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#BehindTheLens: “Screenwriting is a marathon and the misconception is that it’s a sprint,” says Black Warrant’s Satyanshu Singh

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Sakshi Sharma
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Black Warrant’s Satyanshu Singh

In this interview, showrunner of the Netflix series Black Warrant, Satyanshu Singh talks to us about the show, his long standing collaboration with Vikramaditya Motwane, and what’s it like to be in this business of screenwriting and more! 

Black Warrant has set a strong tone for 2025, quickly surprising everyone and becoming one of the most binge-worthy shows of the year. With its seven gripping episodes, it pulls you into the harsh, intricate world behind the walls of Tihar Jail, and with it's deep-rooted commentary, forcing us to confront questions about justice and morality. Based on the book by co-author Sunil Gupta, who inspired the show’s protagonist, it offers an intense portrayal of the lives of some of India’s most notorious criminals. A show that has stirred something so deep within us just by its visual appeal, imagine how the process of shooting this would have been like!

Satyanshu Singh, one of the showrunners of the show, dives into how he transformed the real-life stories from the pages of Gupta’s book into a compelling series. Singh, who co-created, wrote, and co-directed the show with Arkesh, Rohin, and Ambika, under the guidance of the David Fincher-like essence of Vikramaditya Motwane, shares his experiences, from the challenges of adaptation to working as part of a creative team. He also talks about his favorite behind-the-scenes moments, particularly the actors who surprised him.

Aside from the series, Singh is a screenwriter who also teaches workshops, striving to build a strong foundation for aspiring filmmakers. In our conversation, he sheds light on the misconceptions around screenwriting, discusses why long-form storytelling is struggling, and reflects on the legacy he’d like to leave behind in the world of cinema.

Also Read: #BehindTheLens: Jubilee's cinematographer Pratik Shah deep dives into his process, philosophy and Jubilee!

Here's what he had to share! 

You have an exciting lineup of work and a long-standing collaboration with Vikramaditya Motwane. Could you summarize how your journey has been with cinema and with him?

I’ve been fortunate that my career is so closely connected with him because my first project was Udaan, and back then, I didn’t enjoy the support of my father. I had studied to be a doctor but came to Bombay to make films. So Udaan was just the right beginning for my career and Vikram sir was the biggest champion of my film Chintu Ka Birthday which I was making with my brother. He encouraged and guided us to make short films, and learn filmmaking before we made the film. Eventually, when Chintu Ka Birthday was about to be released, he called me to be a part of Black Warrant and this was about 4 years ago and since then, I’ve enjoyed working with him. He gave me a lot of creative freedom, time, and solid feedback, made sure my spirits were safeguarded, so I could work wholeheartedly on the project. It’s been a blessing, and I’m constantly aware of it, which is why gratitude is the biggest feeling I have.

When I spoke with Pratik Shah, the Jubilee cinematographer, he mentioned that Vikramaditya reminded him of David Fincher and Black Warrant reminded me of Mindhunter. Do you think there’s a similarity?

We did discuss Mindhunter around the time when we started working on Black Warrant. It’s quite an intense show, and we thought ours could be similar because Vikram sir and I had both watched the show around that time. I totally get why Pratik compares Vikram sir to David Fincher. But as we wrote and shot Black Warrant, we increasingly felt it had to be more accessible than Mindhunter because we have this huge Indian market, and the story is so relevant it has to reach the masses because it is a very meaningful series. Hence, in the end, we hoped we struck a balance between meaningful content that is also extremely entertaining. But as far as the technique and mastery of craft are concerned, I completely get the comparison between Vikram Motwane and David Fincher.

The show is based on a book featuring real people and stories. How was the process of translating factual content to fiction? Did you face any hurdles, and did any myths about adapting real-life stories get busted?

A lot of hurdles, but the thing with adaptation is that every one is unique. What you learn from one adaptation might not be useful as it is and applied to another so you constantly have to figure out what this adapatation is going to be like. I studied about 20 books while writing this series and spent many hours talking with the real Sunil Gupta. We visited Tihar twice and the writing process has borrowed from everywhere, including popular culture. It contains a lot of facts, dramatization, and imagination. It was an intense and complex process, but what saved us was the number of rewrites we did, with positive feedback from Vikram sir. That is what eventually led us to the final draft!

Writing is often seen as the most crucial part of filmmaking, but it’s also a solitary endeavor. What’s your writing process like? Can you share some misconceptions about screenwriting?

"You don’t need to learn writing!" Absolutely not! Writing is a craft that has to be learned, formally or informally, and it requires practice. Comparing screenwriting to other aspects of filmmaking in terms of monetary or professional returns is certanly unfair. If screenwriting should be compared, it should be to medicine, law, arts or music—it’s a marathon, and the misconception is that it's a sprint. 

