“Digital is definitely going to flourish because it democratises you,” says lyricist-writer Prasoon Joshi.

Prasoon Joshi says movies and the digital medium will co-exist in times to come

Prasoon Joshi is known for his advertising background as much as his expertise in screenwriting or lyric writing for Hindi movies. Now, the writer is dabbling into the digital medium. Prasoon is penning as well as coproducing a fictional mythological show for an online streaming channel. HT Café caught up with him for a chat about his debut in the digital medium, and more.

Can you elaborate on your tryst with the digital medium?

One of the known digital streaming platforms is now foraying into content, which is meant for India. I’ve been writing the show for the last three years. I have partnered with my old friend Ram Madhvani, who is directing it.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of writing for the medium?

There are a lot of advantages in the long format. It allows a lot of room for writing. You can really express yourself with the genre I am writing for, which is historical and mythological fiction. Since it’s purely fictional, you can let your imagination run wild. In today’s world limitations don’t apply. There could be magicians in this world or extraordinary powers that people possess. This genre is very tempting for a writer. For certain subjects, shorter formats and shorter mediums are better.

Do you think the digital medium poses a threat to cinema?

Digital is definitely going to flourish because it democratises you. It gives you the freedom to watch whenever you want to, and choose what you want to watch. It is bound to be successful. How long it takes to become successful depends on a lot of variables –– internet, infrastructure, electricity, mobility, connectivity etc. We will always be positive.

Will the medium ever take over cinema?

In the eastern world where we live, we believe that nothing dies. We believe in coexistence. It’s not that one medium will die and the next thing will take its place. We believe life is circular. So, things co-exist. Cinema will exist and so will digital in its own way. After all it (digital) is only about audio visuals. It’s just that the consumption format has changed. So, it will bring in new habits. Earlier, screenplay writing rules were all centred around how much you could hold on to your bladder, and how the interval was created. It was created because of human limitations. In the new world, you can pause your devices, and take a break whenever you want. So, that changes the way you write it (content). Earlier writers were trained to create an interval point, and make sure that people come back. So, they left enough intrigue at that time. Some people told me that they analyse how long an average train ride takes in Mumbai and an episode’s length is based on that. Because people watch it on their devices while travelling, an episode lasts for 22 minutes. So, everything works around the human life. But will cinema die and something else come? No. We believe in things taking different form and shape. Cinema will not die. The only thing that will change is the way we consume it.

Digital gives you the freedom to watch whenever you want to, and choose what you want to watch. PRASOON JOSHI, LYRICIST AND SCREENWRITER