Sharad Tripathi turns scriptwriter with Prakash Jha's Fraud Saiyaan

TV writer Sharad Tripathi has turned a film writer with Prakash Jha produced upcoming flick Fraud Saiyaan. Now that’s definitely a big leap for Sharad, but how did it all pan out for him? Let’s hear it from the man himself, “It happened step by step. I had met director, Sourabh Shrivastav during one the occasions. Interestingly, his wife Manisha is a good friend of mine and she had once told him that I write good status updates on Facebook. So, he went through my FB account and felt that I had the flair of UP (Uttar Pradesh) style of communication. Since, he wanted to make a UP- based film, he asked me to team up with him.” Is the story yours alone? “Before this offer came to me, my friend Amal Donwar (writer) and I had been working on a few film concepts. But nothing materialized. Hence, we started working on this film together.” When we contacted Amal, he confirmed the same and stated, “We got together to write this film and we’ve laughed a lot during its scripting phase.” How did you guys get Prakash Jha onboard? “After the idea and director was finalized, we pitched the idea to a few producers and luckily for us, Prakash Jha liked it. We also got our film’s hero in Arshad Warsi,” said Sharad. Is this like a dream come true for you? “I ran away from home like many others to achieve my dream in Mumbai and Mumbai means Bollywood. I did get Bollywood offers then, but those weren’t big banners and I did not want to add that to my resume. That is why I took it easy till I got a banner in Prakash Jha, a mind-blowing director in Sourabh Shrivastav and a hero in National-award winning Arshad Warsi.” Which actor did you have on your mind while writing the script? “It was Arshad, always. I have seen him in Ishqiya and we wanted to make a film more like it, but with colours of Raanjhanaa and he just fit the bill. He simply owns every bit of this film.” Does this mean an end to TV writing? “I cannot give step-motherly treatment to my work ever so, TV is going nowhere for me. TV is hectic but there is madness around it and trust me, I like this madness. It drives me to do better. I love the pressure; after all, I’ve stayed in it for a good nine years. TV is in my DNA, but now it’s also the start of movies for me.” We wish you luck with this film, Sharad.