Good dialogue can etch a film in public memory, and filmmakers are paying more attention to this element. But are dialogue writers getting due recognition
“Filmein sirf teen cheezon ki wajah se chalti hain, entertainment, entertainment, entertainment.” It’s a dialogue immortalised by last year’s super hit, the Vidya Balan-starrer The Dirty Picture.
Salman Khan charmed the audience with his muscled, action-packed scenes in Bodyguard. But ask anyone to quote the most memorable dialogue in the film and pat comes the reply, “Mujh par ek ehsaan karna ki mujhpe koi ehsaan na karna.”
Whether it’s Prakash Raj warning Ajay Devgn with his “Aata majhi satakli” or Ajay Devgn’s reply “Jisme hai dam, toh fakta Bajirao Singham,” powerful dialogues such as these are a pivotal element for any film.
Other instant hits were Farhan Akhtar uttering “My boy” and Abhay Deol correcting him with “My buoy” in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara; and Salman Khan asking his co-star never to underestimate “I, me and myself.”
Then there’s Rani Mukerji using cuss words to a fellow passenger in No One Killed Jessica – “Waha hote toh G*** fat kay hath mai aa jati”, and the Punjabi and North Indian flavour woven into the dialogue of Tanu Weds Manu.
The story of Ranbir Kapoor’s Rockstar was summed up by its writer-director Imtiaz Ali in a single dialogue: “Pata hai, yahan se bahut door galat aur sahi ke pare ek maidan hai, wahan milunga main tujhe.”
And this year’s HUGE hit, Agneepath, will always be remembered, not only for the mind-blowing performances by Sanjay Dutt, Hrithik Roshan and Rishi Kapoor, but also for its power-packed dialogue.
So even though a film’s dialogue is something the audience takes back with them at the end of a film, the recognition and remuneration taken home by dialogue writers is an altogether different story. We asked a few dialogue writers how crucial their talent was to a film’s success and whether, they were appreciated monetarily too. Here’s what they had to say
Salim Khan
I would like to quote Alexander Kodak here, “Dialogue in a film should be like a poor man’s telegram.” This quote sums up the importance of dialogue. Film is a visual medium, where you have emotions like laughter, tears, hugs and many others. These emotions can be expressed without words. Whereas a dialogue is a conversation between two people and differs according to the characters and also on the context of the film. As far as remuneration is concerned, it’s not easy to be paid well. When we started our writing career, we weren’t paid a phenomenal amount initially. We had to work hard and prove ourselves with various films before we were in a position to demand more money. Likewise, everyone needs to prove themselves before they can start demanding.
Piyush Mishra
A film’s dialogue can often change the course of its screenplay. Gaps in screenplay are often filled by dialogue. They are always a pitch for the next scene. One needs to be able to write in different languages. For instance, when I was writing the dialogue for Agneepath, all the characters spoke very differently from each other. Rishi Kapoor spoke Urdu while the others spoke a colloquial language. The dialogue of the film enhanced and uplifted the scenes. Dialogue delivery by the actors also plays an important role. Writing a film’s dialogue is not easy. The script, screenplay and all the elements of a film matter. Writing for one film will always be a different experience from writing for the others. When I was writing the period film Chittagong, I had to keep in mind how people spoke then so that I could write it in that way. As for money, I think writers today are respected and paid well.
