Juhi Chaturvedi at an event in Mumbai.
Shoojit Sircar's new film Piku, starring Deepika Padukone as the long-suffering daughter of a cranky old father played by Amitabh Bachchan, opened on May 8 to packed cinemas and thrilled reviews. Piku is raking it in both at home and abroad and the compliments won't stop coming. Much of the credit for all this is writer Juhi Chaturvedi's, who emerges as one of the biggest stars of the film. Juhi, a former illustrator, juggles a career in advertising and one collaborating with Shoojit Sircar, a former adman himself. 2012's Vicky Donor brought her the Filmfare Award for Best Story.
Juhi spoke to NDTV about creating characters like Piku's Bhashkor Banerjee, being a Bollywood writer, and Amitabh Bachchan.
How do you write about Bengalis in such detail without actually being one? Where's your inside information coming from?
I look at the faces, silently observe the frowns and wrinkles. I like guessing what must be going on in their minds. Sometimes I talk to them to know what bothers them or what their fears are. Or what makes their hearts sing, what brings out a tear, their culture, traditions. While I do believe that one needs to be born into a culture to know everything about it, it's not all that difficult also to know a good detail about a person, a community or a certain region if one is inclined towards knowing it. I have always been fascinated with observing the lives people live and I observed all of it when I grew up with a wonderful Bengali family. They were our tenants in Lucknow. They were like my extended family. Lokhi pa, Rabindra Sangeet, old dida in their home, tanpura, boti, the language - I grew up with all of this.
When you wrote Piku, did you or Shoojit already have Deepika and Amitabh Bachchan in mind? Did that influence your writing in any way?
Mr Bachchan was in my mind when I was writing Bhashkor. In fact, it was Shoojit who was so sure that even before I wrote the draft, he took me to meet Mr Bachchan and narrate the idea to him. And it was challenging because he is a man who is going to give everything to the role but this only pushed me to etch out this character with an absolute precision. I was aware that only an actor of his stature could bring Bhashkor alive, therefore I worked that much harder and when you see the film, you only see an insecure, selfish, hypochondriac Bhashkor and not Amitabh Bachchan. That is the supremacy of an actor like him. Another point that I would like to talk about is that Bhashkor is a well-read man who can argue endlessly - Vivekananda, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Tagore, Elvis Presley, these people are his references in daily conversations and Mr Bachchan is a treasure of knowledge and experience. So I knew he would understand Bhashkor's philosophy and its evident in the film.
Why not Bengali actors to play Bengali characters?
I don't know if anyone could have been a Bhashkor other than Mr Bachchan. Plus He is half Bong himself! Having lived in Calcutta and being married to a Bengali, clearly he understands the nuances of that culture. As far as Piku is concerned, we wanted a devoted daughter, a care-giver as if a mother, a modern woman with a strong mind of her own, progressive. We found in Deepika, an actor with sheer brilliance. Rest, all other Bengali characters are Bengali actors indeed.
How does Bollywood treat its writers?
You know, my interactions have been very limited here. While it's extremely important to acknowledge and respect a writer's craft and rightfully so because he is the one who is suffering the most while writing - and yes, I choose the word suffering because that is what a deep insightful writing causes, a schizophrenic existence. Still, some of my writer friends have felt more like a supplier in the whole process than the being the creator. That does bother me. But then I have my own experience which has been extremely fair and rewarding. Be it after Vicky Donor or now, after Piku.
You briefly lived in Lajpat Nagar in Delhi and used that experience in Vicky Donor. Are there any life experiences you drew from for Piku?
Drawing inspiration from what you've lived is inevitable. Your thought process, understanding, vision - it all stems from what has been your environment or experience. So yes, I did borrow some parts from my own life, only because they beautiful lend themselves for a story.
Are there any particular actors in Bollywood you'd like to write for?
Right now, I am feeling like a greedy writer wanting every hungry actor to be my muse. *Grin*. (Editor's note - we're hoping every hungry actor is reading this)
What would you never write about or include in your script? Are there any no-go areas, given that you tackled scatology in your last script?
I don't know right now. Haven't planned my way forward but definitely I won't write regressive and cliched subjects.
What is your favourite thing or things about making movies? And what would you change if you could?
At first it's just an abstract, an invisible thought, a faint idea, and the way it slowly blooms into a full-fledged story of people who don't really exist but they still take over your existence. The whole process of bringing this unreal alive, it's just too fascinating. The way Shoojit and I work, there is nothing I would want to change there.
Are you a one-director writer or will there be any non-Shoojit films in the future?
There are directors in our industry with a great vision. They have probably seen my writing so if they feel it's worthy, then yes, I'll be honoured.
Finally, tell us what it's like being a woman in Bollywood. Hollywood is currently campaigning against red carpet sexism and for equal pay. What is your experience of working in Bollywood as a woman?
