When it comes to telling stories of the innermost human psyche, award-winning writer Samragnee Bandyopadhyay rules the screen and OTT space. From Jaya’s fight against verbal abuse in Lojja to marital loneliness and longing in the film Grihapravesh, to a woman tormented between her growing family or discovering her husband’s reality in Noshtoneer, or a woman battling her in-laws to break the myth and taboo around menstruation in Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti, Samragnee’s pen writes stories and dialogues that manifest ‘the common woman’ on screen. We go down memory lane with her where she talks about her earliest influences, adapting stories for screens, working with prominent female characters, and the stories she wants to tell.
Excerpts:
How different are the worlds of writing poetry and writing for a visual medium?
Poetry is purely creative, while screenwriting balances creativity with commercial considerations. It happened accidentally. Pritha Chakrabarti told me that a production house had approached her, but the story wasn’t clicking. She asked if I can help her. The brief was Mukherjee Dar Bou. It struck me in a way that I felt it had to be told as a story of identity. We pitched it to Shiboprosad Mukherjee; he liked it, and the film happened. I was signed for three films where I wrote dialogues for Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti, Fatafati, and Baba, Baby O.
Do you modify your original ideas to what clicks on the visual platforms?
All three mediums—film, OTT, or television— have their own grammar. Initially, I was a bit rigid and thought I knew my ‘literature.’ But later on, I realised that I knew ‘literature’ for reading, not for the visual media. I realised it needed to be treated differently, and I had to learn a lot of the grammar for it. More than film writing, I had to master writing for OTT, because it’s a crafty thing. You need to have a cold opening or a cliffhanger. When it comes to moulding the storyline to fit the platform, initially I used to have a tiff with the producers, but with time, I understood that I have to come to a negotiation to tell the kind of stories I want to, because the medium is a team game. Also, over time, I came to trust that what the team suggested was for the benefit of the project.
Do you have a creative process?
Not something methodical. Earlier it was slightly laid-back and organic. But commercial writing needs discipline. I know that I have to write at least two or three hours a day to maintain deadlines. Also, I take time to get to know my character before I start writing. Moreover, realising that an entire industry and countless livelihoods depend on this writing helped me discipline myself.
How do you see yourself redefining roles for women in the industry?
When I started, I didn’t have any agenda. I understood women through my lived experience and passion for gender studies. When I wrote dialogues for Fatafati or Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti, I realised I’m being noticed. Initially, I thought I needed to break away, but then it dawned on me that I have stories to tell. I’ll not change course just because I’m being noticed. The day I run out of stories about women, I will shift to telling stories about men. And honestly, I have stories to tell about men too. By the time Uttoron, Lojja, Noshtoneer happened; I got a thrill from exploring the diversity of women-oriented roles, and now I enjoy seeing women in lead characters.
What responsibilities do you feel come with your stories?
Whenever I write a character I believe, it comes with a responsibility. Even if we are entertaining people, inherently it comes with a responsibility because visual media has immense influence on people.
Do you ever face writer’s block?
Initially it was much higher, but now it’s reduced a lot. Since I know that I cannot let it happen, writing every day is the only way forward. If there are creative missteps while approaching it mechanically, I come back to rectify them later.
What are some ideas you’d like to explore in the future?
I want to explore thrillers, men-led stories about subjects we don’t often discuss, and queer narratives
Tell us about your upcoming works.