iWorld
ALTBalaji to conduct Writers’ Lab, a YouTube online masterclass series to inspire & educate aspiring students of cinema!
To bridge the gap between the prolific writers of the entertainment industry and aspiring students of cinema, ALTBalaji – one of the country’s leading OTT platforms has come up with a thoughtful and unique initiative – ‘The Writers' Lab’. Proposed to be an online masterclass where renowned writers and directors from the entertainment world will provide information focusing on nuances in scriptwriting and direction directly to the students.
The idea behind ‘The Writers' Lab’ is to create a platform on ALTBalaji's YouTube channel which imparts tips and tricks of writing for the web (films and digital shows), wherein the industry professionals would be interviewed directly by the aspiring students.
For the same, the team of ALTBalaji has collaborated with the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication (SIMC) to conduct weekly online masterclass starting from the second week of October. This intends to provide post graduating film making students with a platform to voice out their questions and get a better perspective from the writers’ point of view.
One of the biggest and most successful content creators on the web, ALTBalaji has been able to create multi-genre Indian original content, including drama, crime, comedy, adult, thriller, love stories, etc. The masterclass will include scriptwriting tools and apps that one can use, structuring the script, ways to develop an idea, writing the script for episodic series and multiple seasons, understanding of scenes and sequences, developing character arcs and dialogues, research involved in scriptwriting, etc.
The renowned names from the digital world comprising the masterclass activity include the likes of Harsh Dedhia (Director – Broken But Beautiful), Nandita Mehra (Director – Baarish), Abhijit Das (Director – Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain), Ritu Bhatia (Writer – Mentalhood), among others.
Nachiket Pantvaidya, CEO ALTBalaji, and Group COO Balaji Telefilms said, “The Writers’ Lab initiative is our way of giving back to our community. It is specifically curated to support new writers and directors who want to learn and enhance their craft in their respective areas of expertise. The YouTube specials series would be led by real students asking the right questions to the working professionals having successful scriptwriting and direction background. It is a great platform to discover and develop your skills and prepare the next-gen of filmmakers for a better tomorrow”.
Dr. Ruchi Kher Jaggi, Professor & Director, SIMC, Symbiosis International (Deemed) University, adds, “Besides the didactic nature of the project, it is an opportunity for the students and the stakeholders in the project to draw on to the online mediums’ potential of reaching a spectrum of audiences. The aim is to have industry experts educate the generation on the nuances of using the medium for diverse storytelling.”
Catch the first episode featuring Abhijit Das talking about stories inspired from life:
iWorld
Samay Raina returns with Still Alive, confronts 2025 controversy in bold comeback special
Comeback set tackles controversy, blending humour with raw storytelling
MUMBAI: Samay Raina is set to release his new stand-up comedy special, Still Alive, on YouTube on April 7, 2026, marking a high-profile return following a turbulent year.
The trailer for the special dropped on April 5, offering a glimpse into what Raina describes as a raw and unfiltered set that leans as much on honesty as it does on humour.
Positioned as a comeback of sorts, Still Alive draws heavily from the controversy surrounding his show India’s Got Latent in early 2025. The episode led to legal trouble, multiple FIRs, and a lengthy six-hour interrogation by the Maharashtra Cyber Cell, placing the comedian at the centre of intense public scrutiny.
Rather than sidestep the episode, Raina leans into it. The special reflects on the fallout and his personal journey through it, blending observational comedy with moments of emotional candour. Early audience feedback from live performances suggests the tone is less about rapid-fire punchlines and more about storytelling with bite.
The special was filmed during his global Still Alive & Unfiltered tour, which ran from August 2025 to early 2026. The tour saw Raina perform across major international venues, including the Madison Square Garden Theatre in New York, a milestone that places him among the youngest Indian comedians to take that stage.
The title itself signals resilience. “Still Alive” is a nod to navigating both legal and public backlash while choosing to remain unapologetically authentic, a theme that appears to anchor the set.
With the special set to premiere online, all eyes are now on how audiences respond to a performance that promises equal parts reflection and wit. For Raina, the message is clear. He is not just back, he is ready to be heard on his own terms.
