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Niren Bhatt , who is basking in the success of Stree 2 (he wrote the film), says that while he was confident that the team had made “a good film”, the film’s unprecedented success has left him pleasantly surprised. The popular lyricist and screenwriter, who has also written other horror comedies like Bhediya and Munjya , was in Ahmedabad recently for the script narration of director Saandeep Patel’s next Gujarati film. He tells us, “I now write only lyrics for Gujarati films (he has written songs for films like Aum Mangalam Singlem, Love Ni Bhavai and Chabutro).
It has always been wonderful to work with Saandeep (Patel) bhai and together, we have created wonderful songs like Vhalam Aavo Ne.” He adds, “While writing Stree 2, I was very clear that we should not be bothered by the burden of people’s expectations (since Stree was a hit). We wanted to create a universe and our ambition was much bigger.
We expected the film to do well, but the numbers have been absolutely crazy. My phone has not stopped ringing and people from all over the world have been calling up to congratulate me. Writing a horror comedy is a tricky job; it’s a tough genre to crack.
You must make sure that people are scared, but at the same time they should laugh too. It takes a lot of rewriting and brainstorming. I wrote about 12 to 14 drafts for Stree 2 over two-and-a-half years.
” He adds, “When a film becomes a hit, it’s rare for a writer to get credit. While it’s always a team effort, it’s a pleasant surprise that people are saying that the film’s (Stree 2) script is the real hero.” ‘Initially, things weren’t easy after I quit a corporate job’ Bhatt says that while things weren’t easy initially after he quit a corporate job, he was sure that he wanted to be a full-time writer.
He shares, “I was born and brought up in Bhavnagar and pursued Bachelor of Engineering. I also completed my master’s from MS University and worked as a lecturer in Vadodara. However, I was doing theatre all this while.
My mama Vinay Dave, who has written songs like Madhuri Dixit Mili Raste Mein, was a big influence on me as a songwriter.” He adds, “Later, I moved to Mumbai and completed my MBA. I was doing a corporate job but soon, I realised that I won’t be able to survive there and needed to pursue writing, my passion.
Initially, things weren’t easy after I quit my job but once I started writing episodes of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, there was financial stability. I learnt a lot while writing a daily show. After that, I wrote Bey Yaar too and there was no looking back.
” ‘OTT gives writers more time to do justice to all characters’ Bhatt, who has written episodes for shows like Asur: Welcome to Your Dark Side and Inside Edge, feels, “Cinema is a director’s medium, while OTT is a completely writer’s medium. Also, OTT gives writers more time to do justice to all characters. OTT and TV shows are primarily driven by characters, while films are more about plot, story, screenplay and structure.
” ‘Main padya ka aadmi hoon, gadya ka nahi’ Talking about his love for writing lyrics, he shares, “I always say that main padya ka aadmi hoon, gadya ka nahi . I call myself a lyricist-turned-screenwriter and love writing lyrics in Gujarati.”.
