It seems a strange paradox but even the top-of-the-shelf world leaders, senior statesmen, spokespersons, media and corporate honchos, orators, performers, actors and stand-up comedians can hardly be credited with the magnificently powerful, moving or funny lines they speak with such conviction – for like all successful people, great writers are behind them !
The inaugural speech so eloquently delivered by US President Kennedy and the immortal lines ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, ask..’ had it’s chief architect in his long time aide, Ted Sorensen ! It’s no secret that leaders often speak words they themselves did not write but what works is the speech-writer’s adeptness in sync with their grand vision and style which must move human multitudes with impact and power.
Feature films, sitcoms, television dramas, radio plays, cartoons, TV ads get their life and soul from their scriptwriters who are the incredibly talented people who write the storylines creating fascinating characters, crafting dialogues and writing an engaging plot. Essentially, these creative dynamos form something which acts as the framework on which a director or film-maker can map their art and creative vision.
What about the puns, jokes and wise-cracks that the stand-up comedians endlessly deliver with punch-lines that nail them – well there are a team of gag-writers out there creating them. The world is a crazy place and there is humor in near everything. No matter how serious the subject, there’s the lighter side, writers seize the humor and wrap it up into jokes.
What is it that makes a writer or artist tick even if he remains consigned to the background – possibly the creative satisfaction of the blossoming of a beautiful idea, thought or dream that gets transformed into a work of art on canvas or celluloid.
When the then super-star hero, Rajesh Khanna poignantly declares to Amitabh Bachan ‘ Babumoshai, zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahi ..’ in the classic 70s film ‘Anand’, it was actually the writer Gulzar, who wrote the immortal lines ! For that and many beautiful verses, dialogues and stories he continues to create in his long and illustrious career, he remains few of that golden era where verses and words would have so much depth and yet be so lyrically exquisite !
‘Naam gum jayega, chehra yeh badal jayega, meri awaaz hi pehchaan hai, gar yaad rahe..’
Working on Living 