The Indian entertainment industry certainly has no dearth of talent. While there have been actors who have helmed films and shows as directors, there have also been some stars who at times sung their way to top the charts. However, there has always been a skewed but extraordinary league of actors who have been excellent writers. To start with, Kader Khan, whose pen did much more wonders than his immensely successful on-screen avatars. From powerful dialogues to unforgettable classics, he wrote it all while portraying characters that made us cry, laugh and even hate. As a matter of fact, Bollywood is still home to a few actors who are amazing writers, and have even written their own films. Take a look.
Zeishan Quadri
Ace Bollywood director-filmmaker Anurag Kashyap recently revealed on the Kapil Sharma show that it’s Zeishan Quadri who should be credited for Gangs of Wasseypur. This iconic film starring critically acclaimed actors such as Manoj Bajpai, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and many others, was written by Zeishan, who himself played the character of Definite in the blockbuster. In fact he was persistent on the film being made with him in it, as in his own words, it had his experiences from his hometown – Wasseypur.
Sudhanshu Rai
The next name in the list is that of Sudhanshu Rai, a popular storyteller who surprised his fans when he made his acting and directorial debut with Chaipatti. The storyteller-actor recently announced a Bollywood film written by himself, which is expected to be a sci-fi psychological thriller. The film based on an unconventional plot includes actors such as Sourabh Raaj Jain, Hiten Tejwani, Shobhit Sujay and Manisha Sharma, among others, in pivotal roles. His other works in the past as an actor-filmmaker – Detective Boomrah and Chintaa Mani – have received rave reviews for their unique concepts.
Kalki Koechlin
Kalki rose to fame as an actor in Anurag’s Kashyap’s one the best works- Dev D, a modern take on Devdas. Her acting was lauded not just by the audience but the critics too. Having acted in noted films like Shaitan, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Ek Thi Daayan, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, Gully Boy, she picked up the pen to write a script and That Girl in Yellow Boots was made. She also played the lead here, but has decided to focus only on acting in the future.
Konkana Sen Sharma
She made her debut with the critically acclaimed and national award winning Mr and Mrs Iyer. She paved the way for a fantastic career as an actor and each of her performances was always appreciated by the audience as well as critics. She tried her hand at writing with a short film- Naamkoron. Encouraged by the final results, she could now confidently write her feature length film- A Death In The Gunj. She also directed and the thriller went to earn innumerable critical accolades in 2016.
Salman Khan
The superstar’s popularity is unmissable, and for some years now he is everywhere- acting, dancing, hosting reality shows, and also singing a song or two. His first film as a writer was Veer, which unfortunately flopped. He was also credited for the idea of the story- Chandra-Mukhi a film starring Sridevi, where a princess falls in love while searching for a lost leaf. It is being reported that he will possibly pick the pen again for his upcoming sequel- Kick 2.
