‘Arguments are healthy’
The husband-wife duo, Nitesh Tiwari and Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari open up about their inspirations, creative processes and more
At a time when the entire Bollywood universe is fitted between Bandra-Juhu-Andheri belt, the husband-wife duo — Nitesh Tiwari and Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari — are happily ensconced, far away from all the razzmatazz, in Chembur. Maybe, that’s why their stories and films — be it Chillar Party (2011), Nil Battey Sannata (2015) or Dangal (2016) — are so rooted, real and connected. As Ashwiny gears up for the release of her next, Bareilly Ki Barfi (BKB), she admits to be a nervous wreck. “Every morning, I wake up at 3.30 or 4, check subtitles of the film and go back to sleep,” she says with a laugh. Nitesh, who has written the script for BKB, on the other hand is clearly calmer than her.
Who is more nervous about BKB?
Nitesh: I am not so nervous because the kind of reaction the film has generated is nice, which comes as a reassurance. So, I am in quite a relaxed space (smiles). But Ashwiny will rightfully be nervous because it’s the janta janardhan (people) that will finally decide the fate of the film.
Ashwiny: I think that’s true for any form of creative work. The actual gratification happens only once it is released because when you’re so immersed in your work, you lose perspective.
How is life when two creative minds live under the same roof?
Nitesh: I think we switch roles. When my film is up for release, she becomes the pacifier, and vice versa.
Ashwiny: Nitesh knows that if I am nervous, I eat a lot, especially pani puri (laughs). It’s my comfort food.
Nitesh: So, on those days when I realise that she is extra fidgety, I get pani puri on my way back home. Ghar aake 50 baatein sunne se acha hai ki pani puri khila do (It’s better to feed her pani puri, than coming home to a scowling wife; laughs).
Ashwiny: Everyone has their respective outlets. Nitesh watches reruns of very old cricket matches (smiles).
Nitesh: Yes, so, I would either be on the phone playing a game or watching TV. It’s about [doing] anything that takes your attention away [from your film’s release].
Since both of you know each other inside out, does it bring a lot of comfort when you work together?
Ashwiny: We have been working with each for really long so, comfort factor does come in. I feel the relationship between a writer and a director is almost like a husband and wife, and in our case, it has been very literal (laughs). A writer writes a story with a vision and has a belief that the director will either take it to the next level or at least do full justice to the story. So, having that trust is very important. Having that ‘trust’ gives a lot of freedom to the directors but directors must also know the extent to which they should ‘improvise’.
Nitesh: I don’t think either of us is fussy. She doesn’t say, ‘Nitesh has to write all my scripts’ and even I don’t feel that I should write all my films. Ashwiny: Exactly. The thinking has to match. Nitesh: I don’t think we are rigid in that sense. I did that [working on someone else’s scripts] when I did ad films. So I am not new or alien to that form of storytelling. We both are very open.
Nitesh, how much do you involve yourself in a film that you write?
Firstly, I don’t go for the shoots because I completely trust my directors. Also, since I am a director myself, I make a conscious call not to go for the shoots because it’s natural for you to start behaving like a director on the location and that’s dangerous. If I were a director, even I’d not like anyone else to do that with me. I didn’t go for the shoot of NBS and also made a conscious call to stay away from Bareilly Ki Barfi (BKB) shoot too despite having time.
Ashwiny: I remember when Nitesh was shooting Dangal, I’d take kids [on the sets] for them to meet but I was never like, ‘how has this happened or why it’s not that way?’
Can it also be a dangerous proposition when two creative minds live under the same roof?
Nitesh: I think what works for us is that we don’t cross our boundaries when it comes to each other’s jobs. If you have absolute clarity on that front, the chances of a clash are almost non-existent. I am always there to support her but she is entitled to whether she takes an advice from me or not. Differences of opinions happen but you need to have maturity to handle it.
Ashwiny: For example, I can have my point of view vis-àvis art direction but then, it’s up to the art director to take the suggestion or not. The only thing is one shouldn’t say things when it’s too late. You should say it on the spot.
Both of you worked at the same ad agency, Leo Burnett?
Nitesh: Yes, I was her boss – at least in office (laughs). We knew each other way before either of us became directors. In fact, neither of us ever thought of turning directors. We met in 2003, six years before I made my first film.
So, what brought you two together — in real life?
Nitesh: We are similar-thinking creative people who kind of got along very well. At the agency, we were extremely professional and didn’t give anybody a chance to talk about me being biased towards her just because she is my wife and now, I do the same with her films also. But when she became a director, I was pleasantly surprised.
Ashwiny: I didn’t even ask him. I had to do it, so I went ahead with it (smiles). Direction is all about whether you have it in you or not.
Nitesh: It’s all about what kind of a storyteller you are. When she made her short film (What’s For Breakfast), I told her that she was good. After that, I never questioned her. It’s also always about being honest with each other. So, if I’m asked to make Baahubali, I won’t because it’s not me. I’ve to play to my strengths and not somebody else’s.
Do you two ever think that there might be comparisons between your films?
Ashwiny: We are grateful that comparisons aren’t there as everyone knows that we both have made two separate films on our own and have our own identities. But at times, people are like, ‘how much has Nitesh helped you?’ No one asks him how much I’ve helped him. Maybe, that’s how people think in our country.
Nitesh: Comparisons aren’t there and I am very happy about that. She has carved her own niche, and comparisons would be unfair because we are two different individuals and have our own styles.
Between the two of you, who is more critical?
Ashwiny: I am a little critical about art direction (laughs).
Nitesh: Criticism is a wrong word; it’s constructive feedback, which I personally believe in strongly. We aren’t God’s gift to mankind, so if somebody’s suggestion can make things better, I am open to that. I am not a stuck-up person. At the end of the day, the project is important and not my ego or personal belief. We are never scared to give constructive feedback.
Ashwiny: Maybe, it’s because both of us come from the advertising background wherein we used to get a lot of ‘constructive feedback’. Regardless of whether they got accommodated [in the final idea] or not, we would listen to everyone. There are things, which might come from the most unexpected place but can make a lot of difference. Also, neither of us are very strong-headed people. We don’t have egos.
How did BKB happen?
Nitesh: She had read a book, Ingredients of Love.
Ashwiny: I’m very impulsive, so if I like something, I think about it and do it immediately.
Nitesh: Ashwiny thought the book was worth giving a shot. When I read it, I also felt that it had something interesting and had the potential of becoming a commercial film. I told her, ‘the basic premise seems interesting but let’s see how it pans out and what we can do with it.’
Be it Nil Battey Sannata, Chillar Party or Dangal, one can’t miss the sanity and simplicity in them. But is it difficult to be ‘simple’?
Ashwiny: It’s very important to understand people and know about them because, as story tellers, if we do not get involved and know our audience then somewhere we are cheating them by creating an unknown world which they may or may not resonate with. If you are creating a fantasy land, then it’s a different thing. I love going to the roots, else you will never know the ‘real’ life, and it especially holds true for our kind of storytelling.
Nitesh: I will differ with her a bit and will not say that the kind of films we make is ‘the way’ of making films. There are enough people willing to consume all kinds of cinema. We are happy that enough number of people consumes the kind of work we do. All kinds of cinema should be made and loved by the audience.