For each episode of Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein which went on the floor in late 2020, Badola mentions that there were at least 15 drafts written

Among writers he has admired over the years, the Salim–Javed pair still stands out, as the actor-writer recalls a scene from Don where the character’s release from jail is accomplished in less than 20 seconds. “Because they have already established that Don is so [influential], there is no need for explanations about security lapses, for instance,” he points out. “Bas story aage bhagao”. “If anyone has used willing suspension of disbelief to its fullest, it has to be them.” At the same time, in spite of Hindi cinema’s dependence on such stellar writers, Badola is quick to point out how this creative sect in our country still does not get the credit or respect it deserves. Badola himself however refrains from writing screenplays and stories as those would take up too much time and prevent him from dedicating his energy to acting. “I don’t want to give up on acting as I love the craft. The idea [ultimately] is to have fun [with both].”  

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The years have taught him to make the conversations he writes, more precise although he hasn’t consciously thought of growth in spite of having practised the craft for so many years. “The charm of writing a dialogue and of doing something new would be completely lost then,” he notes. At the same time, there is no strategising involved. “When I write a scene, I still write everything that comes to my mind and then we decide what stays and what goes,” he says. For a creative individual whose simultaneous careers have frequently collided—he has spoken lines he had himself written in shows like Astitva—Badola hasn’t found one art to outweigh the other. “I am in love with the whole process,” he declares. There is also a need to disassociate oneself from one’s writing, he points out, because as an actor he may have visualised a scene differently from how another actor chooses to play it. “If everybody is acting to your whims and fancies, then perhaps all the actors will start looking the same,” he observes. “[The point is to] never get too emotional about your creation.”