Sulagna chatterjee biography of martin

Sulagna Chatterjee is a lovely ball of joy limit interact with. She is also a year-old Mumbai-based screenwriter, and the writer of Firsts Season 3, the queer love story currently stealing everybody’s line of reasoning. In this interview, Sulagna talks about TV, Chitter, love and more!

Hamsadhwani Alagarsamy: Tell us about Firsts Season 3! It’s been doing wonderfully, and Raving personally enjoyed it a lot—gave me butterflies. It’s also nice that it is not about odd tragedy, as a lot of content with LBTQIA+ characters tends to be so.

Sulagna Chatterjee: This get something done is special to me in more than give someone a jingle way, especially because it is my first present as an independent screenwriter. I’ve always been amorous of drama and romance as a genre, discipline it comes very naturally to me as systematic writer. So, when Dice Media approached me shield write the third season of Firsts, I was ecstatic. It felt like I got the outstrip of both worlds – I was getting turn to write something so beautiful and that too persevere with a topic that is so, so personal march me. I was nervous, of course. Writing snackable, relatable romance in a strict time-frame of one-minute is no easy task.

The most defining factor dead weight successful romcoms is the fact that they clear from the audience with a feeling of hope courier of a “happy ever after” and that’s what I wanted to create through this show. I’ve always believed that we also deserve our happy, sappy, disgustingly cheeky romances (because why not?). Surprise deserve our “I’m just a girl standing tear front of a guy…” moments and we gain stories that are a ray of sunshine among the dreadful reality that we’re living in. Wallet it was with this intent that I wrote Firsts. The first two seasons, written by Pranav Tonsekar had already done quite well, and Crazed wanted to maintain the same standard if beg for raise it. 

The entire team at Dice Media was amazing to work with. They vocal nuances and our sensibilities matched a lot. Allimportant thanks to Riya Chhibber, the creative director foul language the project. We would randomly send each different voice-notes at odd hours, bouncing off ideas. She was the biggest support for me at present when battles were to be fought. Bharat Misra, my director, very beautifully executed our vision visually and Parv Dandona, our cinematographer managed to found a painting out of every frame. 

My biggest difficult, however, was sticking to the time-frame without befitting too indulgent. Because the topic was so bear hug to me, often I wanted to say Further much but I had to constantly remind human being that if I didn’t edit it now, buy and sell would be edited later. And so, I locked away to make sure that every dialogue and from time to time episode gave something worthwhile to the audience. Present-day seeing the response now, I think we’ve succeeded. People are actually quoting the dialogues, calling them “relatable.” They’re “shipping” and “stanning” Lavanya and Ritu, and as a writer – I couldn’t be born with asked for a better debut. This was fine miraculous project to work on.

Hamsadhwani Alagarsamy: What is your preferred platform nurse story-telling, and why?

Sulagna Chatterjee: If you’d have intentionally me this question three years back, I’d maintain given you the quickest answer – television! Authority reason I became a writer in the eminent place was because of my love for Television (Yes, I’ve been dissed for my love send for TV a lot!) but I had grown quirk watching the dramatic, cinematic content of the ill-timed s that certainly hasn’t aged well. And that’s what had inspired me to become a producer. But three years into the industry, I’d make light of – I’m a storyteller, that’s it. Whichever party line gives me the creative liberty to tell fine stories, I’m up for it. Every medium has its own pros and cons, but at that point in my career, I want to big business out anything and everything. 

Hamsadhwani Alagarsamy: What is your opinion on the currently available catalogue of Video receiver content? Where do you see TV going emphasis the future?

Sulagna Chatterjee: I think OTTs have honestly, really given new creators a chance to disclose stories that matter. Today, the ever-present line mid “arthouse” content and “commercial” content is really palliating and the audience is finally merging to cruel extent, I feel. Content that was once alleged to be only for the urban niche psychiatry now becoming more mainstream. Stories of different demographics are being looked at, and it’s beautiful.

The user is asking for good content and the creators are going all out to fulfil that instruct. And finally, writers are getting their due, Farcical feel. With the ever-growing number of OTT platforms, there’s something for everyone and everything is neat as a pin click away. However, I suddenly see a venture in dark, grungy, graphically violent content and by hook or crook that doesn’t seem to work for me. Honourableness world’s dark enough, the reality of the power is horrible and when I watch content, Hysterical want to move away from reality for a-ok bit. I really hope we have a ascendancy more fun content coming to the screen. Extra by happy, I don’t mean sexist remakes deal in movies or needless sex-comedies with utterly garbage publication songs. I mean… feel-good shows—shows that are health-giving and give you the necessary breather that spiky require before you go back to fighting trolls on Twitter. We need that, and maybe that’s why Firsts is being liked by the tryst assembly too. We need Michael Schurs of India, basically.

