“The very first draft of Sitaare Zameen Par was approved by Aamir Khan sir and Prasanna RS sir” – Divy Nidhi Sharma

As a writer, Divy Nidhi Sharma straddles across different mediums. And, he does that quite smoothly. Apart from writing ‘Anupamaa’, one of the most successful shows to have been churned out by the television industry in the recent times, Divy has also penned the dialogues for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Netflix series ‘Heeramandi’. Divy’s film credits are equally impressive. After being one of the writers on Aamir Khan Productions’ ‘Laapataa Ladies’, one of the most celebrated films of the last year, Divy is now credited with the screenplay and dialogues of ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’, a film which marks the return of Aamir Khan to the big screen after a gap of three years. The film, which revolves around a basketball coach training a team of special players suffering from down’s syndrome, releases in theatres today.

In this interview, Divy talks about the process of writing ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’, collaborating with Aamir Khan, director Prasanna RS’ empathy, working across different mediums, upcoming projects and more.

How many drafts did you write before arriving at the one which was finalized by producer Aamir Khan and director Prasanna RS?

Just one! (laughs) Most people get very surprised when they get to know this. I do most of my writing work alone. I worked on the script for a month. Once the draft was ready, I shared it with Prasanna sir. He really liked it. Then, we narrated it to Aamir sir. He also approved of it. Just a word or two were changed here and there. The very first draft was approved by Aamir sir and Prasanna sir. There was no other draft. They decided to stick to the very draft I presented them. In our industry, the first draft of a script getting approved is a rare phenomenon. Maybe, it happened because of some divine intervention.

You make it sound very simple.

It actually is! Writing is a very simple job. Sometimes, we complicate things in our head. I am always open to feedback. If you get some suggestions, you should go back to the drawing board and have a look at certain things again. There is no point in getting stressed or anxious. At times, like what happened with ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’, the first draft itself gets approved. Why fix something which is not broken?

If we go by the trailer, the dialogues seem to be one of the highlights of the film.

I got a lot of positive feedback on the dialogues after the trailer came out. I really hope they like all the scenes and the dialogues when they see the film. In today’s times, it is very rare to come across a family film. ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’ is a film for all ages. It is the kind of film you can watch with your entire family. If it does well, many such films, hopefully, will get made.

There is a point in the trailer where we see Aamir being called a ‘tingu’, a slang for a short-heighted person. It is nice to see a big star like him being a sport.

In the film, Aamir sir plays a basketball coach who is short-heighted. When you think of a basketball coach, you don’t think of Aamir sir. However, when you see the film, you will be able to relate to him. Gulshan, the character he plays in the film, is somebody who wanted to be a professional basketball player but could not become one because of his height. His love for the sport leads him towards becoming a coach. Aamir sir was gracious enough to take a dig at himself. He never asked us to change anything in that scene.

This is your second project with Aamir Khan Productions after ‘Laapataa Ladies’. This is the first time you have collaborated with Prasanna. How was the experience of working with him?

All of us know what Aamir sir brings to the table as an actor. However, one must also talk about the brilliant producer he is. ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’ is a difficult film to produce. The film features ten special people as lead characters. They are from different parts of the country. They stayed in Mumbai and trained for months in different things including basketball and theatre. Aamir sir was extremely sensitive as a producer. He also ensured everybody in the production team operated on that level of sensitivity. From catering to their special requirements to understanding their emotions, everything was taken care of. It’s also incredible to see the way he mounted this film. Some other producer might have made a small, niche film on this subject. However, Aamir sir could see that a commercial entertainer, filled with comedy and emotions, could be made on this subject.

Did you get a chance to interact with the special actors on the film?

Yes! I was there on the shoot. Being a part of the shoot of this particular film was not just career-defining but a life-defining moment for me. There was purity all around because of these special people and that left me overwhelmed. Sometimes, I would get teary eyed simply because of being in the vicinity of these pure souls. The film is about basketball. So, other team also has special actors. On some days, there would be 20-22 special people on the sets. Their presence made the shoot very special.

You have also written the screenplay and dialogues for ‘Nakhrewaalii’, a film that has been jointly produced by Aanand L Rai and Jio Studios.

The film conveys a very important message. I hope it is received well. Rahul Shanklya is an incredible director. Aanand sir has backed the film to the best of his abilities. The film has two promising young actors, Ansh Duggal and Pragati Srivastava. The film should release in the theatres soon. I also have a show coming up soon on Disney+Hotstar. I have written and created the show. Divya Dutta plays the lead role in it. Sashant Shah has directed it.  

In the past, one has seen you recite poetry on stage. Is there a plan to come up with a book on poetry in the near future?

Yes, a book featuring my poems should come out soon. I have also been doing solo shows where I recite poetry and narrate stories.

Last year was quite fruitful for you. While ‘Laapataa Ladies’ received a lot of accolades and was sent for the Oscars, Nikkhil Advani’s ‘Freedom At Midnight’ was received very well. The series had six writers. You were given the responsibility of writing the dialogues. How was the experience of being a part of the writers’ room?

I was not a part of the writers’ room. Nikkhil sir and the rest of the five writers were involved in it from an early stage. They worked towards adapting the book for the screen. All of them worked on the screenplay. I was brought on board at a later stage to write the dialogues. They want proper Hindustani dialogues and believed I would be the right person for it.

The show had some memorable dialogues including the line, “bapu kameez nahin pehente hain but he always has an ace up his sleeve”.

Thank you! It is also one of my favourite lines from the film.

How was the experience of working with Nikkhil Advani?

It was wonderful! He is a workaholic and extremely punctual. He does multiple things at the same time and manages to do everything well. He was working on ‘Freedom at Midnight’ and ‘Vedaa’ almost at the same time. His clarity of thought and the speed at which he makes decisions is extremely inspiring.

‘Laapataa Ladies’ was India’s official entry to the Oscars this year.

It was a local film with global appeal. While it worked very well with the Indian audience, it also struck a chord with people based in other countries. It was a very important film. Even if I was not a part of the film, I would have felt extremely happy about all the love it received globally.

You have been a poet and wrote the song ‘Doubtwa’ for ‘Laapataa Ladies’. Do you plan to do more work as a lyricist in the future?

Yes! In the past, I have written the title tracks and songs used in different TV shows. I have written all the songs for the Disney+Hotstar series which I have worked on. I hope to write more songs for films as well.

You are working as a writer on films, TV shows and web. Does it get challenging at times?

The challenge lies in managing time. I enjoy the process of writing. Therefore, even if I am working on multiple projects across different mediums at the same time, I don’t get exhausted.