The Intern remake: Writer Akshat Ghildial gives an update on Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone-starrer

Badhaai Ho, which won a National Award, and Badhaai Do, which was released recently, are written by Akshat Ghildial. Recently, he spoke about how he creates films that strive to shatter gender stereotypes and his next projects, the much-anticipated Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan-starring Indian remake of The Intern and the Siddhant Chaturvedi-starrer Yudhra.

While Badhaai Ho and Badhaai Do have both contributed to discussions about female agency and queer stories, Ghildial said on Khul Ke that he tells stories if they are interesting, regardless of whether or not they have a social message.

When asked about creating two films in a row with socially relevant subjects, Ghildial quickly responded that it's very easy to get pigeonholed in this industry. He got five pregnancy stories after Badhaai Ho! The writer went straight to his wife and asked why he was only getting pregnancy-related stories, even though he's not a gynaecologist. It perplexed him because Badhaai Ho was about a family dealing with the embarrassment of late pregnancy, in his opinion. Ghildial doesn't want to write in the same genres all the time, so he is attempting to branch out.

Ghildial has been in the profession for nearly seven years, beginning his career in advertising before moving on to film writing, which was not an easy move. He grew up liking movies and watched both Bollywood and Hollywood films as a child, with his favourites being Kaala Patthar and The Godfather. However, as an introvert, it took him some time to gain the confidence to narrate his scripts and pick up the skills of the trade.

Every person who enters the profession is inspired by someone; for Ghildial, it was the iconic actor Amitabh Bachchan, and as a child, he knew he wanted to do something in the film industry after watching Kaala Patthar on repeat. The writer said of adapting the international blockbuster The Intern, starring his favourite, that it's like a dream come true, a tremendous honour to be writing for the legend. It's a little scary for him too, but they are all professionals trying to do their best.

Ghildial honestly believed the adaptation would be less laborious, but it isn't. The Intern is a romantic comedy about a senior executive who joins a company as an intern and his CEO, who is in a precarious professional and personal situation. They are still working on the script because they need to adapt it to appeal to Indian sensibilities, which means changing it from the inside out while keeping the spirit alive.

Ghildial has a lot on his plate right now, working on a variety of projects. Apart from The Intern, he is also working on the dialogues for Yudhra, which he is producing under his Excel Entertainment banner alongside Farhan Akhtar. The romantic-action thriller is directed by Ravi Udyawar and stars Siddhant Chaturvedi and Malavika Mohanan. In addition, Ghildial is also working on a horror film and a spy thriller.