Zeishan Quadri in conversation with Dr Nitin Upadhyay at Crime Literature Festival
By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
DEHRADUN, 15 Dec: An engaging session was held on the concluding day of the Crime Literature Festival of India in Dehradun, featuring a conversation between noted film writer and filmmaker Zeishan Quadri and Joint Director of the Uttarakhand Information Department, Dr Nitin Upadhyay. The discussion revolved around Quadri’s film projects, his creative philosophy and the depiction of crime in cinema.
Zeishan Quadri is best known as the writer of Gangs of Wasseypur Parts 1 and 2, the cult crime epic directed by Anurag Kashyap. The film’s raw and realistic dialogue, characters and socio-political setting have often been attributed to Quadri’s deep familiarity with the region and its criminal subculture.
Responding to a question by Dr Upadhyay on whether Wasseypur was a fictional location, Quadri clarified that Wasseypur is a real place near Dhanbad in Jharkhand and that he himself hails from the area. On the issue of crime glorification in films, Quadri said that cinema does not necessarily glorify crime. Referring to Gangs of Wasseypur, he pointed out that both the principal criminal characters, played by Manoj Vajpayee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, meet violent ends, adding that even the character played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui is ultimately killed by the character played by him (Quadri). Crime does not pay forever. The end is usually decisive, he remarked.
When asked whether crime and abusive language were increasingly being normalised in films, Quadri recalled that while growing up in Wasseypur, crime appeared to be a routine reality. It was only after moving to Mumbai to pursue a career in cinema that he realised a much saner world existed. He shared an anecdote in which he was stopped by a traffic policeman in Mumbai and was surprised by the officer’s polite conduct.
Quadri also observed that criminals, driven by ego, money and muscle power, often begin to believe they are more intelligent than police officers or administrators, which he said is a false assumption. He added that even in the films and crime fiction, the criminals are generally projected as having very sharp brains which is not always true. If they were truly more intelligent, they would have become IPS or IAS officers, not ended up being neutralised by the police, he said.
He stressed that crime should not be glorified and abusive language should not be used unnecessarily in the name of creative freedom.
Responding to a question by senior journalist Satish Sharma, Quadri said that he does intend to return to direction. He also revealed that he is currently working on a book on African tribes.
Sharing his experience as a participant in Bigg Boss, Quadri said that contrary to popular perception, his experience on the show was not unpleasant, as fellow participants treated him well and avoided conflicts with him.
Quadri also underlined that writers often do not receive due credit or agency in the filmmaking process. He asserted that Indian cinema must restore the central role of the writer, particularly in crime and political dramas, where authenticity and depth are essential.
