Prasun Gupta and a still from Brahmāstra
Lucknow-based writer Prasun Gupta, who penned the Sanskrit dialogues used as shlokas in the Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt starrer in Brahmāstra and Hrithik Roshan- Anil Kapoor starrer War 2, is quietly shaping a space for language-driven storytelling in mainstream cinema.
For him the journey into Bollywood didn’t begin with a film; it began with a missed opportunity that quietly turned into a breakthrough. “It actually started with The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, which was at that time being hosted by actor Akshay Kumar,” he says. “I had gone to Mumbai with a visually impaired comedian, Abhay Sharma. We auditioned together, but he got selected; I didn’t. But he needed a mentor, so I went along.”
Prasun Gupta
What followed was a brief but formative phase. “For about 15 days, I was preparing his acts and also trying my own too. Nothing worked out for me at that time,” he admits. But being around the show brought him in touch with people who would later shape his trajectory. “Abhay performed in a segment where Zakir Khan, Mallika Dua and Hussain Dalal were guests, where Hussain was mentoring the comedian. He saw my work as I used to write scripts for Abhay.
Indian actor and screenwriter, Hussain Dalal, the dialogue writer for films like Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani, was also his mentor, and that’s how I got in touch with him and told him about my work.”At the time, Gupta had moved to radio, but the connection stayed. “Later, Hussain Dalal reached out and said they needed someone who could write a Sanskrit dialogue for the movie Brahmāstra and could assist him with the Sanskrit part in the film.
I told him, ‘You see my work, and if you like it, we’ll take it ahead.’ He sent me scenes, I wrote them, and that’s how it began.”This grounding in language and mythology eventually shaped his contribution to the film’s Sanskrit dialogues, areas that required both authenticity and originality. That beginning eventually led to Brahmāstra, directed by Ayan Mukerji. Gupta contributed Sanskrit dialogues and even technical terminology rooted in mythology.
“When I was working with Hussain, he really loved my work, so he asked me to assist him further throughout the film where Sanskrit was required,” he says.
“The film had a lot of technical and mythological elements, so they needed authentic, meaningful names. I ended up suggesting names for all the weapons and gave multiple options wherever needed.” For Gupta, however, the foundation had already been laid much earlier.
“Being from UP helps a lot. You see, UP is such a place where Hindi is spoken the clearest. Rest, you will find a mixture, different tonality, different slang, but here, you will find the purest language. And in Mumbai, I have noticed that English is dominant there. They normally write their script in English and then change it.” He adds, “UP se hone ka fayda milta hain mujhe.
Har region ki apni khoobsurti hai, but another advantage of being from UP is that we have a command over the language better than many others.”His work on Brahmāstra also opened doors to larger projects. Gupta has also contributed Sanskrit dialogues to War 2. “Director Ayan Mukerji recommended my name to music composer Pritam da, saying if you want someone who can write Sanskrit sentences, you can approach him,” he shares. “He also said, if you just want to copy, you can take from the Geeta or Mahabharata, but if you want something original, then I could do it.
”With Brahmāstra 2 already in the pipeline, Gupta is hopeful but measured. “I would like to be part of it,” he says. Talking about his upcoming projects Gupta saying he is doing something really unique. “I am presently writing songs for a singing reality show which will have participants sing original creations than just Bollywood songs. The experience is really hat ke,” he says.Amina Ashraf