I love solitude, so the solitary process works for me as I am extremely comfortable when I'm alone. Many storytellers have things that they want to say, that's why they tell stories but I don’t know if I do. Rather, I have a strong curiosity to learn so telling a story, for me, is an opportunity to do that and that’s why I enjoy the process and dive deep into the subject. Hence I don't regret spending 4 and a half years on making Black Warrant and I don't think we should've made it in 2 years because the time spent on making this show was absolutely worth it as it gave me the chance to learn about jails as well as the human condition in general!

The show has different directors for each episode, which is more common in the west. How do you maintain coherence despite having multiple visions at play?

Just as a director is responsible for the creative vision and execution of a feature film, it is a showrunner who oversees this for a series, and that's how they do it in the west. Vikram sir and I, we were the showrunners for Black Warrant and all the directors including us we were working towards serving that vision. It’s not easy, but it depends on how you choose the directors and the camaraderie you build with them. For instance, all the directors had a deep regard for Vikram sir’s craft which helped and my job was to ensure we grew closer not just as a team but as friends where we are there for each other. In fact the friendship between the four of us was so shared that it was visible even to the crew on the set. All of this helped us maintain coherence and it became more about understanding what was needed rather than a limited view of individual achievements. Just like how a DOP, editor and actors serve a director's vision  together, similarly, directors can all come together to serve the showrunner's vision. Once you get that, it's a lot of fun! 

The cast is getting a lot of praise. Do you have a favorite performance or is there a BTS moment with the cast that stands out?

Anurag Thakur's portrayal of Dahiya has been the biggest revelation for me. Although, personally, I really like Zahan and Sunil Gupta as a character. Anurag is very inventive as an actor who is also very good with language. He’s a Bihari, not Haryanvi, but the way he picked up the dialect and a lot of improvisations he did with his body language and little props on the set were impressive. He constantly gives you something unpredictable which was a lot of fun to witness. All I told him as brief for the character was that Dahiya is like a kid in an amusement park who wants to ride every ride, not missing on anything and he absolutely nailed that while doing his own thing! 

Black Warrant has been called one of the most bingeable shows in a long time. Why do you think it resonated so strongly with people, especially in light of the critique about the decline in long-format storytelling?

I’m pleasantly surprised by how many people are binge-watching the show. Up until about 15 days ago, I hadn’t expected this, thinking it would be more of a one-episode-at-a-time experience due to its intense nature. However, I believe the final tone we achieved, paired with the well-crafted use of music and stylish editing of the episodes, made a significant impact. That said, the primary reason for this binge-watching phenomenon seems to be the audience’s connection with the protagonist. Despite his tough journey, they believe in his ability to succeed, that at some point the hope he embodies will be asserted. And this hunger for that hope to triumph is what drives binging, even through some of the more difficult scenes. While the current feedback is mostly from industry insiders and critics, as we observe how everyday common folks respond, we’ll gain deeper insight. 

Do you think long-format storytelling is struggling?

It is and largely because there’s a mad rush to do things quickly but screenwriting isn’t something that can be rushed. It’s like cooking especially if you are making kheer, you can’t do it in 2 minutes and long-form screenwriting is like that! It takes it's own time so we need to just let it brew for a long time while staying at it every single day as writers. Unfortunately if we try to do it quickly and don’t give writing the time and support it needs, we can’t create good work ever. So my faith has been validated by this and I hope that going forward we, as an industry, can give the passionate and hard working writers that kind of nurturing environment so that they can do that kind of a writing! 

As a filmmaker, what legacy do you hope to leave behind? Of all your projects, which one is your favorite?

Chintu Ka Birthday is close to my heart and so is Tamaash. But Black Warrant is where I feel I’ve manage to accomplish the most. It's also because I don’t think I’m naturally talented—it’s the education and hard work that has started to pay off. It took all of these years to arrive here with a lot of hard work, and I'm very aware of it. As long as I'm putting in the hard work, chances are, it will pay off but if I start to take it casually, my limitations will eventually defeat me.

When it comes to legacy, I don’t really think about it that way. I’m first and foremost a lover of cinema, more of a film buff than a filmmaker, and a serious student of the craft. But if there’s something I hope to leave behind, it would be the empowerment of emerging filmmakers through my work and teaching. The world constantly needs good stories, and I know I can’t do it alone. That’s why I devote a lot of my energy to encouraging and nurturing new talent. With Black Warrant, Vikram sir’s vision was to create opportunities for young, upcoming directors, and that’s something I’m incredibly proud of. Having talents like Arkesh, Rohin, and Ambika helm episodes makes me deeply happy. It’s this fostering of fresh voices that brings me the greatest pride in the making of the show! 

Since you’re a film buff, is there a recent project you watched that made you wish you were a part of it?

I watched Black Friday at the beginning of this year. It’s been a while since I last saw it, and I think it’s a very special work. It’s almost incredible how Anurag Kashyap made that film. I don’t know if I’d want to be a part of it directly because it seems like a lot of painstaking work. I don't know if I have it in me to do that but it’s definitely a project that inspires me and watching it on first few days of the year set the tone for me! 

Have you watched Black Warrant? What did you think about it? Tell us in the comments below.

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