If writers are calm and soft-spoken by design, then Rajat Arora very much fits the bill. Best known for penning the National Award-winning The Dirty Picture, the Delhi-born filmwriter brought dialoguebaazi back with Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai. Excited about its sequel, he feels catchy dialogues like “Entertainment. Entertainment. Entertainment” are what make a film click and ensure posterity. In a tete-a-tete, the Kandivli-based wordsmith sheds light on the state of writers in the industry before admitting his love for penning lyrics.

Rajat Arora, who wrote the story and lyrics of the National Award-winning film The Dirty Picture and re-invented dialoguebaazi with Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, at his Kandivli residence. PIC/Nimesh Daveu00a0

As a writer, what changes have you seen in the film industry?
(Pauses) Gone are the days when writers were undervalued because the industry today is looking for good scripts. So I don’t see why anybody would want to antagonise the writer, of all people! Moreover, there is a misconception doing the rounds that a script keeps changing because of the director’s interference. What happens is so many departments add their inputs while the film is being made that finally the movie seems different from the initial script.