The way women celebrate the “mundane” is worthy of the big screen, believes Kolkata-based author-turned-screenwriter Samragnee Bandyopadhyay, known for delivering women-centric hit Bengali shows like Lojja, Noshtoneer and Uttoron.
On International Women’s Day, Samragnee, a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Award and the Shakti Chattopadhyay Smarok Samman by Bangla Academy, opened up about the position of women in the entertainment industry, how they are portrayed on screen, and what needs to change during a free-wheeling chat with The Telegraph Online.
Samragnee’s journey as a writer began with poetry, an art form she embraced as a source of solace during her school days. “I don’t remember what exactly inspired me, but writing poetry used to give me peace, and it still does,” she recalled.
Her transition to screenwriting was unexpected yet transformative. In 2018, filmmaker Pritha Chakraborty introduced her to Windows Production House, where producers Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee were immediately drawn to her storytelling style. This led to a three-film deal, kickstarting her career in cinema with the 2019 film Mukherjee Dar Bou.
Samragnee’s work consistently puts women at the centre, because, for too long, the norm has been male-driven narratives. “There are fascinating stories in a woman’s life — the challenges they face, the way they celebrate the mundane. These are worthy of the screen.”
Her female protagonists aren’t just symbols of strength; they are complex, flawed, and deeply human. Samragnee ensures the authenticity of her female characters by drawing inspiration from real-life. “I create characters I have met, talked to, or at least seen. I know exactly how different people talk, what they talk about. That’s why they feel real and nuanced,” she explained.
The rise of OTT platforms has changed the game for female-driven storytelling, Samragnee acknowledged. Samragnee has written web series like Lojja and Noshtoneer for Hoichoi. “They have given space to stories where women are the lead,” she said.
Samragnee, however, laments that recognition and visibility are hard to come by for screenwriters. And for women, there’s an additional burden. “People don’t like a woman to talk back, to talk much, or to be opinionated,” she said, adding that female screenwriters are often pigeonholed, and expected only to write women-centric stories.
The 35-year-old screenwriter believes there is still much more to explore when it comes to female narratives in Indian entertainment. “More stories of powerful women need to be told, more layers of women should be explored where a woman can be a criminal or a manipulator too.”
“I have told stories on mental health, verbal abuse, MeToo, and I have written dialogues for films that have dealt with body shaming, women priests, etc. There should be more stories on working-class women,” Samragnee added.
For Samragnee, International Women’s Day is not just a symbolic celebration but a reminder of the ongoing struggles of women across the world. “This day also reminds me that women all over the world have stories to tell, and I feel the responsibility to listen to their stories and tell them to the world.”
Her advice to aspiring women screenwriters is simple — “Dream, be vocal, tell your own stories, learn and start writing, but while writing, just be ready for innumerable rewrites. Screenwriting demands many drafts till you craft the exact story for your audience.”