# Sumit Arora (सुमित अरोरा)
**Sumit Arora** (सुमित अरोरा) is an Indian screenwriter and dialogue writer from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, known for the dialogues of *Stree* (2018), *Jawan* (2023), and *Border 2* (2026) and for his writing on the streaming series *[The Family Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-family-man-indian-tv-series)* (2019– ).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5046012/) • [2](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/entertainment/i-wanted-to-write-and-i-needed-money-screenwriter-sumit-arora-on-his-journey-in-hindi-cinema/amp/) He moved to Mumbai at 17 in 2006, built his career in television writing before breaking into films, and has since become one of the most in-demand dialogue writers in [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5046012/) • [3](https://www.outlookindia.com/amp/story/art-entertainment/interview/sumit-arora-interview-if-the-passion-is-real-you-find-a-way)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Meerut, Uttar Pradesh; grew up with Hindi literature, began writing at 14[2](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/entertainment/i-wanted-to-write-and-i-needed-money-screenwriter-sumit-arora-on-his-journey-in-hindi-cinema/amp/) |
| Move to Mumbai | 2006, at age 17, to write for Hindi cinema[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5046012/) |
| Television years | *Chhoona Hai Aasmaan* (2007), *Dill Mill Gayye*, *24* (2013), *Sadda Haq*; by 21 one of the highest-paid TV dialogue writers[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5046012/) • [4](https://www.hindustantimes.com/books/sumit-arora-i-am-a-proper-writer-and-i-write-every-day-101727966810145.html) |
| Breakthrough | Dialogues for the horror-comedy *Stree* (2018), directed by Amar Kaushik[2](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/entertainment/i-wanted-to-write-and-i-needed-money-screenwriter-sumit-arora-on-his-journey-in-hindi-cinema/amp/) |
| Major film credits | *All Is Well* (2015), *'83* (2021), *Jawan* (2023), *Chandu Champion* (2024), *Deva* (2025), *120 Bahadur* (2025), *Border 2* (2026)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5046012/) |
| Streaming credits | *The Family Man* (2019– ), *Dahaad* (2023), *Guns & Gulaabs* (2023), *Citadel: Honey Bunny* (2024)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5046012/) • [5](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/exclusive-sumit-arora-reveals-nostalgia-new-age-sensibility-will-power-sunny-deols-roar-border-2-promises-mass-appealing-performance-can-border-2-without/) |
| Known lines | "Vo stree hai, vo kuchh bhi kar sakti hai" (*Stree*) and "Bete ko haath lagane se pehle baat kar" (*Jawan*) entered pop culture[2](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/entertainment/i-wanted-to-write-and-i-needed-money-screenwriter-sumit-arora-on-his-journey-in-hindi-cinema/amp/) |
## Early life and move to Mumbai
Arora was born and raised in Meerut, a city in the Hindi-speaking belt of [Uttar Pradesh](https://www.edgepedia.org/uttar-pradesh). His mother instilled a love of reading early, and the house was full of books from [Hindi literature](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-literature).[2](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/entertainment/i-wanted-to-write-and-i-needed-money-screenwriter-sumit-arora-on-his-journey-in-hindi-cinema/amp/) He first wanted to be a cricketer, captaining his school team, but concluded he lacked the talent to reach the state level and turned to writing.[4](https://www.hindustantimes.com/books/sumit-arora-i-am-a-proper-writer-and-i-write-every-day-101727966810145.html) He began writing at 14, publishing articles and columns in newspapers, work that appeared in papers across the country, often every Sunday.[2](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/entertainment/i-wanted-to-write-and-i-needed-money-screenwriter-sumit-arora-on-his-journey-in-hindi-cinema/amp/) • [3](https://www.outlookindia.com/amp/story/art-entertainment/interview/sumit-arora-interview-if-the-passion-is-real-you-find-a-way)
