Varun Grover Accuses Bollywood Of Disrespecting Writers: It’s Happening With the Likes of Gulzar...

Varun Grover is a writer, filmmaker, and award-winning lyricist known for creating content based on real life. He began his career as a poet, later transitioning to writing songs and scripts for movies, and even performing stand-up comedy. He penned the lyrics for films such as Gangs of Wasseypur and Peepli Live and wrote scripts for movies like Ugly, Masaan, and Newton. With over decades of experience in the film industry, Varun often addresses bold topics of politics and the Bollywood industry in his stand-ups and interviews, which draw significant attention. Recently, in an interview, he discussed the exploitation of writers in the film industry, highlighting that even esteemed figures like Gulzar and Javed Akhtar are often overlooked.

Varun Grover says, ‘a messiah director’ exploits my writer friend’

In a recent interview with Jist, Varun Grover recalled an incident involving one of his writer friends who worked with a famous filmmaker getting exploited. He said, “This filmmaker doesn’t make very commercial films, but he does middle-of-the-road cinema, has been working for over 30 years, and is seen as a ‘messiah director’ by his fans.” Varun briefed that despite the filmmaker's long career and influential status, his writer friend was required to handle both dialogue and screenplay duties, highlighting an issue with how writers are often treated in the industry.

Varun Grover further shared that the filmmaker initially offered his comedian friend just Rs 50,000 for his work. After negotiations, the fee was raised to Rs 3 lakh, but only half has been paid so far. He added that the filmmaker promised the remaining payment upon the film's release, which is uncertain. Varun then highlighted that, according to Screenwriters' Association rules, the minimum payment for dialogues alone should be Rs 12 lakh, and around Rs 20 lakh for both dialogues and screenplay. He criticized this exploitation by a well-known director, who releases films frequently.

Varun addresses that the films skip mention of writers in the credits 

Varun Grover also pointed out that while film posters credit accountants, they frequently remove the names of essential contributors like Irshad Kamil and Gulzar. Varun Quoted: "Irshad Kamil‘s best album is Rockstar. When the CD was released, his name wasn’t mentioned. Today, if you go on any of the popular YouTube music channels, you’d find that even songs by Gulzar don’t mention his name. It’s happening even now, and it’s happening with the likes of Gulzar, Javed Akhtar, Irshad Kamil." 

Varun Grover has contributed to films such as Masaan, Qala, Merry Christmas, RRR, Gangs of Wasseypur, and the streaming series Sacred Games. He also recently made his directorial debut with the web show All India Rank.