The world has enough noise; we need meaningful stories: Saurabh Shukla
Weighing in on the current landscape of storytelling, Saurabh Shukla laments the shift towards individual narratives over broader communal voices. The actor-filmmaker who was recently in Bengaluru to stage his play Barff, tells us, “There was a time when we had something to say, but today we’ve become hyperindividualistic. Everyone’s writing a rags-to-riches story – it’s all about ‘I was nobody, now I’m somebody.’ That’s fine, but where’s the communal voice? Where’s the concern for the larger world?” “People say, ‘we want great content,’ but are they ready to receive it? I still ask myself, ‘Is this story really worth telling?’ If the answer is yes, I'll go for it. If not, I wait, because the world has enough noise and we need more meaningful stories,” he says. Excerpts: ‘FORMULAS HAVE NEVER WORKED FOR ME’
When it comes to writing for the screen, the filmmaker tells us he trusts in “instincts” over conventional rules. “I started writing because I didn’t want to wait around for someone else to give me a script. People talk about formulas—a song in the first 10 minutes, an action scene in the 30th minute, but that has never worked for me. There’s no fixed rule to write a script, as a writer, I’ve learnt that one must follow their instincts, the structure will emerge organically,” he says.
‘BARFI! REIGNITED MY PASSION FOR ACTING’
Recalling a challenging phase in his career, he says, “After Satya, I wasn’t getting the kind of roles that made me proud. I was even telling people not to approach me — I’d say, ‘I’m not an actor, I’m a writer’,” he says. But that changed with Anurag Basu’s Barfi, which also featured Ranbir Kapoor . “Barfi! reignited my passion for acting. Ranbir (Kapoor) had an amazing energy and joy for the craft. We instantly clicked, and I’d wake up every day looking forward to being on that set. It brought me back to acting — and I started seeing acting as an art form, and it gave me a sense of satisfaction.”
‘SPONTANEITY GAVE BANDIT QUEEN ITS REALISM’
Drawing a parallel between Barfi! and Bandit Queen, which was his debut film, he says, “I feel Shekar and Anurag are very similar as directors. During Bandit Queen, Shekhar Kapur didn’t even give us a written script; he’d just brief us on the scene’s core idea and say, ‘Roll camera’, that kind of spontaneity gave the film its realism. Working on Barfi! with Anurag (Basu), I experienced that same collaborative spirit; he allowed us room to improvise while shooting."
‘Your life experiences often reflect in your performance’
On playing the same characters across the Jolly LLB and Raid franchises, Saurabh explains, “Even if it’s the same character, you’re never really playing them the same way. I was a different person when I did Jolly LLB 1 than I was in Jolly LLB 2. Your life experiences change you, and that change reflects in your performance — even if the audience doesn’t consciously notice it. It’s not about giving the character a new twist, like suddenly turning the judge into a gangster; it’s in the subtle nuances. That’s what keeps you and the audience interested.”
When it comes to writing for the screen, the filmmaker tells us he trusts in “instincts” over conventional rules. “I started writing because I didn’t want to wait around for someone else to give me a script. People talk about formulas—a song in the first 10 minutes, an action scene in the 30th minute, but that has never worked for me. There’s no fixed rule to write a script, as a writer, I’ve learnt that one must follow their instincts, the structure will emerge organically,” he says.
Recalling a challenging phase in his career, he says, “After Satya, I wasn’t getting the kind of roles that made me proud. I was even telling people not to approach me — I’d say, ‘I’m not an actor, I’m a writer’,” he says. But that changed with Anurag Basu’s Barfi, which also featured Ranbir Kapoor . “Barfi! reignited my passion for acting. Ranbir (Kapoor) had an amazing energy and joy for the craft. We instantly clicked, and I’d wake up every day looking forward to being on that set. It brought me back to acting — and I started seeing acting as an art form, and it gave me a sense of satisfaction.”
Drawing a parallel between Barfi! and Bandit Queen, which was his debut film, he says, “I feel Shekar and Anurag are very similar as directors. During Bandit Queen, Shekhar Kapur didn’t even give us a written script; he’d just brief us on the scene’s core idea and say, ‘Roll camera’, that kind of spontaneity gave the film its realism. Working on Barfi! with Anurag (Basu), I experienced that same collaborative spirit; he allowed us room to improvise while shooting."
‘Your life experiences often reflect in your performance’
On playing the same characters across the Jolly LLB and Raid franchises, Saurabh explains, “Even if it’s the same character, you’re never really playing them the same way. I was a different person when I did Jolly LLB 1 than I was in Jolly LLB 2. Your life experiences change you, and that change reflects in your performance — even if the audience doesn’t consciously notice it. It’s not about giving the character a new twist, like suddenly turning the judge into a gangster; it’s in the subtle nuances. That’s what keeps you and the audience interested.”
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