Exclusive: Rohan Shankar on Mohit Suris Feedback for Saiyaaras Dialogues: Dont Go Filmy…

During an exclusive conversation with Filmfare, Rohan told us, “One of the best things about Mohit Suri is that he will trust you. He had seen my work before. He knew what I could bring to the table. He trusts you and lets you flow. He gives you freedom and believes in your talent. He gives you respect. I could put my points across. He trusted me when I told him I believe in certain dialogues in the film.”

Highlighting the collaborative nature of the makers, Rohan shared how the film evolved from its initial idea to the final screenplay. “He (Mohit Suri) takes everyone along with him in the journey. So, I had listened to the idea from him. Then I had read the screenplay written by Sankalp Sadanah. The first thing I had told Mohit after reading the screenplay was that there is a lot of scope in the scenes. I had become very selfish. Honestly, I had never done a love story before. Also, there was much scope because there were only two very important characters in the movie. There were parents, friends and other good characters as well. But the scenes revolved mostly around the two main leads. The challenge was in making the love story feel different. But the process of doing so was quite enjoyable,” he revealed.

He further elaborated on how Suri’s experience in the genre guided the tone of the dialogues. “The director also had much. He has been making movies in this genre for 20 years. He knew what would work. He told me, ‘Don’t go filmy.’ The emotions were very real, so there was no need to go filmy. Saiyaara is like a conversation. So, I wrote it as a conversation,” the writer added.

Rohan also spoke about writing dialogues tailored for the film’s lead characters, played by Aneet Padda and Ahaan Panday. He added, “Aneet’s character was a writer and a poet. So Aneet’s lines were a little poetic. Ahaan’s character was a smart guy, alongside being a musician and an artiste. So, I did what I could according to the character. I also knew the world a little better since it was an urban love story. There were two young people. Mohit Suri knew the world more than me. So, that is how we collaboratively got the job done.”