Breakdown Besties Podcast

A screenwriting classroom experience for aspiring Bollywood screenwriters. Analysing and studying the screenwriting techniques used on the page to make Bollywood films come alive on the screen. Welcome to the Breakdown Besties Podcast! We're your hosts, Akshay and Ananya, two Bollywood screenwriters having written shows like Mismatched, Inside Edge, Wedding.con, Rana Naidu, Ishq in the Air, and Grahan, amongst others. Every Thursday, we breakdown films to examine the screenwriting techniques used to make iconic Bollywood films... well, iconic. We cover logline construction, hero's journey breakdown, scene and dialogue analysis, plot and theme, and other craft devices. Just like you would in a screenwriting classroom. Once you're done listening to the episode, rewatch the movie, now noting how the techniques used on the page come alive on the screen. And know that you're now one step closer to being a professional-level screenwriter. <br

Breakdown Besties Podcast is a tv podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 29 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts Breakdown Besties Podcast, a tv show with 29 episodes published.

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  Episode #30

  E29: SALMAN KHAN is the only REAL SUPERHERO. Bhavesh Joshi shows you why

  Sep 25, 20261h 12m

  Why are Indian heroes so often written like superheroes? In this Bhavesh Joshi Superhero screenwriting breakdown , Ananya and Akshay look at how Vikramaditya Motwane's film uses the grammar of superhero movies to tell a much more grounded Indian vigilante story . The film was written by Vikramaditya Motwane, Anurag Kashyap and Abhay Koranne , and stars Harshvardhan Kapoor, Priyanshu Painyuli and Ashish Verma . We break down Bhavesh Joshi Superhero from a screenwriting perspective, including: Why Bhavesh Joshi works as a vigilante film rather than a traditional superhero movie How the film uses superhero tropes such as secret identities, masks, hideouts and training Why the film has two separate Hero's Journeys How Bhavesh Joshi's death becomes Sikandar's call to action The film's central theme: how long should you fight for what's right? How Bhavesh, Sikandar and Rajat represent different responses to systemic corruption Why the second half struggles to maintain emotional investment How to create a compelling antagonist system through specific characters Why making your vigilante physically vulnerable makes the world feel more believable How the opening sequence establishes the promise of a superhero movie How intercutting creates tension How callbacks, investigations and visual storytelling communicate character change If you're a screenwriter, filmmaker, film student or anyone trying to understand story structure , this episode breaks down the actual mechanics behind the film rather than simply reviewing whether it works. Who wrote Bhavesh Joshi Superhero? Bhavesh Joshi Superhero was written by Vikramaditya Motwane, Anurag Kashyap and Abhay Koranne . Who directed Bhavesh Joshi Superhero? The film was directed by Vikramaditya Motwane . Who stars in Bhavesh Joshi Superhero? The film stars Harshvardhan Kapoor, Priyanshu Painyuli and Ashish Verma . Is Bhavesh Joshi Superhero a superhero movie? The film is better understood as a vigilante story using superhero conventions . The breakdown looks at why that distinction matters to the film's writing and world-building. What can screenwriters learn from Bhavesh Joshi Superhero? The film offers useful examples of Hero's Journey structure, character arcs, thematic character webs, genre tropes, world-building, action writing, intercutting and visual storytelling . Chapters 00:00 Why India Doesn't Make Vigilante Movies 07:59 How to Write a Strong Logline 12:04 Bhavesh Joshi's Hero's Journey 24:20 Sikandar's Hero's Journey 33:22 The Theme: How Long Should You Fight for What's Right? 38:37 How Characters Can Represent a Theme 43:03 Why the Villains Don't Work 46:28 Why Bhavesh Joshi's Death Matters 49:05 Superhero Tropes: Masks, Training & Secret Identities 56:02 How to Make a Vigilante Feel Real 58:25 How Intercutting Creates Tension 01:00:19 Why the Opening Scene Works