**Money, not contacts, drove the move.** Coming from a middle-class family with a difficult financial situation, he chose between a degree and a conventional job or using his writing talent where it paid more, and moved to Mumbai in 2006 at 17, while still completing his degree.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5046012/) • [2](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/entertainment/i-wanted-to-write-and-i-needed-money-screenwriter-sumit-arora-on-his-journey-in-hindi-cinema/amp/) He knew nobody in the city and, as a Hindi-medium student, did not speak English; a relative's tip about a writing opportunity at [Balaji Telefilms](https://www.edgepedia.org/balaji-telefilms) gave him his footing.[3](https://www.outlookindia.com/amp/story/art-entertainment/interview/sumit-arora-interview-if-the-passion-is-real-you-find-a-way) • [6](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/exclusive-sumit-arora-on-fighting-tv-writer-label-border-2-winning-recognition-in-bollywood-82128.amp) His early earnings were so large relative to the family's expectations that his father was told he had joined an underworld gang in Mumbai.[7](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/border-2-jawan-writer-sumit-arora-says-family-thought-he-joined-some-gang-in-mumbai-stree-the-family-man-101770549730406.html)
## Television years
Films proved hard to enter, so Arora switched to television, contributing to shows including *Chhoona Hai Aasmaan* (2007), *[Dill Mill Gayye](https://www.edgepedia.org/dill-mill-gayye)*, *24* (2013), and *Sadda Haq*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5046012/) • [2](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/entertainment/i-wanted-to-write-and-i-needed-money-screenwriter-sumit-arora-on-his-journey-in-hindi-cinema/amp/) He has described the roughly five years of television work as a deliberate financing strategy: TV paid well, he saved, and he used the money to take breaks and develop film ideas, returning to TV whenever the money ran out.[4](https://www.hindustantimes.com/books/sumit-arora-i-am-a-proper-writer-and-i-write-every-day-101727966810145.html) By 21 he was among the highest-paid television dialogue writers.[4](https://www.hindustantimes.com/books/sumit-arora-i-am-a-proper-writer-and-i-write-every-day-101727966810145.html)
**The 'TV writer' label.** When he tried to move into films, the word "TV" ended conversations with directors and producers, who assumed television writers could not write for cinema.[6](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/exclusive-sumit-arora-on-fighting-tv-writer-label-border-2-winning-recognition-in-bollywood-82128.amp) His first film credit was the 2015 comedy *All Is Well*, starring [Abhishek Bachchan](https://www.edgepedia.org/abhishek-bachchan) and [Rishi Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/rishi-kapoor).[2](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/entertainment/i-wanted-to-write-and-i-needed-money-screenwriter-sumit-arora-on-his-journey-in-hindi-cinema/amp/) He also wrote and directed the short film *White Shirt*, which IMDb dates to 2015 while other listings place its release in 2016 or 2017; the film helped industry contacts understand his sensibility.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5046012/) • [7](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/border-2-jawan-writer-sumit-arora-says-family-thought-he-joined-some-gang-in-mumbai-stree-the-family-man-101770549730406.html) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/sumit_arora)
## Breakthrough with Stree
The turning point came through a friendship made while both were struggling newcomers: [Amar Kaushik](https://www.edgepedia.org/amar-kaushik), later the director of *Stree*, asked Arora to write the dialogue for a film he was making with Raj and DK for Maddock.[2](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/entertainment/i-wanted-to-write-and-i-needed-money-screenwriter-sumit-arora-on-his-journey-in-hindi-cinema/amp/) • [6](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/exclusive-sumit-arora-on-fighting-tv-writer-label-border-2-winning-recognition-in-bollywood-82128.amp) Kaushik gave Arora's sample dialogue to four or five other writers as an audition; Arora's sample ended with the scene that defined the film, the "Bicky Pleaj" banter between [Rajkummar Rao](https://www.edgepedia.org/rajkummar-rao) and Aparshakti Khurrana.[7](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/border-2-jawan-writer-sumit-arora-says-family-thought-he-joined-some-gang-in-mumbai-stree-the-family-man-101770549730406.html)
