Kajol’s Maa, a horror film set in Bengal, has earned praise for its goosebump-inducing trailer, with the dialogues being co-written by Aamil Keeyan Khan. A Calcutta boy, Aamil is a constant collaborator of Ajay Devgan (who co-produces Maa), having worked with the superstar in quite a few films, including Drishyam 2 and Shaitaan. t2 chatted with Aamil — an alumnus of St. Xavier’s Collegiate School and The Bhawanipur Education Society College — whose most recent hit was Akshay Kumar’s Skyforce, released earlier this year.
After Shaitaan, Maa is your second horror film. What was the experience of writing the dialogues for it, and how was it different from Shaitaan?
The dialogues for Maa have been written by me and Ajit Jagtap, who brought a lot of warmth and rootedness to the lines.... I genuinely learned a lot working with him. Sharing a genre doesn’t mean the approach is the same. Every story has its own zubaan (language), rhythm, people, geography.... Saiwyn Quadras has written a terrific story for Maa. Shaitaan and Maa exist in the same world but are very different beasts. The audience is in for great fun.
Earlier this year, you had a hit in Skyforce. What was the experience of co-writing that film like?
Every story that you do, there is something you take from it and there is something the story takes from you. Skyforce is a true story and when I read about it, it shook me. It took more than 20 years for a brave officer (T. Krishna Vijaya aka Tabby, played by debutant Veer Pahariya) to get justice. I read about what the family had to go through and that hit me the most. The war, of course, affects you, but the personal, human stories hit on a different level. For me, Skyforce is more than a war film, it is a story of brotherhood. It is about a bunch of people watching out for each other while protecting the country.
From Runway 34 to Drishyam 2, Bholaa, Shaitaan and now Maa, the majority of your work has been with Ajay Devgn. How did it begin?
Very organically. Runway 34 was my first break with Ajay sir, and since he was also the director, he was a lot more involved in the making of the film. Runway 34 hadn’t even released when he recommended my name for Drishyam 2. That was a pleasant surprise because Drishyam is a huge franchise. Since then he has trusted me over and over again. Working with him is an extremely positive experience. He is professional, punctual and he understands screenplay writing and storytelling.
Drishyam 2, Shaitaan and Bholaa are all adaptations. One would assume it would be fairly easy to work on a ready template. But what are the challenges?
Unfortunately, a lot of remakes are a copy-paste job. But that hasn’t been the case with the three remakes I have done. Writers stand in queues for two-three years to get a project approved. So if Ajay sir has asked me to adapt a film, I will not say ‘no’. The thing with remakes is that many times the work put in doesn’t get recognised. For Drishyam 2, we cut out a lot of the screenplay and added many scenes. We did the same with Shaitaan... there are massive changes but people who didn’t see the original assume it is a direct copy.
Adapting a character to a particular setting is one part of it. But how much are you retaining from the screenplay? How much are you changing it in terms of the pacing? What kind of movie are you going for? When you have a star attached to a project and you are aiming for a certain kind of audience, the writing requires a specific approach. So it is very challenging.
With an original, I can fly and improvise. But with remakes, there is a set template and a certain respect you have to give to the original material. You are in for comparison before the film has even been made.
Mission: Impossible is a remake of a TV show, but nobody bashes it. That is because it has become its own thing. Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!
is an iconic film, but it is a remake of their own (Rajshri Productions) film Nadiya Ke Paar.
With OTT coming in, by the time a remake is even announced, people have already watched the original. So they don’t want to be told the same story again with a different actor in it. Luckily for us, because we brought in changes, both Shaitaan and Drishyam 2 worked.
What is the status of writers in the industry now?
I am very happy with the way my producers are treating me. Even generally, there has been a shift over time. The Screenwriters Association has come in handy to protect the rights of writers. Writers are not businessmen. We are here to create art, but there is also a commercial side to it... selling, negotiating, getting a better deal with credit placement.... But you don’t know much, especially when you have just come in. Those are things that you learn or you find someone that knows better. Are writers being treated better now? Yes. Can they be treated much better? Absolutely!
What were your growing up years in Calcutta like?
I studied at St. Xavier’s Collegiate School and then The Bhawanipur Education Society College. Every year, there was a theatre festival called Rangotsav and circumstances led me to participate in it. Even otherwise, I was the class clown and a stand-up comic. I even made it to The Great Indian Laughter Challenge. Thereafter, a friend called Anshuman Bagri and I started a theatre group called Nine Point Blank. Since we couldn’t pay a writer, I became the writer by default. In retrospect, there is something beautiful about Calcutta. There was no money in theatre, but there was so much satisfaction. You can have ₹200 and still have the best food in the world.