Eminent
script writer Abhijat Joshi, who has to his credit blockbuster scripts like MUNNA
BHAI MBBS (2003), LAGE RAHO MUNNA BHAI (2006), 3 IDIOTS (2009) and
PK (2014) is reported to have been paid a whopping Rs 2 crore for his upcoming
film WAZIR staring Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar in key role.
Truly
with Rs 2 Crore for a single script Abhijat Joshi has placed himself in the
position of Bollywood’s top most writers’ duo Salim Javed, who ruled the 70’s
and are recognized as the first writer pair to bring revolution in the
remuneration scale of writers.
Salim
Javed, who wrote super-hit films like ZANJEER, SHOLAY, DEEWAAR, DON, MR.INDIA
etc not only changed the remuneration package for themselves but also opened
doors for other competent writers like Kader Khan, K.K. Shukla, Inder Raj Anand etc. However after the 90’s
once again the status of film writers went down.
Abhijat
Joshi says, “I am grateful that I am working for a producer (Vidhu Vinod
Chopra) who respects writers and I am rewarded well. But I am aware that the film
industry neglects writers and the condition needs to revamp.”
Salim Khan of Salim Javed fame says,
“I think the writers are themselves to be blamed for the situation because most
writers never raise their voices by way of protest as I and Javed Sahab did in
the 70’s.”
Recalling an incident Salim said, “I
was assistant writer of the great writer Abrar Alvi, a favorite of filmmaker Guru Dutt. For him he wrote milestone scripts
like AAR-PAAR, SAHIB BIBI AUR GHULAM, KAAGAZ KE PHOOL, PYAASA, Mr. & Mrs.
'55 etc. I always asked him to increase his remuneration but he never dared to
speak. However I promised him that I will change the trend and he laughed.”
“When we wrote ZANJEER we demanded Rs
1 Lakh and were paid! We changed the remuneration pattern due to our confidence
and guts which I think writers lack,” he asserts.
Besides Salim Javed the other writer
in contemporary cinema who has gained stardom as a writer is Chetan Bhagat,
thanks to the success he got for the credits for 3 IDIOTS and other hit films
like KAI PO CHE!, 2 STATES, KICK.
Chetan himself believes that had he
not raised his voice against plagiarism of his novel for 3 IDIOTS he too would
have remained anonymous. He says, “I am sure there are several writers in the
industry who face issues such as plagiarism every day but they do not dare to
voice their protests on national television or in media.”
Thus
it is high time writers come out in open and demand for their rights for better
remuneration, if they want to earn stardom like Abhijat Joshi and Chetan
Bhagat!
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