In interviews Arora has explained his approach to the film's language: Raj and DK, who wrote the screenplay, told him it must not become a spoof, so he wrote it as a satire, drawing on small-town Hindi and its humor.[9](https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/bollywood/5028003/stree-is-a-satire-not-a-spoof-sumit-aroraa) The film's line "Vo stree hai, vo kuchh bhi kar sakti hai" became part of pop culture, and IMDb lists 7 wins and 9 nominations for his work, much of it for *Stree*.[2](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/entertainment/i-wanted-to-write-and-i-needed-money-screenwriter-sumit-arora-on-his-journey-in-hindi-cinema/amp/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5046012/) He has said *Stree* remains his favorite of his films because it was his first.[7](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/border-2-jawan-writer-sumit-arora-says-family-thought-he-joined-some-gang-in-mumbai-stree-the-family-man-101770549730406.html)
## Film and streaming career
After *Stree*, Arora's credits spread across features and streaming. On film he wrote or contributed dialogue to *'83* (2021), *Ginny Weds Sunny* (2020), *Jawan* (2023), *Chandu Champion* (2024), *Baby John* (2024), *Deva* (2025), *[Jewel Thief](https://www.edgepedia.org/jewel-thief-2025-film): The Heist Begins* (2025), and *[120 Bahadur](https://www.edgepedia.org/120-bahadur)* (2025).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5046012/) On streaming he worked on *The Family Man* (2019– ), *Selection Day* (2018–2019), *Dahaad* (2023), *Guns & Gulaabs* (2023), and *Citadel: Honey Bunny* (2024).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5046012/) • [5](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/exclusive-sumit-arora-reveals-nostalgia-new-age-sensibility-will-power-sunny-deols-roar-border-2-promises-mass-appealing-performance-can-border-2-without/) *Chandu Champion*, a biopic directed by Kabir Khan, was co-written with the director.[10](https://thehillstimes.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Net-Edition-29-June_compressed.pdf) Arora has said the film did not work immediately in theaters but found its audience later.[6](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/exclusive-sumit-arora-on-fighting-tv-writer-label-border-2-winning-recognition-in-bollywood-82128.amp)
**Jawan and mass writing.** *Jawan*, starring [Shah Rukh Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/shah-rukh-khan) and directed by Atlee, required what Arora calls "mass moments" that still reflect contemporary taste; he spent a month on set shaping scenes in real time and wrote the line "Bete ko haath lagane se pehle baat kar" on the set itself.[3](https://www.outlookindia.com/amp/story/art-entertainment/interview/sumit-arora-interview-if-the-passion-is-real-you-find-a-way) Khan won the National Award for the film.[6](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/exclusive-sumit-arora-on-fighting-tv-writer-label-border-2-winning-recognition-in-bollywood-82128.amp)
**Border 2.** Arora wrote the screenplay and dialogues of *Border 2* (2026), directed by Anurag Singh, with the writing taking six to eight months after initial groundwork.[11](https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/features/interviews/border-2-writer-sumit-arora-sunny-deol-sir-brings-gravitas-to-every-dialogue-we-give-him) He had watched the original *Border* (1997) in a Meerut theater as a 10-year-old with his father, and described the sequel as a responsibility to that audience.[2](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/entertainment/i-wanted-to-write-and-i-needed-money-screenwriter-sumit-arora-on-his-journey-in-hindi-cinema/amp/) • [11](https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/features/interviews/border-2-writer-sumit-arora-sunny-deol-sir-brings-gravitas-to-every-dialogue-we-give-him) The film became the highest-grossing Indian film of 2026 to that point, with ₹4 billion (₹400 crore) grossed worldwide.