Pune based Ruturaj Dhalgade, 27, always wanted to pursue a career in writing as it was his passion. Dhalgade, who is an engineer by profession, turned director and screenplay writer for the Marathi movie ‘Slambook’ that was released on August 21.
Speaking with iamin, Dhalgade shared his journey from an engineering student in Raisoni College of Engineering to a Marathi film writer. "I was always inclined towards writing, be it writing essays in the schools or one act plays during my college days. I loved writing all of it," he added. Dhalgade had written several one act plays and dramas during his college festivals and that was when he realised that he wanted to pursue writing formally.
Saying that following one's passion is never easy and gaining trust and confidence of near and dear ones is always important, Dhalgade added, "It was difficult to convince my parents and close friends when I decided to pursue writing instead of taking up an engineering job. Eventually, when they saw that I was serious, they encouraged me to write further." After college, he wrote a few plays and dramas for theatre clubs and even worked on an independent film. "Pune is a centre for Marathi films and theatre. The city helped me a lot in building my career due to the presence of theatres and drama clubs," he said.
"Slambook is a film set in the 2000s when confessing love was not as convenient as it is today. With no social media, people relied on things like a slambook to know more about each other," Dhalgade explained. The story revolves around a boy who struggles to impress a girl based on the likes and dislikes that she mentions in her slambook.
It took four years for Dhalgade to get a project, yet he believes that everyone must follow their passion however tough it seems at the start. "Education is important and one must finish at least graduation as a backup plan. But, trying to achieve what you dream of is also essential," he said.
Dhalgade is now focussing on other Marathi film projects which he has at hand. "It is no longer just a love story that people want to watch. A social message needs to be conveyed through every movie. My future projects will be on such stories."
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