Hindi
NFDC plans script deveplopment workshop at IFFI
MUMBAI: Alongside the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) beginning on 23rd November, 2007, the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) will be organizing the Film Bazaar from 24th to 26th November, 2007.
The Film Bazaar is aimed at providing an interactive platform between prospective buyers and sellers of film rights from India and abroad. The international participants, among others, for the Film Bazaar are, Global Film Initiative, Back Up Films, Onoma International, Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation, Shanghai Film Group, China Film Co-production, Arclight Films Malaysian Broadcasting Corporation, Astra and Miriam Arab of Cannes Market. Sales agents and financiers including Fortissimo Films and Paris based Memento Films, and Germany’s Pandora are set to attend the three-day event.
As part of the Film Bazaar, 15 pre-selected projects drawn from all over India will be presented to the participants. These projects are at different stages of Development.
The NFDC is also organizing a Script Development Workshop, Screenwriters Bloc which is scheduled to begin in Goa on Sunday as a run up to the IFFI. The Workshop pairs six mentors with the writers of eight pre-selected screenplays. Danis Tanovic, Bernd Lichtenberg and Olivia Hetreed are among the high-profile writers who will mentor eight students.
Tanovic wrote as well as directed No Man’s Land, while Lichtenberg’s credits as writer include Goodbye Lenin! And Hetreed scripted Girl With A Pearl Earring. The three European writers will join India’s Shaji Karun (Nishad), Anjum Rajabali (Legend of Bhagat Singh) and Ashwini Malik (Clever And Lonely) as mentors at the six-day workshop. In addition, writer-director Mani Ratnam (Guru) will participate as a guest mentor and hold a master class.
Participating projects include English-language scripts such as Pubali Chaudhuri’s Happy Ever After, along with scripts in Hindi and other Indian languages.
Hindi
Marico founder Harsh Mariwala’s book Harsh Realities set for film adaptation
Almighty Motion Picture taps Karan Vyas to script Marico story
MUMBAI: Almighty Motion Picture is turning its lens on India Inc., with plans to adapt Harsh Realities: The Making of Marico into a screen project. The story charts the rise of Harsh Mariwala, the chairman and founder of Marico, and is currently in early development, according to a report by Variety.
Writer Karan Vyas, known for his work on Scam 1992, Scoop and Made in India – A Titan Story, is attached to pen the screenplay. The project continues the studio’s growing interest in real-life Indian narratives that blend business with human drama.
At the heart of the story lies a defining moment in 1987, when Mariwala chose to step away from the family-run Bombay Oil Industries and strike out on his own. What followed was not just the creation of a company, but the reinvention of a legacy. Marico would go on to become a global FMCG player, with brands like Parachute, Saffola, Set Wet and Livon becoming household names, reaching nearly one in three Indians.
The source material, co-authored by Mariwala and renowned business strategist Ram Charan, offers more than a boardroom chronicle. It captures the grit behind the growth, the risks behind the rewards and the leadership lessons forged along the way.
The adaptation aims to move beyond balance sheets and brand milestones, focusing instead on the person behind the enterprise. Expect a narrative that leans into the emotional stakes of entrepreneurship, where decisions are as personal as they are professional.
Today, Marico draws about a quarter of its revenue from international markets across Asia and Africa, reflecting its steady transformation from a domestic player into a multinational force. Yet, if the makers have their way, the screen version will remind audiences that every global success story begins with a leap of faith.
With development set to begin soon, this is one business story that may just trade spreadsheets for storytelling, and profit margins for moments that linger
