Interview with Manish Gupta – Writer of ‘Section 375’ and ‘Sarkar (2005)’
2019 has been about meaningful cinema and amazing content from Gully Boy to Bala. However, amongst all these movies there was an amazingly substantial movie released on September 13th called Section 375, which shed light on consensual sex. The cast Richa Chadda, Meera Chopra and Akshaye Khanna were all brilliant in their respective roles, but, the story and the portrayal of the characters completely stole the show.
It was written by the very talented Manish Gupta. An accomplished screenwriter, producer, and director, his singular point of view lends a compelling tone to any project he’s involved in. He directed films like Rahasya (2015), The Stoneman Murders (2009), Hostel (2011) and Darna Zaroori Hai (2006). His prolific resume also includes writing the story, screenplay and dialogues for the movies like Sarkar (2005) and Section 375 (2019) amongst many others.
Highly impressed by his writing skills and perspective of telling a story we got in touch with Mr Manish Gupta to learn more about his approach when it comes to writing. Nevertheless, here’s my fun little interview with him where he answered many questions which will help young writers to grow and excel in their field.’
Q. What inspired you to write your recent project – Section 375?
A: The case of actor Shiney Ahuja completely inspired this project. I knew Shiney and his wife Anupam very well. One day back in 2009, I heard that Shiney has been arrested for the rape of his domestic help. I rushed to the Oshiwara police station where the DCP said, “We’ve established intercourse, but we’re not sure if it’s consensual or forced.” While Anupam explained to me that the DNA report is error-prone, the girl’s traumatic written statement sent a shiver down my spine. I no longer knew who to believe. That’s when I started writing this script.
Q. What elements went into your research for the film?
A: Three years of back-breaking research. I attended 160 court hearings at the Sessions Court, Kala Ghoda. I extensively questioned lawyers, cops, rape survivors and accused men. I observed to my shock that 80% of all rape cases were filed by women against their Ex-boyfriends/Live-in partners/Fiancés. The motives varied from a woman’s vendetta, to the family wanting to get the man off the woman’s back, to extortion. It took me 29 rewrites to finish the Story, Screenplay & Dialogues.
Q. How did you keep going and not lose focus and motivation during the 29 revisions of the script?
A: I don’t have any vices. I don’t drink or smoke. I don’t even drink tea or coffee. I don’t socialize much. I rarely watch TV and I try to avoid social media expect for when tweeting about my films. Also, since I love my work, I don’t feel bored or bogged down by it. The trick is to choose a job that you love doing, so you’ll never have to work a single day.
Q. What made you move from a political drama like SARKAR (2005) to suspense films like DARNA ZAROORI HAI (2006), THE STONEMAN MURDERS (2009), HOSTEL (2011) and RAHASYA (2015)? Was the transition easy or tough?
A: The Writing process was a pleasure. But Directing the films was very challenging in terms of putting together the finance, the actors and securing a theatrical release but being honest I loved doing both the things.
Q. The film industry has traditionally been known to give very little respect and value to writers both monetarily and otherwise. Is the situation getting better?
A: It’s getting worse by the day. Nowadays, Script-Hijacking and Stealing have become rampant and a writer has to be very careful. Many prominent producers, actors, and directors are notorious Script-Hijackers.
Q. Any insights or hints about your upcoming projects?
A: I’m directing two suspense films, both loosely inspired from real-life events.
You can now stream ‘Section 375’ on Amazon Prime here and Rahasya on Netflix here.
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