Scripting success story with Bollywood’s best

Motwane, Chaubey, Shrivastava and Ghosh will serve as mentors

It is only in the past few years that Hindi cinema has come to recognise scripts for what they are - the backbone of every successful project. In a bid to encourage the future storytellers of the country, Screenwriters' Association (SWA) has rolled out the SWA Script Lab 2022. The programme, in its maiden year, will see noted filmmakers Vikramaditya Motwane, Sujoy Ghosh, Abhishek Chaubey, Alankrita Shrivastava, Sudip Sharma and Raat Akeli Hai writer Smita Singh Khan serve as mentors to upcoming writers.

Those eager to see their stories transform into a feature film can send in their scripts to the association before October 25. After the panel of mentors have selected the six best scripts, they will guide the finalists in polishing them. The aspiring writers will get the chance to interact closely with the screenwriters and directors, thus understanding the finer nuances of taking an idea from paper to screen.

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Shrivastava, who helmed Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare last year, believes the programme is the perfect platform to exchange ideas. "I have benefitted immensely from participating in script labs, and I look forward to working with new writers and learning from them. The culture of script labs is a must if we want to create more interesting stories," she says. Motwane is delighted to play a role in finding new voices that can shape the industry.

"I'm honoured to be chosen as a mentor, and I'm looking forward to assisting in grooming the next brilliant generation of Indian screenwriters." The finalists will also gain free access to screenwriting software Final Draft 12.

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