There
are so many top notch screen writers & screenplays that I admire very much.
From Indian luminaries like Abrar Alvi, Salim-Javed, Sachin Bhowmick..and
contemporaries..such as Jaideep Sahni
& Anurag Kashyap to their Hollywood counterparts like Robert Riskin,
Earnest Lehman, I.A.L. Diamond, Charlie Kauffman & Christopher
Nolan..etc..etc.. My list of favorites is very long and it’s very difficult to
compare and rank them. But, still if I’ve to choose Top 3, I would go with the names which haven’t been
mentioned in the list. Because according to me, they belong to a totally
different class even in terms of admiration…and can be easily termed as an
Institution themselves. They are as follow.
A)
Billy Wilder : Unarguably one of the best Film Makers of all time, who
was also an exceptional screenwriter. A real versatile Writer-Director who
successfully attempted virtually all the cinematic genres. Ranging from Film
Noir (Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity) to Hard hitting Social dramas (The
Lost Weekend, Ace In The Hole) to W.W. II Thriller (Stalag 17) to Romantic
Comedies (The Apartment, Avanti, Irma la Deuce) to Literally Adaptation
(Witness For The Prosecution) to Screwball Comedies (Some Like It Hot,
One..Two..Three..)..etc..etc. But, amongst all of them, my personal favorite is
Sunset Boulevard. Co-Written
with Charles Brackett & D.M. Marshman. A Timeless classic about the tragedy
of faded silent screen star. A poor soul whose life continues to go downhill
due to her delusional and self destructing fantasies and in the process also
destructs the life of a hack screenwriter who accidently gets ‘involved’ with
her. The quality I admire the most about Sunset Boulevard’s screenplay is in
spite of being a Film-Noir by essence, in terms of content, there is much more
than shadow play and gun shots. It offers you a deep insight into the dark
corners of human psyche. Norma Desmond is not a fictional character, but a
representative of personalities who are ineluctable byproducts of the glamour
and grandeur of Showbiz. The stars who are idolized and worshiped by millions
of fans (like us) during the period of their success, but then cruelly
abandoned and discarded once the limelight is gone. Which not only brings the
impending doom for them, but also destructs the lives of people who care for
them. This statement
(may also be called as premise) of ‘Sunset Boulevard’ made in (1950) is still
relevant, and that’s what is makes this screenplay so special. Another thing I
admire a lot is that, apart from the 3 central characters, The Star, The
Screenwriter and The Butler, also the ‘Grand Mansion’ of the Star itself
becomes a Fourth Character..A setting carefully incorporated into the
screenplay which contributes up to a great extent to highlight the delusional
world Norma Desmond lives within.
Told
with an unusual framing device (perhaps ridiculous).. of a ‘Dead Man’ narrating
his flashback, the screenplay grabs your attention right from the opening
sequence, and keeps you engrossed till the end. The screenplay which can also
be called as Satire on Show Biz is a good example of how the screenwriter is in
command of its characters and Premise. A lesson repeatedly emphasized in the
screenwriting classes. That’s why I feel the film is a good study material too.
And lastly, Sunset Boulevard contains all the classic elements one can expect
from Billy Wilder Screenplay. Strong characters, intense drama, witty dialogues
and of course memorable one liners… which are not there just for the sake of
claps but, come across as the integral part of characterization and drama..My
favorites are ‘I am still big..it’s the picture that got small..’ ‘We didn’t
need dialogues, we had faces then..’ & the cherry on the cake, ‘All Right
Mr. De’Melle, I am ready for my Close-Up’. That’s the beauty of Sunset
Boulevard which makes it one of my most favorite screenplays. It’s Billy Wilder
at his Best.
B) Woody
Allen: This is the man who has made me laugh till death. A Maverick
Director, Writer, Actor, Musician..etc..etc.. But out of all these, it’s the
Screenwriter I feel who is always in the front in his works. He is not just my
favorite screenwriter but also my Role Model. Possibly, the most ingenious
screenwriter in the Hollywood, if not the best. No wonder he has won maximum
number nominations in ‘Best Screenplay Category’ of Academy Awards. A Master of
Comedy, a genre I am personally close to. The Best thing I like about his
writing is he deliberately defies all the ‘So-called’ rules and norms of
screenwriting. And yet, his screenplays are highly interesting, engaging and
entertaining. His writing has taught me a very important lesson that, nothing
else matters as long as your screenplay connects with the audience. That’s the
key of good screenwriting. My most favorite screenplay of his is his
masterpiece, ‘Annie Hall’. A Semi-Autobiographical
film Co-Written with Marshal Brickman. About a Neurotic New York gag writer cum
standup comedian who constantly struggles with the relationships with women,
and also with himself. The screenplay is full of zany, absurd elements.. There
are Page long V.O.s., In the middle of the scene, Woody breaks the fourth wall
and starts talking to audience, To win an argument with a guy, he magically
produces a celebrity from behind the movie poster...Revisits his childhood in
‘Wild Strawberries’ style.. During foreplay, his girlfriend’s spirit walks out
of the body and has a conversation.. etc. etc.. The list goes on..