[12](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/filmmakers-ensure-writers-dont-realise-importance-says-border-2-jawan-writer-sumit-arora-interview-101771745937727.html)
## Views on the writer's role
Arora has been a public voice on screenwriters' standing in the industry. He argues that producers passively discourage writers from asking for better pay, that remuneration and recognition should follow a strong script rather than five delivered hits, and that the situation has improved but still has room to grow.[12](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/filmmakers-ensure-writers-dont-realise-importance-says-border-2-jawan-writer-sumit-arora-interview-101771745937727.html) • [6](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/exclusive-sumit-arora-on-fighting-tv-writer-label-border-2-winning-recognition-in-bollywood-82128.amp) On craft, he holds that a memorable line must fit its scene organically and cannot be reverse-engineered, citing "Kitne aadmi the?" from *Sholay* as a line that works because the scenario around it works.[6](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/exclusive-sumit-arora-on-fighting-tv-writer-label-border-2-winning-recognition-in-bollywood-82128.amp)
**Directing.** He has directed the short film *White Shirt* and episodes of *Little Things* (season 3, 2019), and in interviews in 2026 said he was aiming to direct his first feature, in a genre he had not worked in before.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5046012/) • [3](https://www.outlookindia.com/amp/story/art-entertainment/interview/sumit-arora-interview-if-the-passion-is-real-you-find-a-way)
## References
1. [Sumit Arora (II), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5046012/)
2. [I wanted to write and I needed money: screenwriter Sumit Arora on his journey in Hindi cinema, The Tribune (PTI)](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/entertainment/i-wanted-to-write-and-i-needed-money-screenwriter-sumit-arora-on-his-journey-in-hindi-cinema/amp/)
3. [Sumit Arora Interview | "If The Passion Is Real, You Find A Way", Outlook India](https://www.outlookindia.com/amp/story/art-entertainment/interview/sumit-arora-interview-if-the-passion-is-real-you-find-a-way)
4. [Sumit Arora: "I am a proper writer and I write every day", Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/books/sumit-arora-i-am-a-proper-writer-and-i-write-every-day-101727966810145.html)
5. [EXCLUSIVE: Sumit Arora reveals that nostalgia + new-age sensibility will power Sunny Deol's roar in Border 2, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/exclusive-sumit-arora-reveals-nostalgia-new-age-sensibility-will-power-sunny-deols-roar-border-2-promises-mass-appealing-performance-can-border-2-without/)
6. [Exclusive: Sumit Arora on Fighting 'TV Writer' Label, Border 2 & Winning Recognition in Bollywood, Filmfare](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/exclusive-sumit-arora-on-fighting-tv-writer-label-border-2-winning-recognition-in-bollywood-82128.amp)
7. [Border 2, Jawan writer Sumit Arora says family thought he joined some gang in Mumbai, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/border-2-jawan-writer-sumit-arora-says-family-thought-he-joined-some-gang-in-mumbai-stree-the-family-man-101770549730406.html)
8. [Sumit Arora Movies List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/sumit_arora)
9. [Stree is a satire, not a spoof – Sumit Arora, India Forums](https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/bollywood/5028003/stree-is-a-satire-not-a-spoof-sumit-aroraa)
10. [The Hills Times net edition, 29 June 2024](https://thehillstimes.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Net-Edition-29-June_compressed.pdf)
11. ['Border 2' Writer Sumit Arora: Sunny Deol Sir Brings Gravitas To Every Dialogue We Give Him, The Hollywood Reporter India](https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/features/interviews/border-2-writer-sumit-arora-sunny-deol-sir-brings-gravitas-to-every-dialogue-we-give-him)
12. [Filmmakers ensure writers don't realise importance, says Border 2, Jawan writer Sumit Arora, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/filmmakers-ensure-writers-dont-realise-importance-says-border-2-jawan-writer-sumit-arora-interview-101771745937727.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screenwriters and television writers › Film screenwriters*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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