"I feel lucky that I have written all kinds of shows" : Sharad Chandra

Sharad Chandra Tripathi who started off his career as a writer with Balaji shows is now doing an excellent job in writing for various television shows.

The renowned writer has recently written Mrs. Pammi Pyarelal and now writing for Fear Files, Haunted Nights etc. He has also got one more show in the pipeline which is the upcoming show Khauff on Life OK. Sharad has been busy writing films for Pogo channel too.

Here's Sharad sharing about his early life and journey with us...

Tell us something about yourself?

I hail from Kanpur and did my schooling from there only. My father wanted me to become a doctor, an IAS officer or an engineer. I did my MBBS but I was very fond of writing since my childhood days only.

I used to write plays, direct and act in them without letting my parents know about it. I used to write and submit my poetries in the newspapers and magazines. I came to know about a Balaji talent hunt, so I took part in it and I got selected. I went against the will of my father and came to Mumbai. Leaving my home was difficult for me but after I landed in Mumbai, it has been a smooth ride for me. Balaji gave us all the facilities and we were nurtured well. The talent hunt was going on and the eliminations started happening after two months which will either fire us or retain us. I went ahead and got an opportunity to work with Balaji and I worked there for 4 years, from the year 2005-2009. I left Balaji in 2009 and later worked with many production houses as a freelance writer. I have written for more than 60 to 65 shows and have worked for 18-20 hours a day for regional DD channel to GEC's (General Entertainment Channels).

At the start of this year I thought of writing lyrics and poetries. Recently, I have written lyrics for the shows Veera and Junoon - Aisi Nafrat, toh Kaisa Ishq and before that I have written lyrics for the shows Tere Mere Sapne and Jaane Pehchaane Se Yeh Ajnabbi. I have even written an anthem for the Indian Military Para force. I also became a member of the executive committee of the Film Writer's Association.

I feel good to share a chair with writers like Kamlesh Pandey, Zoya Akhtar, Rema Kakri, Vinay Shukla etc. Recently I have recited my poetries in Neela Telefilms' Waah Waah Kya Baat Hai and have also done a stage show in Jammu with popular comedian Kapil Sharma and singer Sunidhi Chauhan.

In future, I will be doing stage shows in colleges where I will be reciting my poetries which will be written for the today's generation.

Tell us about your journey as a writer in the industry?

I started my career as a screenplay writer with Balaji. I never had any idea about writing nor have I taken any training from any mass communication institute. I had the passion of writing even if I did not have any idea about writing. I had the story-telling ability and had a good command over language.

Initially, I shifted into dialogue writing and Dheeraj Channa trained me for being a dialogue writer; he is my guru. I got to learn a lot from him and I have worked under him as a trainee writer.

I did many Balaji shows as an in-house writer. Ekta Ma'am used to narrate us scene wise which we used to use in our writings so we didn't have confidence that much. I wrote the show Durgesh Nandinii for Shobhna Desai Productions and this was the first outside show which I wrote despite being a Balaji writer. I got the confidence while writing that show because I wrote it on my own. I left Balaji and things started happening with people's belief in me for which I am thankful for. I had to train myself for shows like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi... which used to have heavy dialogues. Then after writing shows like Kyunki, Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki and Kasautii Zindagii Kay, I recently wrote Pammi which was a comedy genre and talks about today's generation.

I feel lucky that I have written all kinds of shows - from Balaji's hardcore daily soaps to love stories to comedy shows like Pammi and now I am writing horror shows like Fear Files and Haunted Nights and also writing two films for children for Pogo channel. Writing was a challenge for me every day. I want to do something different and write chart busting shows like Diya Aur Baati Hum, Veera or Saath Nibhana Saathiya.

My journey has been remarkable from Balaji days till now as I have got to learn a lot and enjoyed that too which makes me smile always. My enthusiasm has always been high with the passage of time and it will always continue to be.

Was becoming a writer on your mind since your childhood days?

I won't say that I have thought of becoming a writer but my interest level was into writing. My language teachers used to be very happy with me always and I used to score highest marks in these subjects. My answers were always different which teachers used to enjoy reading. I used to do well in essay and debate competitions.

I wanted to become a director. Prominent story writer Ved Raj Shrivastava recruited me and I told  him that I want to be a director but he advised me to become a writer which will make me gain much more knowledge about the characters; and I will become a good creator which will make me become a good director then. I followed his words and focused on my writing skills and thankfully all is well so far. Now, I am working on my own short film which I will be directing; it will be ready soon.

What kind of struggles have you faced so far?

Touchwood...I have not struggled so far. Everybody has struggled in some ways being in Mumbai. I won't call it struggle rather I would call it a routine which everyone has to follow. It's a process through which everyone has to go. I will always be thankful to Balaji who gave me this platform. The main struggle is that to become a face in the crowd and to prove myself always; this is the struggle which I am facing right now. Otherwise, it has been a smooth ride till now.

Tell us about your achievement as a writer?

It's a big achievement for me to write 60+ shows till now. I came with one big aspiration in Mumbai and now I have improved my financial condition now. My dad wanted me to become a doctor so it was quite shocking and sad for him to know about my decision. He didn't even speak to me for 5 years and when he saw me doing well and getting nominations for awards then he realized my profession and said that whatever I have done is a decent work and I have done it on my own. This was my biggest achievement to know that my father finally accepted my profession. Now, when he listens to my poetry and likes them, he then proudly tells others that I am writer.

My brother became a doctor and then an IAS officer so my family has lots of expectations from me but I chose a different path. Things went well according to my wish and it's all good so far. I have joined FWA to motivate others to become writers and my love for writing is growing as each day passes by. So, the acceptance of me as a writer by my father is a biggest achievement for me.

What has been the biggest challenge for you?

I wanted to see my own show Humare Mantu Bhaiya Ki Darling running on TV. I have given 8 months for this show and lived with it. It's a Kanpur based show so I have interacted with the people of Kanpur and observed them properly. I wish to see my show running on TV or as a movie. This is the biggest challenge for me.

Tell us something about your stage shows?

I do very modern and contemporary poetries. I can't do big talks on any topic; I can't talk on National Economy. Being a romantic person, I can talk about love and romance. India has the capability to become a superpower because the percentage of youth is more here. Youngsters are my target audience for the poetries written by me. I interact with the youth and then write poetries for them. I go to the colleges to present my poetries in an interesting way.

What are your future plans?

I will be directing my short films very soon which is in the final stage. I want to see my own show running on TV. I am open for doing films as I have my own ideas. I will have to struggle from next year, when I will be meeting different producers with my scripts for movies. I will keep writing my poetries and stage shows and I have some plans through which people will get to know about poets too.

Message that you would like to give to the aspirant writers?

One should have a self-belief and follow his/her visions for writing. Enter this field without thinking too much if you have a passion for writing. Always pen down your thoughts wherever you are! It's very important because small things lead towards making of a big story. Never think of getting settled in something small; always think big and never put yourself into limit that you can write nothing beyond this. Hard work, enthusiasm and passion are the important ingredients for becoming successful in every field.

Anwesha Kamal

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