Breakdown Besties | Bollywood Screenwriting Podcast

Breakdown Besties Podcast
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A screenwriting classroom experience for Bollywood screenwriters: analysing and studying the screenwriting techniques used on the page to make Bollywood films come alive on the screen. Welcome to the Breakdown Besties Podcast! We're your hosts, Akshay and Ananya, two Bollywood screenwriters having written shows like Mismatched, Inside Edge, Wedding.con, Rana Naidu, Ishq in the Air, and Grahan, amongst others. Every week, we break down films to examine the screenwriting techniques used to make iconic Bollywood films... well, iconic. We cover logline construction, hero's journey breakdown, scene and dialogue analysis, plot and theme, and other craft devices. Just like you would in a screenwriting classroom. Once you're done listening to the episode, rewatch the movie, now noting how the techniques used on the page come alive on the screen. And know that you're now one step closer to being a professional-level screenwriter. Questions? Suggestions? Ideas? Shoot 'em to us at breakdownbesties@gmail.com In case of a breakdown, your besties are right here for you!

  1. 4d ago

    E34: Immoral people make perfect spies - Mukhbir shows you why | Pilot Breakdown

    What makes a TV pilot compelling enough to make you watch the next episode? How do screenwriters build a story engine that can sustain multiple seasons, structure an episode using the five-act structure, and keep audiences invested without relying on cheap cliffhangers? In this episode of Breakdown Besties, working screenwriters Ananya and Akshay break down the pilot episode of Mukhbir: The Story of a Spy (2022), the espionage thriller series set against the backdrop of the 1965 India-Pakistan conflict. Written by Shivam Nair, Jayprad Desai, Vaibhav Modi, Arshad Syed, Aseem Arora, Karan Oberoi, and Saurabh Swamy What you'll learn: What is the job of a TV pilot? How a pilot establishes the world, characters, conflicts and storytelling experience audiences can expect from the series. What is a story engine? How the collision between a character and an unfamiliar world generates continuing conflict and creates the potential for multiple seasons. How does the five-act structure work? We break down the teaser, exposition, rising action, falling action and resolution in the Mukhbir pilot. Why cliffhangers aren't enough: How emotional investment brings audiences back for another episode, even when they know the characters well. How to write suspense: Learn how tension piling, visual foreshadowing, red herrings and misdirection keep viewers guessing. How to structure a B-plot: See how Kamraj's relationship with David Sharma connects to the main storyline. How to write a spy thriller: Explore training sequences, genre tropes and the unique quality that makes Kamraj an effective spy. How to create memorable characters: Why small behavioural details, moral ambiguity and contradictory traits make characters feel human and keep audiences invested. Chapters 00:00 What makes a TV pilot work? 03:26 The problem with cheap cliffhangers 05:49 What is a story engine? 08:23 Why TV series use a different story structure 09:19 The five-act structure explained 09:50 The teaser: How Mukhbir opens with a bang 11:01 Setting up the world and the series conflict 12:58 Act Two: Exploring the central conflict 14:04 Act Three: Kamraj enters Pakistan 14:30 Act Four: The consequences of crossing the border 15:44 Act Five: Resolving the pilot's immediate conflict 16:58 The rule of three and the B-plot 18:22 How David Sharma's storyline connects to Kamraj's mission 19:59 The power of emotional contrast 21:45 Specificity: Showing the human cost of war 22:42 Visual misdirection and symbolism in the opening scene 23:19 The audience gift: Teaching viewers something new 25:43 Red herrings: How Mukhbir misdirects the audience 27:11 Creating misunderstandings between characters 29:11 Visual foreshadowing: The mysterious man on the bus 30:58 Tension piling at the Pakistan border 32:48 Spy thriller tropes: Why training sequences matter 34:30 What makes Kamraj a unique spy? 35:11 Making supporting characters memorable 37:22 Writing morally grey characters with contradictions 38:09 Tracking a character's philosophy across a series 39:20 Why Kamraj keeps us invested 40:01 Final thoughts on the Mukhbir pilot About Breakdown BestiesWe're Ananya and Akshay, working screenwriters with more than 16 years of combined experience writing for shows including Mismatched, Wedding.con, Ishq in the Air, Rana Naidu and Grahan. On Breakdown Besties, we analyse Bollywood films and series to uncover the screenwriting craft underneath: story structure, character arcs, dialogue, conflict, genre conventions, scene construction and more. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: WBGBUHKLVF53I26O