Every
time, I think about Annie Hall, I ask the question to myself. How does one
imagine this sort of things while writing a screenplay? Annie Hall is a classic
example of experiment, originality and fresh Ideas. I admire its screenplay
because it demonstrates that even a simple story can be told in very
interesting manner. Apart from the trademark witty humor and hilarious
one-liners we find in Woody Allen screenplays, I feel Annie Hall is truly the
Best Woody Allen Film. Because it not only entertains but also marks his
transition from ‘Zanny-Slapstick’ comedy writer (Bananas, Sleeper) to the
writer of serious & intellectual comedies that we witness in his later
works like ‘Manhattan’ ‘Crimes and Misdemeanors’, ‘Manhattan’, ‘The Purple Rose
Of Cairo’,’ Mighty Aphrodite’ and ‘Deconstructing
Harry. All Of them I admire for their
screenplays.
C)
Sampoorna Singh Kalra aka Gulzar Saab.
- An Indian Screenwriter I admire
the most. One of the finest gems of Indian Cinema. A well known Director, a
Screenwriter and a Lyricist, but essentially a Poet at heart. He has had a
parallel and yet highly successful career as a screenwriter when the titans
like Salim-Javed, Sachin Bhowmick, Vijay Tendulkar were at top, scripting
blockbuster films for Hindi Cinema. Even amongst them, Gulzar saab carved a
niche for himself as a prolific Screenplay & Dialogue Writer.. I admire him
a lot because, besides scripting his own films, he also penned down number of
memorable films for other Directors like Guddi, Bawarchi, Anand, Chupke Chupke,
Masoom, Chachi 420, Sathiya..etc. An achievement, very few others may have to
their credit. My
personal favorite screenplay of Gulzaar Saab is one of his Directorial
classics. Mausam.
Co-written
with Bhushan Banvali and Kamleshwar, Mausam is an enchanting tale of an old man
who has been haunted by his past, and gets determined to follow the path of
redemption when he revisits a place he had a special connection with, almost
quarter of century ago. The Screenplay of Mausam instantly strikes an emotional
chord with you. As a viewer you feel a deep sympathy for both the protagonist
(who can be termed as sinner) as well as the person whose life he’s ruined. At
least this is my personal experience.
Told
in a ‘Non Linear Narrative’, Mausam’s screenplay engrosses you more and more as
the protagonist embarks on a journey to find his ‘lost love’, by putting
together pieces from the past. The classic ‘Flashback’ technique used
extensively in many of Gulzar’s screenplays serves the purpose with great
effect. The Nostalgic ride of the film moves your hear. Another special thing I
admire about ‘Mausam’ (or any other Gulzar Screenplay) is that, being a Lyrics
writer himself, he knows how and when to use Songs in the narrative. Hence they
never come across as a ‘Bump’ in the screenplay. Instead, they help the
narrative to proceed further.. that too in a Poetical
way..which is more effective than what could’ve been achieved through ‘Scene
Progression’. ‘Dil Dhoondta Hai Wohi Fursat ke din.’ or ‘Chhadi re chhadi..’
are classic examples of such use. One classic visual from Mausam which I love a
lot is when we see ‘Past & Present’ in Single Frame during ‘Chhadi re
Chhadi Song ‘. One of the most powerful cinematic tool one can find on Hindi
Cinema..could be attributed to Screenplay in case not the Direction or
Cinematography. I can’t resist, sharing another thing here. In a Biographical
book about Gulzaar Saab (A Marathi book – Ganga Aaye Kahan Se by Mr Vijay Padalkar),
which I’d read couple of years ago..I learned another interesting thing about
Mausam’s Screenplay. Gulzaar Saab has beautifully used ‘Stairs’ in the
symbolical terms. ‘Staircases’ in Mausam are the bridge between two words that
Dr. Gill is torn apart between..and also his descent as a person. We see him
slipping into the past when he sees those stares where he’d met his love for
the first time.. and again at a very crucial point of the story, when he sees
daughter of his long lost love, she is standing near the stares of her brothel
looking at him downwards. Also even in the end, during an emotionally charged
scene, ‘Kothewali Bai’ remarks ‘Is kothe ki sidiya maine aajtak kisi ke aangan
me utarte huye nahi dekhi..’ This simple line has so deep meaning..It leaves
you speechless..This is great writing.. This is the beauty of Mausam..which
makes it one of the favorite screenplays of mine.
Keep writing..
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