6 things I learnt while creating stories for Bollywood and television

By Pragati Deshmukh

By the early 2000s in India, the concept of nuclear families was more widely accepted and young unmarried girls migrating to larger cities to start a career was less frowned upon. I, too, came to Mumbai as a 22-year-old ambitious young woman around the same time.

With a bag of clothes, heart fluttering with excitement and eyes brimming with wonder, I started my first job as a trainee creative assistant and thus began my journey in the world of the entertainment industry. I found my tribe in the form of similar, likeminded immigrants who became friends for life.

Closing in on two decades now, here are some of my biggest learnings and strongest realisations along the way.

It wasn’t what I imagined

Storytelling is a magical realm. As I learned more of the technical aspect and sharpened my soft skills, my passion for each project grew immensely. Creating a show or film for screen is not as simplistic as I had imagined it to be. In those days, access to master classes was limited and everything had a fee unlike the endless possibilities the internet provides us with today. The transition continues with AI now seeking centerstage, slowly but steadily.

A story goes through various stages such as script discussion sessions with the television channel, director’s inputs, casting, costume designing, set designing and finally going on floor for shoot. Post production is as great a mission as the previous stages. It is a lot of hard work, time, effort, sweat and stress.

Show up no matter what

Woody Allen said, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” I truly believe in that and so I didn’t give up no matter the hardship. Along with all that blood and sweat, comes a whole world of creative satisfaction, passion, friends, colleagues, travel and a huge sense of achievement.

The feeling of watching one’s work come to life on screen is hard to describe in words.

During production, we have many disagreements with each other in the team but everyone is in it for the love of the project. The beauty is that the entire team feels a sense of ownership and pride in the outcome. That is the magic of storytelling.

Women are on the move

When I started my career in the entertainment industry, I was relieved to see a lot of women in the field. At the same time, I was not surprised to see the key leadership positions being largely held by men.

I realised very early on that, as a woman, I needed to speak louder in the room if I wanted to be heard. Like many others, I started out asking my questions with, “Just for my knowledge…” This statement screams unsurety but only the women in the room know what it truly means.

The larger question is really, what is gender equality? Equality itself is a grey zone because a lot depends on the talent, skill, background and personality. What is critical is to understand that everyone is entitled to equal opportunities and appreciation or reward.

We are still going through the transition and a lot has changed today. I see women in top leadership positions all around me. There is a lot of acceptance and respect for women’s intellect rather than objectifying us as pretty faces in the room.

It has been a result of ongoing dialogue for the need for change. I would credit the women in the field for that.

When we go on shoot, there are vanity vans and makeup rooms for the cast. For the crew, there are generic toilets. My battle started with demanding separate toilets for women on my set, every day!

Until one day I didn’t need to ask for it, it was right there, labelled and locked with the girls safeguarding the key.

We’re writing our own story

A good story can come from anyone and it is important to have a mix of genders in the room. Creativity comes to everyone in their own way. In recent times, we have seen more women directors and cinematographers shine. We also see more women producers leading the teams, and all-women crews too.

This has happened because women began to stand up for themselves. They found their voice. The evolution of content mediums, from television to films and now OTT, gives us more opportunities to showcase our work. There are many more avenues for content creation these days and talent has begun to shine brighter than gender or any other factor.

Today, content rules!

Take responsibility, own up

One of my biggest learnings has also been that, as content creators and individuals who have the tool of mass communication, we have a great responsibility of what kind of content we put out there. I don’t think everyone understands this as clearly yet.

There are many factors one has to consider. Sometimes we get caught between the business requirement versus the creative compass. Having said that, we have the power of shaping mindsets with our stories and characters. I think that is a very powerful tool and my constant endeavour is to be more mindful and responsible. 

Put thought to word

Thomas Edison said, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” This really holds true in the entertainment industry. If you’re willing to work hard and learn your way, there will always be opportunities and I am grateful for all the opportunities I have received to be able to walk this path.

Storytelling in the visual medium comes naturally to me and I have been trained in the field as well. Every time I listen to a story or think of it, I see it all unfold in my mind.

The initial challenge was to put it on paper in the form of a book, but then I decided to translate what I saw in my mind and describe it.

That is the power of the visual medium and I hope to contribute to shaping a positive society in the form of my stories, visually and on paper!

Pragati Deshmukh is a seasoned media professional with almost 20 years of experience in creating content for film, television and OTT. She is known for Barfi! (2012), Battle of Saragarhi (2017), and Out of Love (2019). Her first novel A Dark and Shiny Place was recently released.