    E34: Immoral people make perfect spies - Mukhbir shows you why | Pilot Breakdown

  2. Oct 16

    E33: Are Writers Allergic to Fun?! | Go Goa Gone Screenwriting Masterclass

    Why is comedy so difficult to write, even when it looks effortless on screen? And how does a film like Go Goa Gone combine horror, comedy, action and character drama into an entertaining zombie film? In this episode of Breakdown Besties, we break down the screenwriting of Go Goa Gone (2013), the zombie comedy starring Saif Ali Khan, Kunal Khemu, Vir Das and Anand Tiwari. We examine how the film uses the Hero’s Journey, creature-feature conventions, conflict piling, foreshadowing, callbacks and carefully constructed scenes to keep its story moving. We also look at where its character arcs work, where they could have been stronger, and why delivering on genre expectations matters so much. If you're an aspiring screenwriter, a film student, or simply curious about how Bollywood films are written, this episode offers a practical look at the craft behind a film that makes a difficult combination of genres look easy. What you'll learn in this episodeWhy comedy is so hard to write: The challenge of making humour work on the page and connect with a wide audience.How to write a logline: Identify your protagonist’s limitation, goal, conflict and stakes.The Hero’s Journey in Go Goa Gone: How the characters move from their ordinary world to a zombie-infested island and fight their way back.How horror-comedies build suspense: Use the gap between what the audience knows and what the characters know.Why character arcs matter: Explore the thematic journeys of Luv, Hardik and Bunny, and where the film could have pushed them further.Creature-feature tropes: Trapped environments, infected companions, the loss of a friend, and the consequences of human greed.Screenwriting techniques you can use: Conflict piling, foreshadowing, callbacks, the rule of three, visual misdirection and exposition through conflict.How to introduce a character: What Saif Ali Khan’s delayed entry teaches us about anticipation and character function.Why “show, don’t tell” works: How a visual moment can communicate what dialogue alone cannot.About Breakdown BestiesWe're Ananya and Akshay, working screenwriters with over 14 years of combined experience across shows including Mismatched, Rana Naidu, Inside Edge, Grahan and more. On Breakdown Besties, we take apart Bollywood films to understand how their stories work: from loglines and structure to character arcs, dialogue, scenes, genre conventions and theme. Our aim is to give you a practical film-school experience you can apply to your own writing. If you want to understand screenwriting by studying the films you watch, subscribe to Breakdown Besties. What do you think makes comedy so difficult to write? Tell us in the comments, and let us know which film you'd like us to break down next. #GoGoaGone #Screenwriting #Bollywood Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: YRVU1DO1QRJYJFC0

    E33: Are Writers Allergic to Fun?! | Go Goa Gone Screenwriting Masterclass

  3. Oct 9

    E32: Being in the Business of Immortality | Fashion Screenwriter Anuraadha Tewari

    What does it actually take to write a film like Fashion? In this episode of Breakdown Besties, we sit down with Anuraadha Tewari, the writer of Fashion, for a deeply practical conversation about screenwriting, research, structure, writers' rooms and surviving a career in the Indian film industry. Anuraadha has spent more than 30 years working across television, film and the web. She takes us behind the making of Fashion, from how the project came to her, to rewriting the screenplay, researching the modelling world, working with Madhur Bhandarkar and Niranjan Iyengar, and navigating creative disagreements. She also shares some very honest lessons about being a professional writer: how to build a writing routine, how writers earn creative trust, why writers need to protect their work, and what changes when you move from television to film to streaming. We also get into Priyanka Chopra's preparation for Fashion, the importance of research, why Fashion works as a three-act screenplay, and how Anuraadha thinks about structure, character and the language of cinema. And, because this is Breakdown Besties, we couldn't resist asking about the infamous scenes and choices in Fashion that still get people talking. In this episode: 00:00 Anuraadha Tewari on Writing & the “Cinema Orgasm” 02:44 How to Build a Daily Writing Routine 04:00 Javed Akhtar's Advice to Writers 05:21 How Anuraadha Tewari Got the Job on Fashion 06:17 How Bollywood Writing Jobs Actually Come to You 08:55 The Unexpected Story Behind Fashion 10:54 Meeting Madhur Bhandarkar 12:11 Why Anuraadha Chose Writing Over Directing 17:46 Has Streaming Changed How Writers Work? 23:39 How Fashion Was Actually Written 27:21 How Priyanka Chopra Responded to the Script 33:02 How Research Shaped Fashion 36:02 How Anuraadha Researched the Modelling Industry 41:59 How to Structure Multiple Characters in a Film 42:28 Why Fashion Works as a Three-Act Structure 50:00 What Screenwriting Taught Anuraadha About Structure 55:00 Writing Characters Who Feel Like Real People 59:00 What 30 Years in the Industry Has Taught Her 1:03:00 Why Great Writing Can Become Timeless If you're a screenwriter, filmmaker, film student or simply obsessed with understanding how Indian films are written, there's a lot to steal from this conversation. Subscribe to Breakdown Besties for screenwriting breakdowns, film analysis and conversations with writers and filmmakers about how stories actually get made. #AnuraadhaTewari #Fashion #Screenwriting #PriyankaChopra #MadhurBhandarkar #Bollywood #Screenwriter #BreakdownBesties

