Special economic packages and constitutional acts have done nothing to endear the Indian state to the people of the valley. The political rhetoric is so strong that nothing India ever does will be good enough. The calls for azadi are today louder than ever. Frankly I think the time has come for India to cut its losses and let Kashmir go. India has spent far too much in human and economic terms on a piece of territory that is unproductive for Indian purposes and wholly unresponsive to any efforts made in amalgamating them in the Indian mainstream. In the end they have to want to be a part of India, they have to want to contribute to India and they have want to let their identities merge with India for this relationship to work. Otherwise it is a one way street. We give and give. They take and spit on us back. I quite agree with Arundhati; India needs azadi from Kashmir too.