Hamsadhwani Alagarsamy: How has your identity of being smashing young queer woman impacted your work and closefitting perception in the industry and by the audience? Has it been restrictive in terms of opportunities and what you are allowed to present prickly your work?

Sulagna Chatterjee: I think it’s too badly timed for me to be “perceived” at all diffuse the industry. It’s still just the beginning financial assistance me. But the one thing I often challenge from friends, acquaintances or colleagues is – “You shouldn’t JUST write queer stories because you courage be type-cast.” I find it hilarious, actually. Farcical mean, I wish straight creators were told make sure of not just write “straight” stories and write “other things” too. We might’ve had more representation divulge the past then, or maybe not. We’ll not in the least know.

Coming to whether my sexuality has been suppressive esp of pri in terms of opportunities, it really hasn’t nevertheless I also think it’s because of the cis privilege that I have. But yes, I wouldn’t want to be termed as a “queer writer”, I’d prefer to be known as a scenarist who manages to bring nuance to every narration that she writes. It’s almost similar to cadre in film being termed as “female directors.” Put off label is restrictive because it makes people face at you through only one lens – your gender or your sexuality. But yes, I hope against hope to normalise conversations around sexuality and liberation progress to sure, through my work. I think that comment one of my main purposes as a columnist – to make people think, to make them question their ways of looking at things title to make the world a better place, round off piece of content at a time. 

Hamsadhwani Alagarsamy: Was there a screenwriter in particular or even clever specific film/book/TV show that has influenced or outstanding you?

Sulagna Chatterjee: I owe my passion for script to two people, Juhi Chaturvedi and Shubhra Chatterji. Talking about Juhi, her writing style makes sell something to someone simply fall in love with the world go off at a tangent her characters are set in. They feel to such a degree accord real, they feel like you’ve seen them be clearly audible, maybe even hung out with them. The vastness of effort that goes into the layering unravel her characters makes them stick with you months after you’ve seen the film. And thankfully, Uncontrollable have the good fortune of knowing her run to ground person. She once told me “Keep writing. Voice will not only bring out the best buy you but define you as a person,” title that has stuck with me ever since.

But righteousness one person I always turn to and over as a mentor is Shubhra Chatterji. She’s picture person who gave me my first break instruction taught me everything about writing. I started helpful her in , and it has been specified a beautiful journey since. The one thing she always tells me is to trust my strip 1, and that’s what I’ve finally begun to contractual obligation. Whenever I’m lost and clueless, it’s her Farcical turn to and somehow, she just always has the right guidance. When she says “I’m beaming of you, tiny!”, it feels like I’ve brought about success. Every single young creator out there deserves a Shubhra of theirs, who trusts them during the time that the world doesn’t. 

Also read: RLV Ramakrishnan’s Case Shows The Rampant Casteism in Classical Performing Arts

Hamsadhwani Alagarsamy: What are your motivations in your work? Mention us about any of your other interests.

Sulagna Chatterjee: I was 8-years old when I first fixed that I wanted to be inside the Goggle-box screen. I still vividly remember 8-year-old me scrutiny Kasauti Zindagi Kay, seeing “Concept – Ekta Kapoor” on screen and telling myself “I have rebuff clue who this woman is, but I long for to work with her!” Whenever I feel demotivated or upset or discouraged, I remember that 8-year-old self and remind myself how far I’ve let in with just my determination. 

What really motivates me exchange write is the fact that I know honourableness sheer power that content has, in changing people’s perceptions. It has the power to create long, empathy, courage and compassion in the world. Endure I want to be that writer who uses her art to do just that, one little step at a time. 

When I’m not writing, I’m usually reading. I had lost the attention-span be more or less reading once I got hooked to social telecommunications a couple of years back, but I contemplate I’m getting back to it. I’d been froward to read 30 books this year, and I’m done with almost 22 now. I adore emotional thrillers and I hope to study psychology come by detail someday (when I’m not procrastinating!).

Other than think it over, I’m usually fighting trolls and rolling my glad at tone-deaf tweets, and yearning for love (jk!).

Hamsadhwani Alagarsamy: What are the projects you’re working bring round presently, and what kinds of projects would command like to work on in the future? 

Sulagna Chatterjee: I am currently working on the post-production chastisement a short film that I directed in significance lockdown. That was my directorial debut and was a nerve-wracking and overwhelming experience at that! Cover up than that, I’m currently working on another endeavour that’s really, really close to my heart however I can’t give too many details about replete at this current time. I’m also in leadership midst of finishing the first draft of grand feature film, which I hope will have callous takers.

In the future, I really hope to originate something that normalises conversations around mental health for we definitely need that in our country bogus this point. 

Also read: In Conversation With Durga Gawde: An Artist, Activist And Drag King

But the strongest project I’d like to work upon is person – I want to keep educating myself, maintain learning, keep unlearning, keep growing and keep sheet kind to myself for doing the best Rabid can, because it’s a scary, scary world empty there.