'Dry Day,' 'Mithya': Films written by actor-director Saurabh Shukla
You possibly best know Saurabh Shukla as the hilarious judge Sunderlal Tripathi from Jolly LLB or as Amrish Puri's aide Pandurang from Nayak: The Real Hero. Shukla—who is the directors' go-to choice to portray memorable supporting characters—is celebrating his 61st birthday on Tuesday. Did you know that apart from his acting prowess, he's also known for his flair for the pen? Take a look.
'Satya'
Shukla both co-wrote and starred in Ram Gopal Varma's genre-defining cult classic Satya, headlined by Manoj Bajpayee, JD Chakravarthy, and Urmila Matondkar. He once shared, "[Varma] told me he wants me to write it and if I didn't write it, then I was not going to be a part of the film as Kallu Mama...That's how I came into the writing team."
'Mithya'
The experience of working on Satya would have come in handy to Shukla while writing Mithya, which revolves around the life of a supporting actor in Bollywood who is, unfortunately, a doppelganger of a dreaded Mumbai-based don. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video and YouTube, it features a large ensemble cast comprising Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey, Naseeruddin Shah, Shukla, Neha Dhupia, and Brijendra Kala.
'Fatso!'
Co-starring Gul Panag, Purab Kohli, Neil Bhoopalam, and Shorey, it circles five close friends who navigate life's rigamaroles together. IMDb describes it as, "Killed too soon due to a clerical error in heaven, a man is sent back to earth with a new lease on life, this time in the body of his portly friend." It was directed by actor-director Rajat Kapoor.
'Dry Day'
Shukla's most recent screenwriting work was in the form of Jitendra Kumar-Shriya Pilgaonkar's Dry Day, which premiered on Amazon Prime Video in December 2023. Shukla also directed this satire based on the way rampant alcoholism uproots families, especially in underdeveloped areas. Talking to ANI, Shukla said before the release, "There's a social message attached to it. One will definitely learn something from the film."
