Hindi
Hollywood readies for writer’s strike
MUMBAI: With the clock ticking over and time running out, studios are stockpiling projects to avoid suspension of work.Hollywood writers are poised to strike work by 31 October if their list of demands are not met with.
Their existing 3-year contract with producers ends 31 October, so 1 November could be day one of the strike.
The Writers Guild Of America (WGA) is demanding a doubling of the pay they receive from the sales of DVD, raising minimum pay for writers and in addition a share of income from programmes streamlined on Internet by TV networks.
The strike could have a major impact as a municipal study indicates a loss of $6.9 billion to the economy of Los Angeles city alone.
Closer home, the film writers in India are also a discontented lot and are in complete support of their Hollywood counterparts.
Here, there are two bodies representing the fraternity – the Film Writers Association (FWA) was formed in 1954 while the Writers Society of India (WSI) has been in existence since the last five years.
The WSI was a body formed to protect writers‘ interests on the issue of royalties, something which the FWA, being governed by the Trade Union Act, could not address. 
Till 1950, in every film producing company, a director and writer were permanent employees. That‘s why till then, there didn‘t arise any need for an association of either directors or writers.
Soon after the contract system was introduced with directors and writers, the old relationships between writers and directors began to crack, leading ultimately to disputes between producers and directors as well as between directors and writers.
The director could no longer work with the writer of his choice nor could a writer offer his creation to the director of his liking.
Writer cum director Anurag Basu says, “Indian writers are underpaid and not respected within the film fraternity. Very few writers get their due. The whole community of producers spends time and energy on actors not writers. This thought process is very warped. First they find the actors, then directors and then writers. One can get a good script only if one finds a good writer. If a writer is better paid he will have a sense of security. This in turn will give the industry good scripts.
“Even when one goes to any film awards function it is noticeable that writers are neglected and they are not included in the prime category. I surely support the demands of the Hollywood writers and am looking forward to the day Indian film writers get their due respect.”
Writers in the film industry are keenly watching the on-going battle in Hollywood as they feel that the outcome could in a way affect their future.
Ved Rahi, Secretary of the Film Writers Association is in total support of the strike and says, “We are aware of the strike and are in complete support of their demands. Though we are not actively doing anything about it, we are in solidarity with them. Alas, if we too could go on a similar strike here.”
Ved Rahi, who has penned nearly 30 film scripts, adds that the biggest issue for writers is that of Royalty. “At any given point of time I see at least one of my films being telecast. And I am not paid a rupee by way of Royalty. When we can‘t get Royalty, forget demanding for rights from sales of DVDs. Even the law is not on our side. We need a strong voice to make a representation in Parliament. Unfortunately, this has been our weakness. The FWA has over 7,000 members. Every year we resolve many disputes. In fact, very recently, when both the story and dialogue writers of Nanhe Jaisalmer were not paid, we intervened and they were paid Rs 2.5 lakhs (Rs 2,50,000) by the producer though there was no written contract.”
To protect the rights of the writer is the first directive in the FWA Constitution. The members are seeking an amendment in order to include rights by way of Royalty. Rahi says, “We are not organized enough to opt for written contracts which would protect our rights. Moreover with the corporate culture coming in, some writers are being paid astronomical fees but without receiving any credits. And in addition they are made to sign a contract relinquishing all their rights. In fact the time has come for us to learn a lesson from Hollywood.
A minimum wage structure does exist even for film writers in India but it can be brought into force only in a dispute. If it is proved that a producer has not paid the writer, then he is made to pay according to the minimum wages stipulated in the Act.
It is only a matter of a day before the fate of writers in Hollywood is to be decided, but the murmurs of discontent amongst their Indian counterparts may soon turn into a roar.
In a music industry that often rewards speed, spectacle, and instant recall, Navjot Ahuja’s journey feels refreshingly different. His story is not built on noise. It is built on patience, discipline, emotional honesty, and a quiet commitment to becoming better with every passing year. After 14 years of struggle, learning, performing, and writing, Navjot stands today as an artist whose success has not changed his centre. If anything, it has only made his purpose clearer.
For Navjot, music has never been about chasing fame alone. It has always been about expression. It is about writing more truthfully, singing more skillfully, understanding himself more deeply, and becoming a kinder human being in the process. That rare clarity is what gives his journey its beauty.
