Niraj Dasa is enjoying his first taste of fame after debuting as a screenwriter with Made in India: A Titan Story. Niraj worked closely with main writer Karan Vyas and co-writer Kandarp Shroff for the adaptation of Vinay Kamath’s eponymous book. The series borrows its foundational structure from the novel, but it has fictionalised some elements to enhance the entertainment quotient. “Characters such as a father with Alzheimer's and a mother who runs tiffin services are not in the book. We have also used some imagination to show how they do the business and go about the recruitment process,” says Niraj.
As with any other project based on a real story, the makers of Made in India: A Titan Story also had to get approval from the families of the real people involved in the story for the adaptation. This restricted what they could portray in the series. “We did not have free hand,” Niraj reveals as he reflects on the long process of taking approvals from various stakeholders for the series. This rigorous process, alongside research to ensure historical accuracy, reshaped the initial screenplay. Niraj and his co-writers started pre-production a long time ago. To ensure that the series reflects real-life corporate lingo, behaviour and decorum, as well as the watchmaking nitty-gritty, they had to visit the Titan manufacturing unit in Hosur and study the process and make character observations.
“We stayed in Hosur for two to three days and met every employee. We went through the process and got an idea about how a watch is made and what they call its components. This helped us a lot with dialogue writing.”
There is also the human aspect of the series that required authentic portrayal. For example, Xerxes Desai (Jim Sarbh) alternates between ‘Mr Singh’ and ‘sir’ in a meeting with Tata board members, while he addresses his longtime friend JRD Tata as ‘sir’ when around others, as opposed to ‘Jeh’ in their private one-on-ones. “They had to maintain the boundary when they were with other employees, something which we learnt from the book and the background research. We had to understand the personality facets of each and every character. For example, Xerxes often takes up the dictionary to improve his Hindi, which we learnt from his wife. She told us that he was an Oxford alumnus who spent most of his life in London,” Niraj discloses.
He continues, “We even had scenes with Ratan Tata in the initial drafts. However, Ratan died before the completion of production. His passing made it very sensitive to show him in Made in India as a fictional character. So, we did not get permission for it and had to remove his scenes.”
An interesting takeaway from Made in India: A Titan Story is how similar the Tatas are in real life. One scene involving JRD Tata facing an insult from a Swiss watchmaker reminds you of a story about a Ford executive humiliating Ratan, only for him to acquire the American company’s cars years later. Niraj says that the story about JRD and the Swiss watchmaker is “loosely based on real incidents” involving Jamsetji Tata. He adds, “There is a story of Jamsetji Tata about why he opened the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Bombay. Apparently, he was not allowed inside the Watson Hotel by Britishers, which is why he built his own hotel. These are all stories that have been passed on from one generation to the next, and there are people who do believe in it. So, there is no written proof of it, but we have taken the liberty of what we have heard from people we have met.”
Despite taking cinematic liberties, Made in India: A Titan Story uses real stock footage of Tata and its heritage establishments to ensure authenticity. This also applies to the introductory scene of JRD Tata (Naseeruddin Shah), who flies in to meet his team. Niraj explains, “It is original footage. He was the first Indian to get a pilot license. And even at the age of 50-60, he used to fly by himself. He was very fond of flying and is the founder of Air India. He is called the father of Indian aviation for a reason. India had its first airlines thanks to him. So, we tried our best to sprinkle as much as we could about his real character, like who that guy really was.”
Niraj also credits cinematographer Aditya Kapur, editors Akash Bundhoo and Nibedya Samal, and director Robbie Grewal for the authentic look and feel of the series and the immersion into its period. “The direction is great, as is the editing. The cinematographer has also done a very good job with the location. It all makes you feel like you are traveling back in time,” Niraj shares.
Thanking his producers, he adds, "I am especially grateful to Sunil Bohra sir and Prabhleen Sandhu ma'am of Almighty Motion Pictures for believing in the story from the very beginning and standing by it through every challenge over the years. Their unwavering support and vision are what ultimately brought the show to life."
However, not everything has been smooth sailing for Niraj and his writing team. Coming from a novel writing background, Niraj initially found it difficult to adjust to the demands of screenplay writing, and the script itself had its own challenging nuances. Speaking about the transition, Niraj shares, “Novel writing and screenplay writing ke beech main zameen-aasman ka farak hain (It is like the difference between the Earth and the sky),”. He adds, “In novel writing, you have to describe every single thing for the reader to visualise, such as the colour of the character’s clothing and even that of the furniture. In screenwriting, you just have to describe the characters, the mood, and the dialogue. I had zero idea about screenplay writing. It was just something I was curious about and wanted to try. It took me almost three to four years to actually learn how to write a screenplay, especially the grammar of it. However, I am grateful for it.”
On the other hand, discussing the adjustments for the period nuances, he shares, “Karan is the oldest of the lot, and he is only in his mid 30s. We had to ensure that the dialogues sounded authentic for the 1980s, which meant reworking a lot in the dialogue department. Even if it sounds cliche, even though it sounds caricature, that is how people used to talk back then."
However, the reading sessions between the writing team and the director and the cast ensured that nothing was lost in translation. “Once we were done with the screenplay, there was still some time for the shoot to begin. At that time, we had a reading session where we all met to ensure that everyone was on the same page. There should not be any misunderstanding about what we have written on paper and what the cast feels that they have to perform.”
Speaking of dialogues, Niraj reveals that Kaveri Seth’s progressive character, Megha Mhatre, is based on “a very independent woman,” named Vibha Paul Rishi, who was way “ahead of her time”. Megha deals with condescension and patriarchy from the men around her in a way that might seem progressive for even today. “I think there were very few women who were very brave to call out patriarchy back then in the 1980s,” Niraj reveals. Sharing an interesting anecdote, he adds, “Even Ratan Tata used to remember that girl in real life. Whenever Ratan Tata would see her, he would call her not by name but ‘the Watch Lady’.
Made In India: A Titan Story has many interesting story arcs, including those not central to the main plot. Niraj shares that he would like to explore Akash Dixit (Vaibhav Tatwawadi) in a hypothetical spin-off series. “Akash is one of my most favorite characters. There is this difference between him and Xerxes. Towards the end of the show, Xerxes becomes this megalomaniac who sees nothing other than work. You never see him spending more time with his family; the only thing that matters to him is work. But Akash is a normal human being who is juggling work, making him more relatable. We had a lot about him on paper as well. But due to runtime-related restrictions, a lot could not be shown.”
Following the accolades for his work in the series, Niraj is already making his next moves. While he is yet to sign up for a film or series, the writer is in talks for multiple projects. With time in his hands and Titan in his resume, he is looking ahead with a great sense of optimism.