    E32: Being in the Business of Immortality | Fashion Screenwriter Anuraadha Tewari

  4. Oct 2

    E31: Wake Up Sid FOOLED YOU

    Wake Up Sid is often remembered as a coming-of-age film about finding yourself, growing up and figuring out what you want from life. But structurally, there’s something much more interesting happening underneath. In this episode of Breakdown Besties, we break down Wake Up Sid as a screenwriting case study, looking at Sid’s Hero’s Journey, Aisha’s parallel character arc, the film’s theme of independence, and the point where its coming-of-age story starts competing with its romance. We also examine why Sid’s transformation feels unusually easy, how the film uses supporting characters to help him grow, and whether Wake Up Sid is trying to combine two different genres. Then we get into the craft: logline, Hero’s Journey, character creation, thematic storytelling, scene construction, contradiction, callbacks, mini-arcs, meet-cute, romantic tropes and coming-of-age conventions. Written by Ayan Mukerji, with dialogues by Niranjan Iyengar, Wake Up Sid stars Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma. In this episode, we break down: How to write a coming-of-age character arcSid's Hero's JourneyAisha's parallel Hero's JourneyWhy Sid's ordeal is missingHow to build a strong film themeCharacter creation and character flawsHow supporting characters help a protagonist growWhy the romance feels separate from Sid's coming-of-age journeyHow to use contradiction in scenesHow callbacks show character progressionHow mini-arcs workHow Wake Up Sid uses and subverts romance tropesThe meet-cute and “clocking” tropesHow coming-of-age films make characters see beyond themselves Chapters 00:00 Wake Up Sid: India's Coming-of-Age Film 02:10 How to Write a Strong Logline 05:30 Sid's Hero's Journey Begins 11:29 Sid Meets His Mentor 13:13 Crossing the Threshold: Sid Leaves Home 15:34 Why Sid's Hero's Journey Doesn't Fully Work 18:50 When Aisha's Story Takes Over 21:19 Sid's Resurrection and Ending 24:30 Why Wake Up Sid Feels Like Two Movies 33:32 The Theme: Do You Have to Be Lonely to Be Independent? 36:21 How to Write Romantic Tension Without Romance 38:55 Scene Craft: Using Contradiction 42:22 How Callbacks Show Character Growth 47:50 Character Creation: Building Sid and His Foils 57:48 Wake Up Sid's Romance & Coming-of-Age Tropes

