Amazon Mini TV’s new show Industry offers a gritty look behind the scenes of the Indian film industry. It sheds light on the shady, manipulative, and dark aspects of this world. In this industry, naivety won’t get you far; it can turn you into part of the problem. We see this transformation in screenwriter Ayush Verma, the series’ main protagonist. Ayush is a struggler and a hustler who relentlessly pushes himself to get one of his scripts made into a big-budget film. By the end of the series, he finally gets a chance to achieve his goal, but at a significant personal cost. He betrays his best friend, Gayatri, by not giving her credit for the script. So, what exactly happened? Will Ayush get the chance to become truly successful, or will his compromises catch up with him? These questions are explored in depth in this explainer of Industry, created by Navjot Gulati and Shreyansh Pandey.
Spoilers Ahead
Why did Rocky get chucked out of the film?
Working in the Indian film industry is not fun and games. The series Industry shows us the harsh realities. Producers are hesitant to take chances on actors from daily TV soaps, as they think they aren’t cut out for the film world. Meanwhile, star kids get opportunities just because their parents are big-time superstars, even if they have no experience. It’s not just actors who have to grapple with unfairness; screenwriters do too. Often, even if they write scripts for movies, they end up as ghostwriters, uncredited and unrecognized, despite all their hard work. Ayush Verma, the main protagonist, faced similar struggles for ten years. He wrote 25 scripts, but none ever made it to the big screen. Even when he did write a script that was produced, he didn’t receive credit. For instance, there was a boy named Romil who entered the industry at the same time as Ayush. They co-wrote a script, but ultimately, Romil got all the credit, and Ayush was sidelined. It was unfair and harsh, leading Romil to become a successful screenwriter while Ayush remained unknown. Searching for Ayush’s name on the internet showed no results, even after working in the industry for so long, which added to his shame.
Despite these setbacks, Ayush didn’t lose hope. He learned that cinema was a place where audiences came to enjoy, and as long as films were being made, his scripts would eventually be needed. He believed in this and took risks, confident that his new script, “Dhoom Dhadaka,” would be a hit and would attract producers and actors, finally earning him the recognition and respect that he deserved. So you can understand how Ayush’s hope amidst uncertainty was rare. His close friends, including his co-writer and potential love interest, Gayatri, believed in him and knew he was destined to be the next big thing in the industry.
Ayush approached various directors and producers, both big and small. One amusing scene involved Ayush pitching his script to Guneet Monga, an Oscar-winning producer who portrayed herself as a “global citizen,” humorously dismissing Ayush’s hopes that he is cut out for the industry and portraying the raw reality of the industry. A glimmer of hope appeared when a sly real estate agent and producer, Rakesh Raman, approved Ayush’s film. However, it fell apart when the hero, Kunal Kumar, dropped out. Chunky Pandey’s performance as Rakesh was hilarious, especially when he suggested casting star kid Ananya Pandey as the lead actress instead of someone more experienced. Realizing that big-time actors and producers weren’t the answer, Ayush turned to smaller players. He approached Rocky Wadhwani, an actor, and his producer father. Sadly, Rocky’s father rejected the idea, saying that casting Rocky was too much of a risk. Other producers echoed the same sentiment: the script was good, but no one wanted to cast Rocky. It underscored the industry’s harsh reality—having money and connections wasn’t enough if you couldn’t act. Finally, Ayush’s script was approved for a big film by Ira, a moderately high-end producer, but they dropped Rocky. Despite the setbacks, Ayush’s hard work finally paid off.
Why did Ayush take Gayatri’s idea?
Getting this big break was much needed for Ayush. But then he faced a problem. Remember the producer, Rakesh? Well, he and Ira had a feud, so Ira didn’t want to work with him as a co-producer because she knew how cunning he was. On the other hand, Rakesh wasn’t ready to give the NOC (No Objection Certificate) for the script. This created a big problem. Even though the check got deposited and they were ready to start, the movie got shelved. Ayush was obviously sad and hopeless. He didn’t know what to do. Ayush pitched his script, “Dhoom Dhadaka,” to another big-time producer. This producer liked the script but wanted to make a “feminist woke” film since those are popular in the current market. That’s when Ayush got an idea. He remembered a movie script idea that Gayatri had told him about, called “Swaad Anusaar.” It was about a female chef invited to a high-class billionaire wedding who lost her sense of smell before showcasing her culinary expertise. The story was about how she overcame it all. Ayush pitched this script as his own, not telling anyone that the entire idea was Gayatri’s, and that he only helped improve it. The producers and actors were all on board. The sad part was that he didn’t come clean to Gayatri about it. She deserved honesty and transparency since they were both struggling in the industry together, and she thought of him as her best friend; maybe she even liked him romantically. It felt like the roles were reversed; he was doing the same thing Romil had done to him. Maybe the desire for attention and success in the glamor world had changed him.
Ayush even stopped meeting Gayatri and focused on being with a TV soap actress, Sanya Sen. She was also struggling to break into the film world, and they shared their struggles and enjoyed their time together. But Sanya’s struggle showed that even after all these years in the industry, she hadn’t landed a major movie role, and when she got any chance at all, the producers wanted to take advantage of her. She was determined to achieve her dream of being a film actress, even if it meant going broke, and she refused to work on TV shows anymore. Ultimately, when Ayush told Sanya he liked her romantically, she dismissed him, saying she thought of him as a good friend and nothing more. Ayush realized that maybe Sanya was also using him to be part of the film he was working on to get her big break. He started to see that he had lost his chance at a genuine relationship with Gayatri, where everything was pure and true. He realized that the boy who had entered the industry was not the same person anymore. The glamorous world had changed him, and he blamed the situation for it.
In Industry‘s ending, we see that the secrets don’t stay hidden for long. When Gayatri went to pitch her script “Swaad Anusaar” to another producer, she found out that Ayush was already making the film. Gayatri was shocked and hurt by her best friend’s betrayal. Maybe she would sue him, as she should, or maybe her feelings would get in the way—we don’t know yet. We’ll find out in the next season. Ayush also got tired of working with these producers. At first, they told him he would be going to London for the film shoot, but due to budget cuts, he got kicked off of working on his own script in London. Instead, a Gen Z guy from London would be working on the script there because Ayush wouldn’t be going. Eventually, Ayush decided to write another movie, this time working with Rocky, the actor. He realizes that staying in the industry is a game, and he’s willing to take a chance on Rocky. After all, you never know until you try. So, what will happen next? We’ll find out in the next season of Industry.
