Scripting a better deal! Meet the Jerry Mcguires for film writers in India

Datta Dave left and Chaitanya Hegde of Tulsea PicNimish DaveAs we chatted with writers and directors at NFDCs Film Bazaar this year in Goa we heard talk of Tulsea and its founders Datta Dave and Chaitanya Hegde Oh Datta is like the Jerry McGuire for writers was how we were introduced to Dave by an upcoming writer to which he replied The difference is that Jerry had only one client Our writer then quipped Then that would mean you are the Ari Gold for writers in India We were curious to know why Dave and Hegde who own the media and content management company were being compared to fictional characters known for being tough negotiators who got their clients the best deal possibleWe are sitting sipping chai and talking about the Hindi film industry in Bandra on a warm December afternoon Both Hegde and Dave seem amused at the comparison to Jerry and Ari but say that maybe its true that they could be seen as reallife versions of the reellife agents Yes we do take care of all kinds of negotiations I think when we met each other in 2009 we realised that writers especially needed somebody to figure all this out for them Its not just that they need a business acumen but they need to know who to connect with how to connect and then most importantly how to pitch a story says HegdeTulsea has also partnered with Anushka Sharmas Clean Slate Films for the coproduction of Phillauri Tulsea which began in 2010 now represents writers such as Juhi Chaturvedi Piku Sudip Sharma NH10 and directors Navdeep Singh NH10 and Vikramaditya Motwane Lootera The firm is now working with production companies like Anushka Sharmas Clean Slate and Ritesh Batras Poetic License Recently among other things three Tulsea writers formed the writers room for Netflixs first Indian local production Sacred Games Stan Lee and Vikramaditya Motwane come together to develop Indian superhero film Chakra their writers are writing shows for Amazon Prime and have partnered with Clean Slate Films and Fox Star for the coproduction of PhillauriDave was a management consultant in Los Angeles and then was business manger to director Shekhar Kapur before he started Tulsea whereas Hedge was in advertising and then worked with filmmaker Rakesh Omprakash MehraIn India you still have to play hardball to get writers their due Yes not that its unheard of a writer getting a crore for a movie but most times the studio head will say it may be a great script and he is a superb writer but its his first film so why should we pay him that much Nothing is really according to merit in this industry you know They may also say that he wrote this and that but nothing materialised but the release of a movie is dependent on many other things than a script says Hegde Dave adds But things are changing People have realised that content is important We have around eight stars and now people know not everyone can make a movie with them Then content does become king and thats where good writing comes inTulsea manages Juhi Chaturvedi who wrote Piku 2015Both say that they have made their contacts in the industry from scratch and they push their talent to do their best also because they want to them to get the best deal possible If we are representing you we want to make sure the product is stunning So we work with the writers all the time We are available all the time mdash you can call us if you have questions or writers blockhellip says Hegde They are now working on getting even regional talent onboard who may have great stories but may not be able to articulate them well enough in English which is the preferred language for scripts these days We are against narrations and this industry used to work on that Because sometimes what is narrated doesnt necessarily get translated into the movie And many writers are not great storytellers which a narrator needs We would rather studio heads read the stories and thats started happening now says DaveAsk them what they think is working right now in the industry and they say thats a near impossible question to answer Where a Piku worked so did a Sultan and we get what they are trying to say The good thing is people want to do something different now We now get references like Oh we want a Before Sunset and so we know that the format is changing says Hegde But doesnt that hamper creativity and Dave says This happens in LA too It usually doesnt mean you want the same movie It could mean the vibe It could mean the genre The framebyframe copying doesnt happen anymore as now you can buy the rights and remake movies For now they are happy that the writers they represent are getting a chance to finally start seeing their name on screen Their parting tip for all budding writers is an easysounding one even if it may be hard Hegde says Even if you are getting work or not keep writing And keep reading Theres no better education