Writing is solitary? Uh-oh, don’t tell all those U.S. network and studio execs who keep making producers open larger and larger writers rooms. Here’s a good article from India illustrating a not-so-good truth that American showbiz just doesn’t get anymore:
by Prashant Singh
When you enter his quiet pad in Andheri’s Lokhandwala area, writer-director Habib Faisal instantly sets the tone of our chat by uninhibitedly sharing his views on the current state of affairs in the country. “We always connect politics to party politics. But it can also be about politics of entertainment or engagement (sic),” says the 49-year-old, as he also talks about his journey in Bollywood, his admiration for Amitabh Bachchan, and more.
You are an accomplished writer and director. What excites you more — writing or directing?
I can’t pick one over the other. They’re both very different experiences. Writing is a very solitary experience; it’s a bigger personal struggle for me. On the other hand, when I direct, I have a script that I have confidence in. But when I am writing, I don’t have anything. Writing is a far more complex process. When it happens, it’s joyful. But when it doesn’t, you hate and curse yourself.