Hunkkaar writer Heeraz Marfatia: ‘A better written blockbuster will do even bigger numbers’

Aneet Padda in ‘Hunkkaar’. Pics/Youtube, Instagram

A great idea, according to writer Heeraz Marfatia, is the seed of a series. But to build several episodes on that seed is a matter of craft. Hunkkaar: The Roar, on which he is the developer, lead writer, and co-director, reinforced the difference between having a hook and sustaining it. "I respect great ideas, but they are not the end-all. Series don't work on seeds alone. They work on worlds and character development," he shared.

For Marfatia, the Fatima Sana Shaikh and Aneet Padda-starrer is not simply about a minor girl accusing a godman of sexual assault. He elaborated, "The story is inherently about justice. Every individual feels powerless at some point. This feeling of powerlessness is what I was after. Along with the story, the characters and their point of view need to have an authentic relationship with each other."

Heeraz Marfatia

To him, the irony is that much of this work remains invisible to the audience when a show reaches the screen because "it's deeply embedded as the foundation". But he argued that the industry should know better. "Development is unfortunately the most shortchanged phase of the creative process," he said, emphasising that greater investment in writing will only boost the industry. "The industry does not only lose compelling storytelling; it loses hard core revenue! Take a blockbuster, make the writing better, and it will do even bigger numbers."