ByPuja Gupta

February 20, 2020 (IANSlife) Inspired by true incidents, Netflix show ‘Jamtara: Sabka Number Ayega’ is the story that highlights the crime of phishing. Writer Trishant Srivastava says he was “scared and sceptical” while writing the story because he was “entering a world that has never been explored before.''
 
In a candid conversation with IANSlife, Srivastava shares more about his experience of writing the show, why he chose the topic and the challenges he faced. Read excerpts:
 
Q: How has your experience been in writing “Jamtara”?
Srivastava: Writing ‘Jamtara’ has been a great learning experience for me. I had no idea about the journey that the show will take and the kind of response that it will get. It started with a simple idea of creating real characters in a world that was new to us, and portraying them without any prejudices.

It became a good show because of the amazing work of the entire team involved in creating the show. When I was writing the story, screenplay and dialogue, I was scared and sceptical, because we were attempting something so new and entering a world that has never been explored before. I am happy about the way it has been received by the audience, and it has definitely made me a better writer.

 
Q: What got you into deciding to write on such a crucial topic?
Srivastava: It all started with an article that was published by Deepu Sebastian which shocked and amazed us. Deepu, along with Nishank Verma, who first came across the article, researched the project and brought interesting anecdotes to the writing table. That’s where I took over and created this world you see in the episodes, which was part fact and part fiction. What excited or charmed me the most about the project was the fact that a small town in India is the hub of phishing crimes, and these crimes were committed by these young boys with no criminal background. 

The rich premise and raw newness of the world excited me the most as a writer. The crime of phishing is also one of the most unique fraud crimes happening today. Playing on people’s vulnerability -- whether it’s the promise of giving a free gift, or playing on the fear that our ATM card may be blocked -- they are able to extract passwords and bank details. 

This is a unique facet of the crime where the scammed is as responsible as the scammer. We also wanted to, as creators, increase awareness around online banking and e-commerce related frauds. With the show being on Netflix, we were able to reach a larger audience and increase awareness, and warn people to safeguard themselves against fraudulent transactions and phishing frauds. This is a one-of-a-kind story and I am glad with the way it has turned out.
 
Q: What is the kind of research you did, while crafting the story and such pragmatic characters? Did you actually visit Jamtara, to get a first-hand experience?
Srivastava: Yes, we travelled through Jharkhand and managed to get a glimpse into the lives of people living in and around Jamtara, to create an authentic and a real picture of the place and the milieu. The characters are fictional but they are inspired by real people that we met and witnessed. 

 
Q: The entire web series has a very rustic and authentic feel to it? Tell us about how you wrote the series to make it sound authentic. What has been your writing process? Also, throw some light on the legitimate dialogues that have now become memes?
Srivastava: I wrote the characters first and then allowed them to guide me. While writing the episodes. It was a conscious effort to keep the show rooted and rustic. The idea was to create something which is universal and yet hasn’t been seen before. I never allowed fiction to take over the real incidents and stories which we heard from the city of Jamtara. 

I rather worked around them in the episodes and tried to amalgamate them into the fiction. I wanted the dialogue to have a specific tone and feel, and yet be universal in their effect on the viewer along with being entertaining. I wanted to give the characters a specific voice and not to make them look unidimensional. 

The dialogues particularly have been liked by the viewers and while writing, my constant and conscious effort was to avoid all clichés when giving words to my characters. I delved deep into the hinterlands and tried to keep the dialogues emphatic and entertaining, only by writing words that are used in daily conversation.

Q: Were there challenges that you faced while writing such tightly structured and short duration episodes?
Srivastava: The biggest challenge while writing the short duration episodes was the conscious effort to keep the show pacey and make it binge friendly. My background in television writing also helped me maintain the episodic structure and make sure that every episode ends on a cliff-hanger. The credit also goes to the director Soumendra Padhi and the editor Zubin Sheikh for keeping it extremely tight on the edit table.

 
Q: Did you face writer's block while writing it? What are the techniques and tricks you used to overcome those?
Srivastava: Yes, often. Honestly, as I am still trying to figure out ways to overcome writer’s block, but taking a break, listening to music and taking a walk helps. Also whenever I reach a dead end in writing, I go back to where I started from and look for alternate solutions to the problem, once I reject the most obvious answers I mostly find the one that I am looking for.
 
Q: Have you always written shows focusing on this genre? What are the other projects you are working on currently?  
Srivastava: No not necessarily, I love to write all kinds of genres. I love the challenges that come with getting out of my comfort zone and exploring an unknown territory. Right now, I am developing a film script for Sony Pictures India.
 
 
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Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@ians.in

Editing by Aditi Roy and N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe