Lyricist duo Siddharth-Garima, who are known for their work in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013) and Bajirao Mastani (2015), say that the lockdown has been a “learning experience”. “With the enforced confinement a creative mind has to get accustomed. It took us a while but once we got in the groove, it has been a creatively enriching experience,” says Garima.
So, would they agree that the lockdown has been a boon to writers? “In a way, yes. Once you control your mind and divert all energies in creating, then one can disconnect and focus. It’s a never before experience in terms of conceptualisation and creation,” shares Siddharth.
Garima, adds, “We feel writers always had the stories. It’s the actors who have the time (due to the lockdown) to read and focus on scripts. Pressure is always on writers to create original content. Lockdown or no lockdown.”
The writer-duo will soon announce the cast of their directorial debut film titled Dukaan. Ask them if they have tweaked the script during this lockdown, and Garima adds, “The script was pretty much ready. The tweaking always continues. It’s in the casting stage and we’ll be announcing the same by August.”
Speaking about the concept of favouritism in the fraternity, Siddharth says, “It does exist. We feel, more than nepotism, favouritism does exist. It’s not really the content that you have matters but the people you hang out with. [That] decides if you can write/direct a project.”
Do they feel that lyricists and writers were not given their due initially? “With the remix culture, up to a large extent, yes. But things are changing thanks to the OTT invasion. The focus is back on the content. A writer or a lyricist is the backbone [of a project]. It’s time the industry realises that,” adds Garima.