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  Breakdown Besties Podcast

  E28: Your romance is FAILING. Veer-Zaara shows you why

  Sep 18, 20261h 6m

  Veer-Zaara is one of Bollywood’s great epic romances, but what makes the film work at the screenplay level? In Episode 28 of the Breakdown Besties Podcast, Ananya and Akshay break down Veer-Zaara scene by scene to understand how the film constructs a 22-year love story around separation, sacrifice, yearning and the India-Pakistan conflict. The film’s story, screenplay and dialogues were written by Aditya Chopra , with Yash Chopra directing. The central cast includes Shah Rukh Khan as Veer , Preity Zinta as Zaara , and Rani Mukerji as Samia Siddiqui . We look at the film through a screenwriter’s lens, including: How the Hero’s Journey works for Veer and Zaara How Akshay maps a second Hero’s Journey through Rani Mukerji’s Samia Why the film’s theme is built around sacrifice and enduring love How Zaara functions as the film’s thematic character Romance tropes including meet-cute, forced proximity, common task, yearning, rain and meeting the parents How the India-Pakistan relationship creates the film’s central story engine Using contrast to make Veer’s transformation from young, happy man to prisoner land emotionally How to control the level of information given to characters versus the audience Trigger mounting as a way of breaking through a character’s resistance How ticking clocks create tension Using misdirection without cheating the audience How callbacks can show that a relationship or character has remained emotionally consistent How to create deeper characters by revealing contradictory sides of them Using moral choices to reveal character How to push a protagonist against a wall and then subvert audience expectations If you're a screenwriter, filmmaker, or simply obsessed with figuring out why Bollywood movies work, this episode is a practical screenplay breakdown of one of Hindi cinema's most enduring romances. Watch the episode, then rewatch Veer-Zaara and see how many of these techniques you can spot yourself. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: FCT5MI3FDC2OAG28

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  Breakdown Besties Podcast

  E27: YJHD is broken. It's two films. Theme makes it one movie.

  Sep 11, 20261h 28m

  Screenwriter resources survey: https://forms.gle/vVFKJ6qdfAyCvF2A9 Why does Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani still work 13 years later? In this episode, we break down the screenplay, Hero's Journey, character arcs, rom-com tropes, theme, dialogue, subtext and scene construction behind Ayan Mukerji's 2013 coming-of-age film. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani is one of those films that looks deceptively simple. Four friends, a trek, a wedding, a love story, a few years apart. But underneath all the Udaipur weddings, mountain shots and suspiciously energetic young people, there is a lot going on structurally. In Episode 27 of the Breakdown Besties Podcast, Ananya and Akshay break down Ayan Mukerji's Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani from a screenwriter's perspective. We look at why the film can almost be understood as two coming-of-age films connected by one thematic question, how its two protagonists have different emotional journeys, and why the film works so well despite having relatively little conventional plot. We also get into the film's Hero's Journey, logline, coming-of-age and rom-com tropes, character development, scene construction, misdirection, callbacks, subtext, dialogue writing and thematic storytelling. And yes, we have opinions about the opening dialogue. In this episode, you'll learn: How to write a useful logline using flaw, goal, conflict and stakes Why Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani can be viewed as two separate coming-of-age stories How Naina and Bunny have different Hero's Journeys Why emotional progression matters even when a protagonist doesn't have an obvious external goal How songs can carry structural beats in an Indian commercial film How rom-com tropes such as the meet-cute, clocking, common task and transgressive touch create romantic tension How characters can exchange ideologies through conversation How to use objects and elements of the world to create action and conflict How misdirection can prevent a romantic storyline from becoming predictable Why callbacks are useful for showing how a relationship has changed How to deepen a character without making them passive How a foil can expose your protagonist's flaws How dialogue becomes memorable when characters have strong points of view How metaphor can turn an abstract feeling into a memorable line How subtext lets characters communicate what they can't say directly Why Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani had a cultural impact beyond its story The discussion also gets into one of the film's biggest thematic questions: Can you have a life of freedom and a life of stability, or does choosing one mean giving up the other? And, perhaps more importantly for writers, does the film actually answer that question convincingly?

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  Episode #26

  E26: Chhichhore Should Be An Adult Film. The Characters Are Why It Isn’t

  Sep 4, 20261h 6m

  Screenwriter resources survey: https://forms.gle/vVFKJ6qdfAyCvF2A9 What makes Chhichhore work as a screenplay? In this episode of the Breakdown Besties Podcast , we break down Nitesh Tiwari, Nikhil Mehrotra and Piyush Gupta's Chhichhore from a screenwriting perspective, looking at the story structure, character development, comedy writing, ensemble cast, theme, conflict and world building. We get into why the film's simple logline works, how its Hero's Journey is structured, how comedy uses techniques like the rule of three and callbacks , and why the writers introduce their ensemble characters gradually instead of throwing everyone at the audience at once. We also look at one of the film's central dramatic questions: Who is a loser? And how Chhichhore keeps answering that question throughout the story. If you're a screenwriter, filmmaker, aspiring writer or simply someone who wants to understand why Bollywood films work, this breakdown gives you practical screenwriting lessons you can apply to your own scripts. In this episode: How to build a strong logline Finding flaw, goal, conflict and stakes The Hero's Journey in Chhichhore How the film establishes its central theme Using conflict to reveal character Show vs. tell in character writing Contradictions that make characters feel human The Rule of Three in comedy How callbacks strengthen relationships Different levels of comedy and why "stupid" humour can work How to introduce an ensemble cast efficiently Character entry sequences and economical storytelling Intercutting two timelines for emotional and thematic payoff Building an authentic college world through lived experience and research Using tone as a constraint in screenwriting Chapters 00:00 The comedy techniques that make Chhichhore work 01:34 Chhichhore and why its humour resonates 01:56 The logline: finding the film's central story 03:54 Breaking down Chhichhore 's logline 06:01 The stakes behind the "loser" tag 06:37 The Hero's Journey begins 09:22 Multiple calls to action 18:45 Reward, failure and the final Hero's Journey beats 20:42 The theme: Who is a loser? 29:13 The three levels of comedy 30:27 Rule of Three and callbacks 31:40 Using conflict to reveal a character 50:15 How to introduce an ensemble cast 1:02:20 Why the two timelines work 1:02:42 Building a believable world 1:03:17 Lived experience, research and tone 1:04:49 Final thoughts on Chhichhore

