I don’t write stories, I steal stories: V Vijayendra Prasad at IFFI-53 Masterclass

A person who can tell a good lie can be a good story-teller

The pursuit to create ‘hunger’ within the audience for the story kicks off your creativity

I don’t write stories, I steal stories. Stories are there around you, be it epics like Mahabharat, Ramayan or real life incidences, there are stories everywhere. You need to represent it in your unique style, said V Vijayendra Prasad, the famed screenwriter of blockbuster films like Baahubali, RRR, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Magadheera.

“The pursuit to create hunger among audience for your story kicks off creativity within you. I always try to create hunger within audience for my story and characters and that drives me to create something unique and appealing”, said the master story-teller. He was addressing the film enthusiasts at a masterclass on the theme ‘The Master’s writing process’ on the sideline of 53^rd International Film Festival of India in Goa today.

While talking about his style of screenwriting, Shri Prasad said, he always thinks of a twist at the interval and organize the story accordingly. “You have to create something out of nothing. You have to present a lie, which looks like truth. A person who can tell a good lie can be a good story-teller”, he added.

Responding to the query of a budding story writer, the ace story-teller said, one has to open up his mind and absorb everything. “You need to be your own harshest critics, then only your best will come out and you can take your work to unscalable heights”, he asserted.

Sharing his experience of writing for the blockbusters like Baahubali and RRR, Shri Prasad said, “I don’t write, I dictate stories. I have everything in my mind; the flow of the story, the characters, the twists”. He said, one good writer should cater to the needs of the Director, Producer, Primary Protagonist and Audience.

The session was moderated by film critic and journalist Mayank Shekhar.