Meet Shuchi Dwivedi | Screenwriter & Lawyer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shuchi Dwivedi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shuchi, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk comes from fear of the unknown. We take risks every day, whenever we make a choice whose outcome is unknown we take a risk. And we are able to do that because of one constant factor, ourselves. For me, taking risks is betting on myself. In a world of unknowns, I choose to bet on the one known, myself. After all, if I don’t bet on myself who else will?

Before becoming a screenwriter I used to be a criminal lawyer. It was a challenging job and I loved every second of it. I had an incredible boss/mentor who pushed me to get out of my comfort zone and that is the work ethic that got me where I am today, as a screenwriter at AFI. As I was heading for my 4th year as a lawyer, there was a part of me that still felt restricted in creativity. I spoke to my mentor about this and he encouraged me to give myself a chance. I could always come back to a career. So I decided to not live in what ifs and moved to Mumbai to pursue a career as a screenwriter. I started out by assisting the prolific Abbas Dalal and Hussain Dalal in India and soon enough started writing my own bits.

I have realised that I’m allergic to comfort. whenever I start feeling intellectually comfortable, I know I am doing something wrong. I am not pushing myself enough. In India, I loved assisting and working with other writers but I knew I wanted more. I wanted to have my own Writers Room, where I am able to tell stories that matter to me and that speak to an audience and that required an inside-out understanding of the story. So I decided to pack my bags and came to LA to learn from the best, The American Film Institute. And I finally feel like I am on the right path.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a screenwriter, with a background in criminal law and I love getting deep into the psyche of the character. Writing well-defined characters is my biggest strong suit. I’m currently finishing my feature film, which is a love story about a Pakistani man and an Indian woman and the baggage of their historical past. I love exploring honest characters caught in a dishonest world and it’s a cherry on top if these are South Asian characters.

I think of challenges as character-building tools, when I first moved to America it was difficult for me to get my stories across to an audience, because of a lack of familiarity. While there is a huge push for underrepresented voices to come to the forefront, these voices have to mould themselves in a way that is palatable to the majority. And while this did bump me a little, I decided to double down on my work and started looking for themes with universal resonance. Now I try to research my audience and try to talk to them in a manner they will understand my stories. This has been extremely helpful to me while pitching as well.

As a writer, I truly believe that movies are our collective memory and it matters what we put out in the world. I am deeply cognizant of that while I write my characters.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am a big coffee and breakfast person, so I would first up take them to Friends and Family on Hollywood. Then we might go to Grand Central Market for some lunch. We will then check out the Broad and the Museum of Contemporary Art. For dinner and drinks, I would love to take them to Dan Sung Sa in Koreatown.

I think considering my schedule I would only have one day to spare.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The idea of individual success is flawed. Behind every minor success, there are tons of people having your back. My mother fought to be financially and emotionally independent, in a time when it was not a norm for women to be working in India. She has always set the bar really high for me and I’m grateful for it.

My peers back in India, whose brilliance and excellence motivate me to do better. My former boss and a proficient lawyer Mr Singh, who told me fear is nothing but a lack of knowledge, so go ahead and educate yourself. My wonderful husband, who is forced to read all my crappy drafts and deal with my anxieties but somehow continues to believe in me. The perils of love.

Life like movies is all about collaboration and people and had it not been for these wonderful people in my life, I wouldn’t have the audacity to dream big.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shuchi_dwivedi/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shuchi-dwivedi-5b5456149/