Amit Varma interviews screenwriter, director, and author Suman Kumar, who shares his inspiring journey from a small-town upbringing in Chittoor to his success with shows like *The Family Man* and *Guns & Gulaabs*. The conversation explores the importance of authenticity, the power of storytelling, and how embracing one's roots and insecurities can become a creative strength.
Summarized by Podsumo
Suman's childhood was marked by financial hardship and bullying, but he always had a passion for storytelling, even reading newspaper scraps used to wrap groceries.
He emphasizes that authenticity in storytelling comes from embracing your own experiences and roots, stating, 'You can't make it your own if there is no own.'
He credits his wife, Chitra, for encouraging him to quit his corporate job and become a stay-at-home dad, which allowed him to write his first book and eventually enter filmmaking.
Suman discusses the difference between writing a book and writing a screenplay, explaining that a screenplay is a technical document that invites other artists to contribute.
He reveals that success came later in life, which he believes made him wiser and more prepared to handle fame compared to if it had happened in his twenties.
"The page is the worst addiction to humankind. You are so used to every 31st or end of month money just jumping in and that's how they keep you enslaved."
"'You can't make it your own when there is no own' because if all that you possess is English literature skills, it will only get so far."
"'Don't look at the forest; look at the trees... If you do something repeatedly, smartly, instead of just beating yourself up, figuring out things like, oh, this is where I'm getting stuck.'"