Veteran screenwriter and lyricist Mayur Puri recently offered a deeply introspective take on the shifting role of writers in Indian cinema and society. At a time when content is increasingly recognized as the backbone of storytelling, Puri’s passionate defense of writers—and critique of both industry and audience—delivers a timely reminder of the value of the written word.
“Writer Baap Hota Hai, that is strong statement, but writer is a mother as well, as they give birth to content,” said Mayur Puri during a recent public conversation about the evolving landscape of screenwriting. “In our writers’ association, there is poster and it quote, which goes, ‘every blockbuster film was a blank page at one point of time.’ So, from a blank page to a blockbuster hit, the journey begins with a writer—whether writer is Baap or Maa, but writer is important.”
Puri emphasized that the importance of writers isn’t a recent realization. “It’s not like people are realizing it now. Back in days, writer was important. There was a time when writers in this country were respected, and their voices were never stifled. They were heard. What they wanted to write, the kind cinema they wanted to write—they were allowed to write it.” Referencing iconic screenwriter Rahi Masoom Raza, who penned the legendary Mahabharat TV series, Puri pointed to a once-thriving, inclusive creative culture.
However, he didn’t shy away from acknowledging the downturn. “Then came a time, and I would also blame writers as well, because they wrote bad stuff—horrible movies. From late 80s to early 90s, such bad movies were written. So, during that period, respect for writer started to slip, partly because writers wrote bad stuff, and society didn’t really care about them.”
The decline, he argues, is symptomatic of larger cultural shifts, especially in reading habits. “Interestingly, our rate of literacy is growing, but the problem is we are reading only numbers—maths, accounting, MBA and stuff. No one is reading literature.” He painted a grim picture of the current state of literary spaces. “I was in big bookstore recently, Crossword. They do not have a section of poetry. There should be a shelf or section dedicated to poetry—be it library or store—but there were three big shelves about self-help books.”
Drawing a powerful social parallel, Puri continued: “Right now, if you believe our society is struggling with anxiety or depression, do you see the co-relation? Poetry is disappearing and self-help is taking over in society. When poetry and literature is left behind in any society, you will need self-help. So, it’s a choice society has made.”
Still, Puri remains hopeful. “Right now, time is changing, things are better—and this is a cycle. After every decade or so, when content is depleting, writers are remembered, because everyone needs good content. But no one realizes the reason you were served bad content is you. You are the one responsible for it. You supported bad writing, made films hit which didn’t have any substance. So it’s everyone’s fault—audience is responsible as much as writer, and as industry, we took this craft a little lightly.”
With an illustrious career that includes writing lyrics and dialogues for blockbusters like Om Shanti Om, Happy New Year, and the ABCD franchise, as well as adapting global hits like The Lion King and Avengers: Endgame into Hindi, Mayur Puri is more than qualified to critique the industry he helped shape. His words serve not only as a rallying cry for better writing but also as a cultural reflection of how much—and how little—we value those who give birth to the stories we love.