Acclaimed screenwriter Jaideep Sahni, known for penning films like Company (2002), Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006) and Chak De! India (2007), in a recent conversation gave his opinion on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it can affect the future of writers. He also spoke about the perennial friction between writers and producers over remuneration and rights.
At the Vartalaap masterclass organised by the Screenwriters Association of India (SWA), Jaideep—who graduated as a computer engineer—expressed a mix of professional awe and deep concern regarding Large Language Models (LLMs) and predictive technology.
“In every field, it is a mixture of being excited and being alarmed. And I think this is the case for everyone, especially those who are working in LLMs. There are so many scientists who are leaving companies because they can see it. They can see it because the models we see are the retail version. The models they are not releasing are 100 times more dangerous than this… It is a very alarming and important thing. This is not just about our work, but about everything. And the clock is ticking. It is ticking every day, and one day, it will be too late,” Jaideep observed.
Turning to the anxieties of writers and the perennial friction over remuneration and rights, Jaideep advocated for a fundamental mental shift, asserting that writers and producers must view each other as natural allies rather than adversaries.
“I think the best partnership should be between a writer and a producer. A writer should be a producer’s best friend. Because it’s a story. And a producer should be a writer’s best friend,” he noted, encouraging younger writers to forge long-term creative bonds with line producers and executive producers early in their careers.
While industry structures require collective resistance through bodies like SWA, the ultimate leverage, he noted, always remains on the page.
“Convincing someone from the heart can only be done by the page. And its power is greater than anything else. Because I have always seen, when the page speaks, the big guys shut up,” he said.
The last film penned by Jaideep was Shuddh Desi Romance (2013). He has also extensively worked as a lyricist, writing songs for films like, Andhadhun (2018), 83 (2021), and Jayeshbhai Jordaar (2022).