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  Episode #26

  The Secret to Screenwriting Stardom with Writer of Om Shanti Om - Mayur Puri

  Aug 28, 20261h 24m

  What actually goes into writing a film like Om Shanti Om? In this episode of Breakdown Besties, Ananya and Akshay sit down with Mayur Puri, writer of Om Shanti Om, for a behind-the-scenes conversation about the craft, choices and accidents that shaped one of Bollywood’s most memorable films. Mayur talks about how he got the opportunity to write Om Shanti Om, the unusual story behind “Ek Chutki Sindoor,” and how the film’s reincarnation structure was built. They also break down some of the film’s most memorable sequences, including the moon scene, the tiger fight, the use of trigger questions, character arcs, dialogue writing, Easter eggs and improvisation on set. The conversation goes beyond Om Shanti Om too. Mayur opens up about leaving Bollywood, starting Story Circus, why he believes writers need to write every day, and what eventually brought him back to writing. If you're interested in screenwriting, Bollywood filmmaking, dialogue writing, character development, film structure, or the story behind Om Shanti Om, this is a conversation worth watching. What you'll learn in this episode How Mayur Puri got the Om Shanti Om writing assignment The story behind his “Ek Chutki Sindoor” audition How the reincarnation structure works Why the second half mirrors the first How the famous moon scene came together The thinking behind the tiger sequence How writers use trigger questions Why some dialogue works because of what it makes the audience ask How Easter eggs and Bollywood references were created What improvisation looked like between the writer, actors and director Why certain scenes were removed What Mayur learned from working with Farah Khan Chapters 00:58 — Meet Mayur Puri, Writer of Om Shanti Om 02:41 — What It Feels Like to Have Written an Iconic Film 05:43 — Why Mayur Reboots His Life Every Five Years 08:05 — How Mayur Got the Om Shanti Om Job 10:14 — “Ek Chutki Sindoor” Was His Secret Audition 13:00 — Why Om Shanti Om Almost Didn’t Get Made This Way 21:20 — The Reincarnation Formula Behind the Second Half 24:31 — Why Dhoom Had Zero Deleted Scenes 26:03 — The Story Behind the Famous Tiger Fight 30:11 — Mayur Puri on Acting With Shah Rukh Khan 35:42 — The Big Moon Scene 44:40 — The Easter Eggs Hidden in Om Shanti Om 46:37 — What Mayur Learned From Every New Project 48:12 — Why You Can’t Make Every Film Like Om Shanti Om 52:47 — The Real Lesson Mayur Took From Making the Film 54:40 — What Happened After Om Shanti Om Released 59:16 — How Om Shanti Om Changed Mayur’s Life 1:09:48 — Why Mayur Believes Writers Must Write Every Day 1:12:43 — Leaving Bollywood and Starting Story Circus 1:15:21 — Why Mayur Almost Said No to Happy New Year 1:17:11 — What Brought Mayur Back to Writing 1:18:15 — The People Who Keep Writers Going 1:20:53 — Om Kapoor Has the Bigger Character Arc 1:21:45 — Indian vs Western Character Arcs 1:22:35 — The Final Word on Om Shanti Om Who wrote Om Shanti Om? Om Shanti Om was written by a team including Farah Khan, Mayur Puri & Mushtaq Sheikh Who is Mayur Puri? Mayur Puri is an Indian screenwriter, dialogue writer, lyricist and filmmaker who has worked across Hindi cinema and has been part of films including Om Shanti Om. How was Mayur Puri selected for Om Shanti Om? Mayur was asked to write a sample scene for a look test. The scene, Ek Chutki Sindoor, effectively became his audition for the film. What can screenwriters learn from Om Shanti Om? The film offers lessons in genre, dialogue, character, foreshadowing, world-building, scene construction, rewriting and using references and Easter eggs without losing the story.

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