Afzal Rasvi lives in the Govandi slum in Mumbai. As his companions struggled to make ends meet, Afzal was trying to do something that those present did not even dare to dream of. He was desperate to become a screenwriter in Bollywood. Although many advised that this was not the work of a slum dweller who had no money or influence, he persevered. But, years later, his efforts paid off. Afzal, now 32 and married, is a writer and author of television shows. His journey begins in a single room made by his father.

When the first story 'Curfew' was published in a Hindi newspaper, he was about 10 years old. That day it got Rs.250.  He then started writing more poems and stories in Hindi and tried to send them to as many publications as possible. He says he got his interest in writing from his father. "My father used to write stories in Urdu whenever he had the time. Writing stories is in my blood," he told Better India.  Afzal's father died ten years ago.

After completing Class XII in 2000, Afzal started working in a call centre. He had no significant support from his family and had to work hard for his dreams. "I wanted to write crime stories. I wanted to write stories for movies. To improve my skills, I decided to join the Sea Institute of Media Arts (SIMA), which has courses on film. The fee was Rs 25,000. I took a call center job to raise money for the course," he says.  .

But the father thought that film was not a good way for his son to live in a slum. He objected to his son, saying that it was all told to those who had money. He refused to pay the course fee. But the parents, realizing that their son could not be deterred from doing so, finally gave the green light to his interest. Afzal joined the course. Meanwhile, Afzal has started producing a YouTube series called CID based on the current popular series CID.  He wrote stories and selected young people from the slums to act in episodes. He wanted to show the real condition of the slums through the show. "Through the CID, he exposed that crime was taking place in the area and that young people were becoming victims of drugs. I was doing what I was learning from the course," he says.

He struggled to find work after the course.  Lack of money and lack of connections in the film industry paralyzed him. "I was trying to make connections, but nothing was right. It's not easy for a poor person to see Bollywood directors and writers. You need money for that. I tried as hard as I could, I did a lot of work to cover my expenses," Afzal says. Eventually he began to write for hire for others.  Sometimes the money was received.  Sometimes written for free.

After struggling for two or three years, Afzal got the opportunity to write in Urdu serials. "While I was struggling to make a name for myself in the industry, I met a lot of people, but I never had the opportunity to be anything in the industry," he says.  Finally, by the end of 2019, he had turned his struggles into a novel called Falak Talak. "The book is not only a crime thriller, but also a writer's journey. I wrote in it about the struggles and realities of the film industry. Although the book is fiction, much of what it says is true," he says. He self-published the book through Notion Press.

With that he had new hopes. The book sold 1,500 copies and Afzal received Rs 40,000. The English version of the book was released in November this year. "This book has helped me to get more projects. Now, I'm the exclusive author of the 3 Wings production web series. I get more than Rs 30,000 a month out of it. Among other projects, I'm also writing a web series for the Cinemobes original.

Many Thanks