Sriram Raghavan discusses his bond with Dharmendra and why he doesn't fear irrelevance

The Screenwriters Associationrsquos SWA first event of the year Vartalaap opened with an unfiltered and craftfocused conversation with filmmaker Sriram Raghavan who reflected not only on his films but on the writing decisions missteps and professional relationships that shaped his journeyThe event began with a rare screening of Raghavanrsquos FTII student diploma film The Eight Column Affair The filmmaker then went on a trip down memory lane talking about how long before his breakout directorial debut with Ek Hasina Thi he was working in Mumbai covering the film industry in his early daysSriram Raghavan reveals he worked as a writer before making filmsThe job took him from Stardust to a trade magazineldquoIf you look at the articles today you can blackmail me They used to be so badrdquo Raghavan joked While his stint as a journalist didnrsquot last long he met filmmaker Mukul Anand and instantly knew he wanted to make moviesldquoI had asked Mukul Anand lsquoShould I join the film institute or work with yoursquo He told me if I work with him itrsquoll take me five years to make my first film whereas itrsquos be quicker to do the same after FTII That said it took me 17 years to make my debutrdquo Raghavan laughedBut before his feature directorial materialised Raghavan worked on TV writing for shows especially the longrunning CID He recalled how the showrsquos producer BP Singh would call him to write episodes for CID and he had to wing a story in one nightldquoBut writing for CID ensured that the next two monthsrsquo money would be sortedrdquo he said about sailing through financially uncertain periods at the start of his careerSriram Raghavan shares Ram Gopal Varmas adviceFor a filmmaker widely regarded as a master of the thriller genre Raghavan surprised many by stating that he never treated logic as his guiding principleRecalling advice from Ram Gopal Varma during the making of Ek Hasina Thi he said ldquoDonrsquot worry about logic shoot with convictionrdquo At the same time Raghavan was candid about missteps Speaking about Agent Vinod he admitted that he made a mistake at the writing table for the bigbudget actioner headlined by Saif Ali Khan and Kareena KapoorldquoI focused more on individual sequences rather than the whole story and a solid character which would have been the spine of the filmrdquo he said noting that a strong cohesive narrative must anchor even the most stylish set pieces The lesson he emphasised was one he carried forward into later projectsSriram Raghavan on casting Dharmendra in IkkisA highlight of the evening was Raghavanrsquos recollection of his creative equation with DharmendraldquoDharamji was among the first people I narrated Ikkis to and he loved it unconditionallyrdquo he said referring to his wardrama that marked the final screen appearance of the legendHe also revealed that during the writing stage of Agent Vinod he had conceived a role for the head of RAW with Dharmendra in mind The film he explained initially had younger and older narrative tracks and discussions were held at the scripting stage mdash including meetings with Zeenat Aman for a key part in the Russia portion The track was eventually not pursuedSriram Raghavan on creative relevanceThe conversation also turned to the industryrsquos shifting landscape and the oftrepeated anxiety around theatrical decline and creative relevance a concern Raghavan dismissed with characteristic easeldquoI donrsquot have that fear There are many films today that I donrsquot want to make or canrsquot make or donrsquot even enjoy But every year I find five or ten films I love Sometimes you wish you had got that story That happens to me a lot I watched Marty Supreme I loved it but itrsquos not a story I would tell I donrsquot feel irrelevantrdquoHe acknowledged that he has seen ups and downs in his career but stressed the importance of maintaining meaningful relationships with producers ldquoIt is important to develop this bond with producers They are the ones putting money behind onersquos craftrdquoFor writers navigating an unpredictable industry his advice was pragmatic in times when films may not work commercially a ldquofabulous scriptrdquo will always hold a screenwriter in good stead ldquoNo producer will say no to itrdquo he said urging writers to keep honing their craftThe session was attended by SWA President Charudutt Acharya Lyricist Raj Shekhar General Secretary SWA filmmakers Hitesh Kewalya Anu Singh Chaudhary Hardik Mehta Arati Kadav Amrit Raj Gupta amp writers Arshad Syed Gunjit Chopra among several members of the writing community