Influenced by Manoj Bajpayee’s approach to the role, the writer of the hit series, and how a writing team works in films these days
If you laughed, cried and cut your nails while watching Raj and DK family man, Some credit goes to writer Suman Kumar.
Read also | Get ‘First Day First Show’ our weekly newsletter from the world of cinema delivered to your inbox. You can subscribe here for free
Suman, a resident of Bangalore, was born in Chennai and brought up in Andhra. Suman, who started out as a software professional, says, “I moved here in 2004 and made it my home. “I felt a complete misfit in the industry.”
Suman and DK studied together in high school. “We used to write stories as teenagers.” Suman quit her job to become a full-time writer, which she says was always her passion. “In those days, you either became an engineer or a doctor and I did B.Com to satisfy my parents.”
how to proceed
His stint as a copywriter did not bring any joy to Suman. “I was never satisfied with writing to sell someone else’s product. That’s when I decided to write a book.”
colored half-pants was published in 2016. “Ironically, when I sat down to write, I realized how sick I was to write anything at all! So before the book, I wrote a blog and stood up. I found that I was getting better everyday. Writing escaped being a cubicle slave. There’s nothing wrong with a corporate job, just the rat race didn’t make sense to me because I’m not a rat. I didn’t understand corporate designations and protocol. When a former boss said That I had no communication skills, so I decided to get out of that well and dive into writing.
one for all
By 2016 Suman was already collaborating extensively with Raj and DK “We started scripting together and I learned how to create a narrative and a character that connected with the audience at work. Then family man Happened. It was new for the three of us as we were watching a 10-part series with 45-minute episodes. It was a challenge and we had to write it in such a way that the audience would return for the next episode. “
equitable distribution
Suman says she didn’t feel it when the actor walked away with praise. “Writers, DOPs and editors fall under the B-to-B category – business to business. Actors are in the B-to-C (business-to-consumer) category. They are the ones who bring the character to life and make it consumer present before.”
Suman says that cinema is teamwork and not a solitary activity like writing. “It involves a group of creative people, each bringing their own expertise to the table. The actors bring in their own approach to writing. I was overwhelmed with the attitude towards Manoj Bajpayee’s role. He is an institution and has taken the role to another level by bringing in his expertise. Same with Samantha. None of us had seen him perform such an intense role, nor have we seen him perform his own stunts.”
the basics
Suman says that writing is the foundation of anything. “Everything starts on paper.” On how much she gets herself into the characters she creates, Suman says, “It is impossible not to delve even a little bit into your writing. No matter how careful you are, you end up giving each character a little bit of their own. This can happen subconsciously, but consciously, I don’t want to impose myself on my reader or audience, as I know me. “
Suman says that a writer’s fundamental pursuit is to find an interesting character.
“A writer has to keep his eyes and ears open and constantly absorb everything that happens around him. When you say you are a writer, people envision the act of writing. In fact, that’s the last thing you do. You start with the characters, ideas, narratives, and structure of the story. Writing happens only after we have all this. Sometimes you think of an idea even in a dream. The process of creation is continuous. I spend about six to seven hours a day doing physical writing.”
Season 3 family man According to Suman, it could be in the Northeast. “Our country is so rich and diverse, there is so much to explore. India is a country with a different world and OTT provides a platform to explore regions, cultures and peoples.”
Suman says cinema keeps on evolving. “Now it’s all about binge watching. That’s an evolution in itself and cinema has broken from the shackles of the big screen to become device independent. You have to be good enough to break the visual clutter. That’s the biggest challenge.” Because there are so many players here today. That’s good, because it’s a golden age for content.”
.