Where It All Began: A Writer Before a Singer
Indian singer and songwriter Navjot Ahuja’s musical journey began in the most familiar of places: school assemblies. But even then, what was growing inside him was not only the desire to sing. It was the need to write.
Long before he saw himself as a performer, he had already discovered the emotional release that writing offered him. For Navjot, words became the first true channel for feeling. Songwriting came before singing because writing was the only way he could let emotions flow through him fully. That inner pull shaped his artistic identity early on.
Like many young musicians, he sharpened his craft by creating renditions of popular songs.
Those experiments became his training ground. But the turning point came in 2012, when he wrote his first original song. That moment did not just mark the beginning of songwriting. It marked the beginning of self-definition.
A Calling He Did Not Chase, But Accepted
What makes the latest Indian singer-songwriter Navjot’s story especially compelling is the way he describes his relationship with music. He does not frame it as a career he aggressively pursued. In his own understanding, music was not something he chose. It was something that chose him.
There was a time when he imagined a very different future for himself. He wanted to become a successful engineer, like many young people shaped by ambition and conventional expectations. But life had a different script waiting for him. During his college years, around 2021, music entered his life professionally and began taking a firmer shape.
That shift was not driven by image-building or industry ambition. It came from acceptance. Navjot embraced the fact that music had claimed him in a way no other path could. That sense of surrender continues to define the artist he is today.
An Artist Guided by Instinct, Not Influence
Unlike many singers who speak openly about idols, icons, and musical role models, Navjot’s creative world is built differently. He does not believe his music comes from imitation or inherited influence. He listens inward.
He has never considered himself shaped by ideals in the traditional sense. In fact, he admits that he does not particularly enjoy listening to songs, especially his own. His decisions as a songwriter and singer come from instinct. He writes what feels right. He trusts what his inner voice tells him. He positions his music according to what he honestly believes in, not what trends demand.
That creative independence gives his work a distinct emotional sincerity. His songs do not feel calculated. They feel alive.
The Long Years of Invisible Struggle
Every artist carries a chapter of struggle, and Navjot’s was long, demanding, and deeply formative. One of the biggest challenges he faced was building continuity as the best new indian singer songwriter in an era where musical collaboration is increasingly fluid.
For emerging singers, especially those trying to build with a band, consistency can be difficult. Instrumentalists today have more opportunities than ever to freelance and perform with multiple artists. While that growth is positive and well deserved, it can make things harder for singers who are still trying to establish a steady team and sound around their work.
For Navjot, one of the most difficult phases came during 2021 and 2022, when he was doing club shows almost every day. It was a period of relentless performance, but not always personal fulfillment. He was largely singing covers because clubs were not open to original songs that audiences did not yet know.
For a new Indian singer and songwriter, that can be a painful compromise. To perform constantly and still not have the freedom to share your own voice requires not just resilience, but restraint.
“Khat” and the Grace of Staying Unchanged
After 14 years of effort, Navjot’s new love song Khat became a defining milestone. Professionally, he acknowledges that the song changed how society viewed him as a musician. It strengthened his place in the public eye and altered his standing in meaningful ways.
Yet personally, he remains unchanged.
That is perhaps the most striking part of his story. Navjot says his routine is still the same. His calm is still the same. His writing process is still the same. He does not want success or failure to interfere with the purity of his art. For him, emotional detachment from public outcomes is essential because the moment an artist becomes too attached to validation, the writing begins to shift.
His joy comes not from numbers, but from the attempt. If he has tried to improve his skill today, if he has written his heart out more honestly than before, then he is at peace.
Growth, Not Glory, Remains the Real Goal
Even now, Navjot is not consumed by labels such as singles artist, performer, or digital success story. His focus remains deeply personal. He wants to sing better. He wants to play instruments better. He wants to understand himself more. And he wants to become a kinder person.
That is what makes Navjot Ahuja’s journey so moving. It is not simply the story of a musician finding recognition. It is the story of an artist who continues to grow inward, even as the world begins to look outward at him. In an age obsessed with applause, Navjot reminds us that the most meaningful success often begins in silence, honesty, and the courage to remain true to oneself.
