Mere Paas Ba Hai

TELEVISION devotees are transfixed when Ba of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi unleashes yet another spiel on the sacred tulsi plant, drawing a parallel to her virtuous bahu.

But the original hypnotic is seldom seen on screen, except on an anniversary special, featuring everyone from the director to the dialogue writer. And a backscreen peek provides a most interesting revelation: Soap babble of the tugging-at-heartstrings variety, targeted at a strong female audience, is spun by male dialogue writers.

Chat up these men and you realise you8217;re listening to a dialogue sheet even when they8217;re discussing something as banal as their daily routines. 8216;8216;I too have a mother, bhabhi and a sister at home. There8217;s a feminine side to every man just like there8217;s a male dimension to a woman,8217;8217; says Dilip Rawal, former dialogue writer of Kyunki. Currently working on a stage comedy featuring Paresh Rawal, the 28-year-old looks every bit the unassuming Gujju-boy-next door and clearly takes due credit for fuelling the khandvi-dhokla culture on TV. In fact, Rawal boasts of churning out an episode in half an hour! 8216;8216;Writing for strong women-oriented characters brings out the best in me,8217;8217; he enthuses.

Exaggerated emotions, razor-sharp witticisms and high pitch melodrama are big switch-ons for these men. Their affinity for melodrama found its origin in theatre. Kaahin Kissi Roz KKR, with the infamously famous Ramola Sikand, also boasts of a dialogue writer who cut his teeth on stage. Part of the Yatri group that spawned hits like Abhi To Main Jawaan Hoon and Kaal Chakra, Pramod Singh hit boom time in 2001, when he was commissioned to write for KKR.

Dialogue writing, which started as a hobby, soon turned into a full-blown career.

8216;8216;I8217;ve never encountered a character like Ramola in real life, and putting words in her mouth is a real challenge,8217;8217; says Singh, 8216;8216;But sometimes I wonder whether a woman would actually speak the way I write.8221;

And while Rawal dished out Gujarati plays by the dozen, Anand Vardhan, the screenplay and dialogue writer of Kyunki8217;s blood rival Des Mein Nikla Hoga Chand, graduated from the National School of Drama. Vardhan, a veteran, switches over to Bollywood every time he needs a creative outlet.

8216;8216;Bollywood whets my experimental side, keeping it from getting corrupted by the small screen,8217;8217; he says. Seated on the sets of Des Mein at Magnum studio, Vardhan, eminently noticeable in his stetson and flowing beard, speaks about hating Mumbai in his early years.

He began his career as an assistant director to Bharat Rangacharya and wrote screenplays for Bollywood rib-ticklers such as Awaara Pagal Deewana. 8216;8216;When one is trained to perform, it becomes easier to write for an actor because you imagine speaking the same lines,8217;8217; says Vardhan, who usually writes into the wee hours of the morning. But Rawal8217;s theory of seeking inspiration from his female side doesn8217;t hold much water for Rekha Mody. The dialogue writer of three Balaji blockbusters8212; Kyunki, Kkusum and Kasautii, Mody says, 8220;It8217;s important for a woman to be involved with these projects and the characters of these female protagonists are imprinted on my soul.8221;

It8217;s not run-of-the-mill dialoguebaazi that8217;s turned these writers into soap winners. Having written 350 episodes for Balaji8217;s star soap, Rawal was the one who had Daksaben saying 8216;arrarara8217;, a word that became a very popular takia qalam. Incidentally, 8216;arrarara8217; was a word used by Rawal8217;s bua.

Vardhan confesses that he8217;s used an entire sentence spoken by his mother in Des Mein. 8216;8216;I don8217;t remember who spoke the line in the serial, but I clearly recollect showing off a new pair of Italian shoes to my mother who retorted, 8216;Beta, jute to bahut mil jayenge, par chaal chalan theek rahna chahiye,8217; You will find many pairs of shoes, but you will have to tread the right path.8217;8217;

Real life inspiration doesn8217;t end there. Both Singh and Dheeraj Sarnav who took over the dialogues of Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki from the 34th episode see their bhabhis in Shaina and Parvati, respectively. 8216;8216;There8217;s another relative back home who would put Pallavi to shame,8217;8217; confesses Sarnav. Though Jaipur-based Sarnav moved to Mumbai in 8217;95 to don an actor8217;s garb, the soap scribe metamorphosis came naturally. But Sarnav does lap up exciting acting assignments a la Kutumb and Kya Haadsa Kya Haqeeqat frequently. Having to deal with public demands is also part of the job. 8220;Not only did people constantly ask me to reveal the plot, but my bhabhi didn8217;t talk to me for two days after Mihir8217;s death,8217;8217; reveals Rawal.

Mody is also flabbergasted when people ask after Tulsi, Kusum and Parvati even before they greet her. 8216;8216;Anyone I meet is asking me, Bajaj ko Prerna mil jayegi kya?8217;8217; she says.

Mention the magic word ratings and they all turn sheepish. 8216;8216;Everyone waits for the Friday evening or Saturday morning SMS with the weekly TRP rating,8217;8217; says Vardhan. Singh looks at the positive side of falling TRPs and says that it drives the entire KGGK team to go that extra mile. 8216;8216;There8217;s a lot of pressure and excitement on rating day,8217;8217; he adds.

Rawal8217;s reaction is a little more dramatic and he turns eagle-eyed when he says, 8220;Every episode was like a film and though Kyunki was always on the top, we were always tense about maintaining it.8217;8217;

Of course, the crusaders of the soap bubble are all for glycerine and on-screen gushtrionics. 8220;The story has to be larger than life, because no one will spend an hour watching their mundane daily routines,8217;8217; says Rawal. Melodrama is here to stay, says Vardhan. 8216;8216;Mihir may die and come back to life, Daksa can leave, even the dialogue writer can quit, but the story goes on,8217;8217; adds Rawal.