Scriptwriting was not accorded too much importance in Mumbai film industry, and it was remarked in a lighter vein that anyone ‘ who can write a postcard, can write a script.’ However, script is the creative force behind a movie. The rest of the movie is derived from the script. We make 850-900 films each year, as compared to 180-200 films by Hollywood. It was only in 2004 that the first scriptwriting course was launched at FTII, Pune. It was of one-year duration. The students were trained by Anjum Rajabali who now teaches at Whistling Woods International, Mumbai which is started by Subhash Ghai as the media and film school. It has been experienced now that despite the good star cast and high production values, films do flop if they are not backed by a good script. Most of the films here have poor scripts. Mumbai industry puts a premium on dialogues and out-of-context story-line. Very few films can rise above the script. Scriptwriters were given a marginal role traditionally, and were hired after the shooting started.The films were made according to a set formula. The scriptwriting was considered superfluous. There was a tendency to adapt mythologicals interspesed with suitable dialogues. A screenplay is a precise craft and a narrative format. That was never followed. On the contrary, a short story was made into a film by inserting dialogues. India adopted the European school of thought that held the director the real author of the film, rather than the scriptwriter. The pioneering course on scriptwriting at FTTI, Pune was discontinued in 1972.

Abroad, scriptwriting was cultivated as a special craft with a narrative format. The script was put into the hands of the director. Leading scriptwriters of Hollywood can command a fee of at least $ 1 million (RS 4 crore) per script,compared with the Rs 15-25 lac per script in Mumbai film industry. It is just a fraction of what the leading man and woman get by way of their fees. In Hollywood scriptwriters are honoured by prestigious awards and are given due credit and publicity.

Regional cinema in India has accorded mere respects to the scriptwriting. TV scriptwriters also face similar challenges but have far larger choices for writing. That multiplies their income.

The Film Writers Assocition of India is being revitalised. It is a 60 year old body. Professionalisation is slowly creeping in. AtWhistling Woods, all students take classes in scriptwriting, regardless of their specialisation. They also plan to launch short-term courses on scriptwriting for writers.

Teaching scriptwriting does not require an elaborate infrastructure. It requires just pen, paper and a place to sit. It is very cost-effective.