    E31: Wake Up Sid FOOLED YOU

  5. Sep 25

    E30: SALMAN KHAN is the only REAL SUPERHERO. Bhavesh Joshi shows you why

    Why are Indian heroes so often written like superheroes? In this Bhavesh Joshi Superhero screenwriting breakdown, Ananya and Akshay look at how Vikramaditya Motwane's film uses the grammar of superhero movies to tell a much more grounded Indian vigilante story. The film was written by Vikramaditya Motwane, Anurag Kashyap and Abhay Koranne, and stars Harshvardhan Kapoor, Priyanshu Painyuli and Ashish Verma. We break down Bhavesh Joshi Superhero from a screenwriting perspective, including: Why Bhavesh Joshi works as a vigilante film rather than a traditional superhero movieHow the film uses superhero tropes such as secret identities, masks, hideouts and trainingWhy the film has two separate Hero's JourneysHow Bhavesh Joshi's death becomes Sikandar's call to actionThe film's central theme: how long should you fight for what's right?How Bhavesh, Sikandar and Rajat represent different responses to systemic corruptionWhy the second half struggles to maintain emotional investmentHow to create a compelling antagonist system through specific charactersWhy making your vigilante physically vulnerable makes the world feel more believableHow the opening sequence establishes the promise of a superhero movieHow intercutting creates tensionHow callbacks, investigations and visual storytelling communicate character changeIf you're a screenwriter, filmmaker, film student or anyone trying to understand story structure, this episode breaks down the actual mechanics behind the film rather than simply reviewing whether it works. Who wrote Bhavesh Joshi Superhero? Bhavesh Joshi Superhero was written by Vikramaditya Motwane, Anurag Kashyap and Abhay Koranne. Who directed Bhavesh Joshi Superhero? The film was directed by Vikramaditya Motwane. Who stars in Bhavesh Joshi Superhero? The film stars Harshvardhan Kapoor, Priyanshu Painyuli and Ashish Verma. Is Bhavesh Joshi Superhero a superhero movie? The film is better understood as a vigilante story using superhero conventions. The breakdown looks at why that distinction matters to the film's writing and world-building. What can screenwriters learn from Bhavesh Joshi Superhero? The film offers useful examples of Hero's Journey structure, character arcs, thematic character webs, genre tropes, world-building, action writing, intercutting and visual storytelling. Chapters 00:00 Why India Doesn't Make Vigilante Movies 07:59 How to Write a Strong Logline 12:04 Bhavesh Joshi's Hero's Journey 24:20 Sikandar's Hero's Journey 33:22 The Theme: How Long Should You Fight for What's Right? 38:37 How Characters Can Represent a Theme 43:03 Why the Villains Don't Work 46:28 Why Bhavesh Joshi's Death Matters 49:05 Superhero Tropes: Masks, Training & Secret Identities 56:02 How to Make a Vigilante Feel Real 58:25 How Intercutting Creates Tension 01:00:19 Why the Opening Scene Works

    E30: SALMAN KHAN is the only REAL SUPERHERO. Bhavesh Joshi shows you why

  6. Sep 18

    E29: Your LOVE story needs HATE. Veer-Zaara shows you why

    Veer-Zaara is one of Bollywood’s great epic romances, but what makes the film work at the screenplay level? In Episode 28 of the Breakdown Besties Podcast, Ananya and Akshay break down Veer-Zaara scene by scene to understand how the film constructs a 22-year love story around separation, sacrifice, yearning and the India-Pakistan conflict. The film’s story, screenplay and dialogues were written by Aditya Chopra, with Yash Chopra directing. The central cast includes Shah Rukh Khan as Veer, Preity Zinta as Zaara, and Rani Mukerji as Samia Siddiqui. We look at the film through a screenwriter’s lens, including: How the Hero’s Journey works for Veer and ZaaraHow Akshay maps a second Hero’s Journey through Rani Mukerji’s SamiaWhy the film’s theme is built around sacrifice and enduring loveHow Zaara functions as the film’s thematic characterRomance tropes including meet-cute, forced proximity, common task, yearning, rain and meeting the parentsHow the India-Pakistan relationship creates the film’s central story engineUsing contrast to make Veer’s transformation from young, happy man to prisoner land emotionallyHow to control the level of information given to characters versus the audienceTrigger mounting as a way of breaking through a character’s resistanceHow ticking clocks create tensionUsing misdirection without cheating the audienceHow callbacks can show that a relationship or character has remained emotionally consistentHow to create deeper characters by revealing contradictory sides of themUsing moral choices to reveal characterHow to push a protagonist against a wall and then subvert audience expectationsIf you're a screenwriter, filmmaker, or simply obsessed with figuring out why Bollywood movies work, this episode is a practical screenplay breakdown of one of Hindi cinema's most enduring romances. Watch the episode, then rewatch Veer-Zaara and see how many of these techniques you can spot yourself. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: FCT5MI3FDC2OAG28

    E29: Your LOVE story needs HATE. Veer-Zaara shows you why

  7. Sep 11

    E28: YJHD is broken. It's two films. Theme makes it one movie.

