Writer Neeraj Udhwani who has written the Screenplay for movies Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji, Mere Dad Ki Maruti is very happy that the extremely relatable and realistic story of ALTBalaji’s recently launched series, Home has been appreciated by viewers.
Talking about the journey of writing for Home, Neeraj tells IWMBuzz.com, “The journey of Home began sometime last year, when Ekta told me that she needed a quintessential middle-class story with a backdrop of losing one’s home, as she read about such incidents in paper. I really lapped up as one does not get such a kind of realistic story. TV has its own grammar while films are usually larger than life. For a while, I met up with such people who had lost their homes. Since I am from Mumbai and come from a middle-class family, I had to just look into my own experiences, and look at people around me to get ideas. It was a very smooth journey with Ekta. When Habib Faisal came on board, he instantly understood what we wanted. It is very rare that the whole team gets in sync and works towards delivering the best product, that too with utmost ease and harmony.”
“When we started working on the cast, Ekta wanted someone like Amol Parashar to play the son. Habib’s first choice was Annu Kapoor and Supriya Pilgaonkar and we were lucky that we got them on board,” he adds.
Neeraj Udhwani has dabbled into all kinds of genres in the last 12 years of being a Writer. “I started off writing stand-up comedy for a show of Shekar Suman titled The Great Indian Comedy Show. I then wrote movies like Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji which was a slice of life film, and then an out and out comedy in Mere Dad Ki Maruti. Later I did Gumraah which was a thriller concept and followed it up with romantic stories for Yeh Hai Aashiqui. Now Home is a realistic drama. My next work will be Inside Edge 2 which is of a complete thriller drama space. My aim is to do something that I have not done recently. I enjoy writing in all genres. But ya, I think I do well in human stories and comedy.”
“Inspirations come from anywhere. I love talking to people, reading newspapers etc. When one works on ideas, one tends to suffer from a Writer’s block. But after working for so many years, I have made myself aware of small tricks that can help gather again. You can forget about what you are writing and then go for a walk and get back to it after few days. You can also talk to another writer and this talk can generate a new perspective. You can also start working on a completely different script and then get back to the one where you are stuck,” says Neeraj on the challenges faced by a Writer.
Neeraj has kept himself away from penning for daily soaps. “I cannot write a daily and have never done that. Having said this, I can try my hand in it if it suits my kind of work. TV requires a completely different style of writing. But never say never!!”
Neeraj and his wife Ishita Moitra (Writer) have started their own production house, Starry Eyed Films. “We are working on few concepts. We will be working on a movie too, which will be directed by me.”
Here’s wishing Neeraj all the very best!!