Two too much

For Faisal,it was the “trust” that Sharma showed in him,that made him agree to write for this film,even though he is busy with his next directorial venture Ishaqzaade. “Maneesh went into pre-production even before I started writing the dialogues. He told me that he was sure that I would do full justice to the story. I was overwhelmed,” admits Faisal.

Sharma and Faisal may have worked closely for almost two years now,but they first met each other when both worked with NDTV. Faisal was the Director of Photography for NDTV-produced serial Ji Mantriji and,as Faisal puts it,“A much-younger Maneesh was generally fooling around in my opinion,and trying to find the correct vocation.” Sharma,the assistant to the art director of the same serial then,considered Faisal a very dominating,aggressive professional. So,both kept their conversation with each other minimal.

After the show,Sharma went to the US to pursue film studies,while Faisal gradually shifted his focus to writing. It was at the Yash Raj Films premises in Andheri,Mumbai,that the two met again — Faisal was writing Jhoom Barabar Jhoom for Shaad Ali and Sharma was an assistant director on Aaja Nachle. Sharma reminisces,“I was walking into YRF premises,and I saw Habib chatting with Shaad. He was a changed person — calm and composed,and I was in a state of shock,” laughs Sharma. During the course of their stint at YRF,he read a couple of screenplays written by Faisal and was convinced of his writing abilities.

While most may believe that the director is the captain of the ship,Sharma is clear that a good writer is as important. “A good screenplay and dialogues can be handled by an average director but a bad story cannot be resurrected even by a good director,” reasons Sharma. Faisal is humbled by the thought,but gives credit to Sharma where it is due. “It’s unheard of in Bollywood for a writer to go on recce before the shoot. But Maneesh took me along to Delhi for Band Baaja Baaraat and Goa for Ricky Bahl so that there were no discrepancies between writing and execution,” says Faisal.

For Faisal,Band Baaja Baaraat was easier to write because he thought of it as an extension of his characters in Do Dooni Chaar. “I took the thread forward and thought what if Mrs Duggal’s daughter was to fall in love. How would it be?” Fortunately for Sharma,the process worked. But with Ricky Bahl,both are treading on a more urban territory. “I have never lived in Goa,so whatever I do with this film is strictly cinematic,” confesses Sharma. Faisal,however,believes that rooted vision and real people are Sharma’s strength and with this,he cannot go wrong.