    Screenwriter resources survey: https://forms.gle/vVFKJ6qdfAyCvF2A9 Why does Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani still work 13 years later? In this episode, we break down the screenplay, Hero's Journey, character arcs, rom-com tropes, theme, dialogue, subtext and scene construction behind Ayan Mukerji's 2013 coming-of-age film. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani is one of those films that looks deceptively simple. Four friends, a trek, a wedding, a love story, a few years apart. But underneath all the Udaipur weddings, mountain shots and suspiciously energetic young people, there is a lot going on structurally. In Episode 27 of the Breakdown Besties Podcast, Ananya and Akshay break down Ayan Mukerji's Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani from a screenwriter's perspective. We look at why the film can almost be understood as two coming-of-age films connected by one thematic question, how its two protagonists have different emotional journeys, and why the film works so well despite having relatively little conventional plot. We also get into the film's Hero's Journey, logline, coming-of-age and rom-com tropes, character development, scene construction, misdirection, callbacks, subtext, dialogue writing and thematic storytelling. And yes, we have opinions about the opening dialogue. In this episode, you'll learn: How to write a useful logline using flaw, goal, conflict and stakes Why Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani can be viewed as two separate coming-of-age stories How Naina and Bunny have different Hero's Journeys Why emotional progression matters even when a protagonist doesn't have an obvious external goal How songs can carry structural beats in an Indian commercial film How rom-com tropes such as the meet-cute, clocking, common task and transgressive touch create romantic tension How characters can exchange ideologies through conversation How to use objects and elements of the world to create action and conflict How misdirection can prevent a romantic storyline from becoming predictable Why callbacks are useful for showing how a relationship has changed How to deepen a character without making them passive How a foil can expose your protagonist's flaws How dialogue becomes memorable when characters have strong points of view How metaphor can turn an abstract feeling into a memorable line How subtext lets characters communicate what they can't say directly Why Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani had a cultural impact beyond its story The discussion also gets into one of the film's biggest thematic questions: Can you have a life of freedom and a life of stability, or does choosing one mean giving up the other? And, perhaps more importantly for writers, does the film actually answer that question convincingly?

    E28: YJHD is broken. It's two films. Theme makes it one movie.

  8. Sep 4

    E27: Chhichhore Should Be An Adult Film. The Characters Are Why It Isn’t

    Screenwriter resources survey: https://forms.gle/vVFKJ6qdfAyCvF2A9 What makes Chhichhore work as a screenplay? In this episode of the Breakdown Besties Podcast, we break down Nitesh Tiwari, Nikhil Mehrotra and Piyush Gupta's Chhichhore from a screenwriting perspective, looking at the story structure, character development, comedy writing, ensemble cast, theme, conflict and world building. We get into why the film's simple logline works, how its Hero's Journey is structured, how comedy uses techniques like the rule of three and callbacks, and why the writers introduce their ensemble characters gradually instead of throwing everyone at the audience at once. We also look at one of the film's central dramatic questions: Who is a loser? And how Chhichhore keeps answering that question throughout the story. If you're a screenwriter, filmmaker, aspiring writer or simply someone who wants to understand why Bollywood films work, this breakdown gives you practical screenwriting lessons you can apply to your own scripts. In this episode:How to build a strong loglineFinding flaw, goal, conflict and stakesThe Hero's Journey in ChhichhoreHow the film establishes its central themeUsing conflict to reveal characterShow vs. tell in character writingContradictions that make characters feel humanThe Rule of Three in comedyHow callbacks strengthen relationshipsDifferent levels of comedy and why "stupid" humour can workHow to introduce an ensemble cast efficientlyCharacter entry sequences and economical storytellingIntercutting two timelines for emotional and thematic payoffBuilding an authentic college world through lived experience and researchUsing tone as a constraint in screenwritingChapters00:00 The comedy techniques that make Chhichhore work 01:34 Chhichhore and why its humour resonates 01:56 The logline: finding the film's central story 03:54 Breaking down Chhichhore's logline 06:01 The stakes behind the "loser" tag 06:37 The Hero's Journey begins 09:22 Multiple calls to action 18:45 Reward, failure and the final Hero's Journey beats 20:42 The theme: Who is a loser? 29:13 The three levels of comedy 30:27 Rule of Three and callbacks 31:40 Using conflict to reveal a character 50:15 How to introduce an ensemble cast 1:02:20 Why the two timelines work 1:02:42 Building a believable world 1:03:17 Lived experience, research and tone 1:04:49 Final thoughts on Chhichhore

    E27: Chhichhore Should Be An Adult Film. The Characters Are Why It Isn’t
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About

A screenwriting classroom experience for Bollywood screenwriters: analysing and studying the screenwriting techniques used on the page to make Bollywood films come alive on the screen. Welcome to the Breakdown Besties Podcast! We're your hosts, Akshay and Ananya, two Bollywood screenwriters having written shows like Mismatched, Inside Edge, Wedding.con, Rana Naidu, Ishq in the Air, and Grahan, amongst others. Every week, we break down films to examine the screenwriting techniques used to make iconic Bollywood films... well, iconic. We cover logline construction, hero's journey breakdown, scene and dialogue analysis, plot and theme, and other craft devices. Just like you would in a screenwriting classroom. Once you're done listening to the episode, rewatch the movie, now noting how the techniques used on the page come alive on the screen. And know that you're now one step closer to being a professional-level screenwriter. Questions? Suggestions? Ideas? Shoot 'em to us at breakdownbesties@gmail.com In case of a breakdown, your besties are right here for you!

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