You know, while writing, it has never been on my mind that I am a woman write. Nor has this gender perspective ever affected the way I've approached people in the industry. We're all aware that the pay scales of men are more than women but that's everywhere in the world. It's not restricted to the film industry alone. Though it would be nice if in our industry the conversations are more about the talent or the craft rather than the gender.
Juhi spoke to NDTV about creating characters like Piku's Bhashkor Banerjee, being a Bollywood writer, and Amitabh Bachchan.
How do you write about Bengalis in such detail without actually being one? Where's your inside information coming from?
I look at the faces, silently observe the frowns and wrinkles. I like guessing what must be going on in their minds. Sometimes I talk to them to know what bothers them or what their fears are. Or what makes their hearts sing, what brings out a tear, their culture, traditions. While I do believe that one needs to be born into a culture to know everything about it, it's not all that difficult also to know a good detail about a person, a community or a certain region if one is inclined towards knowing it. I have always been fascinated with observing the lives people live and I observed all of it when I grew up with a wonderful Bengali family. They were our tenants in Lucknow. They were like my extended family. Lokhi pa, Rabindra Sangeet, old dida in their home, tanpura, boti, the language - I grew up with all of this.
When you wrote Piku, did you or Shoojit already have Deepika and Amitabh Bachchan in mind? Did that influence your writing in any way?
Mr Bachchan was in my mind when I was writing Bhashkor. In fact, it was Shoojit who was so sure that even before I wrote the draft, he took me to meet Mr Bachchan and narrate the idea to him. And it was challenging because he is a man who is going to give everything to the role but this only pushed me to etch out this character with an absolute precision. I was aware that only an actor of his stature could bring Bhashkor alive, therefore I worked that much harder and when you see the film, you only see an insecure, selfish, hypochondriac Bhashkor and not Amitabh Bachchan. That is the supremacy of an actor like him. Another point that I would like to talk about is that Bhashkor is a well-read man who can argue endlessly - Vivekananda, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Tagore, Elvis Presley, these people are his references in daily conversations and Mr Bachchan is a treasure of knowledge and experience. So I knew he would understand Bhashkor's philosophy and its evident in the film.
Why not Bengali actors to play Bengali characters?
I don't know if anyone could have been a Bhashkor other than Mr Bachchan. Plus He is half Bong himself! Having lived in Calcutta and being married to a Bengali, clearly he understands the nuances of that culture. As far as Piku is concerned, we wanted a devoted daughter, a care-giver as if a mother, a modern woman with a strong mind of her own, progressive. We found in Deepika, an actor with sheer brilliance. Rest, all other Bengali characters are Bengali actors indeed.
How does Bollywood treat its writers?
You know, my interactions have been very limited here. While it's extremely important to acknowledge and respect a writer's craft and rightfully so because he is the one who is suffering the most while writing - and yes, I choose the word suffering because that is what a deep insightful writing causes, a schizophrenic existence. Still, some of my writer friends have felt more like a supplier in the whole process than the being the creator. That does bother me. But then I have my own experience which has been extremely fair and rewarding. Be it after Vicky Donor or now, after Piku.
You briefly lived in Lajpat Nagar in Delhi and used that experience in Vicky Donor. Are there any life experiences you drew from for Piku?
Drawing inspiration from what you've lived is inevitable. Your thought process, understanding, vision - it all stems from what has been your environment or experience. So yes, I did borrow some parts from my own life, only because they beautiful lend themselves for a story.
Are there any particular actors in Bollywood you'd like to write for?
Right now, I am feeling like a greedy writer wanting every hungry actor to be my muse. *Grin*. (Editor's note - we're hoping every hungry actor is reading this)
What would you never write about or include in your script? Are there any no-go areas, given that you tackled scatology in your last script?
I don't know right now. Haven't planned my way forward but definitely I won't write regressive and cliched subjects.
What is your favourite thing or things about making movies? And what would you change if you could?
At first it's just an abstract, an invisible thought, a faint idea, and the way it slowly blooms into a full-fledged story of people who don't really exist but they still take over your existence. The whole process of bringing this unreal alive, it's just too fascinating. The way Shoojit and I work, there is nothing I would want to change there.
Are you a one-director writer or will there be any non-Shoojit films in the future?
There are directors in our industry with a great vision. They have probably seen my writing so if they feel it's worthy, then yes, I'll be honoured.
Finally, tell us what it's like being a woman in Bollywood. Hollywood is currently campaigning against red carpet sexism and for equal pay. What is your experience of working in Bollywood as a woman?
You know, while writing, it has never been on my mind that I am a woman write. Nor has this gender perspective ever affected the way I've approached people in the industry. We're all aware that the pay scales of men are more than women but that's everywhere in the world. It's not restricted to the film industry alone. Though it would be nice if in our industry the conversations are more about the talent or the craft rather than the gender.
