Hindi
NFDC Labs announces Romance Screenwriters’ Lab in association with Harlequin
MUMBAI: Got a romance story idea that you wish to see manifest into a book as well? NFDC Labs, the Training and Development arm of NFDC (The National Film Development Corporation Ltd), announces today the Romance Screenwriters’ Lab in association with the world’s leading publishers of the most popular romance fiction series Mills and Boon, Harlequin. The lab, a three-part program, organized and spearheaded by NFDC, is the first of its kind with romance and women-centric plots as the themes, where popular Indian film writers/directors, to be announced soon, will mentor the final selected scriptwriters. The deadline for the submission of the entries is 23 May 2014.
The objective of the lab is to help aspiring Indian scriptwriters develop their scripts with inputs and consultation from well-known Indian writers/directors. The first round of selection from the entries received will be done basis the synopsis submitted, post which the selected participants will need to submit a detailed script with dialogues, where the best few will be zeroed on.
While NFDC will conduct the three-part workshop with the selected participants on scriptwriting mentored by writers/directors, Harlequin too will have separate book-writing workshops led by well known authors, offering novel writing tips and editorial feedback to the writers. The partnership between NFDC and Harlequin brings in innovative and collaborative efforts where Harlequin will offer book deals to select writers.
Commenting on the launch of this initiative, Nina Lath Gupta, Managing Director, NFDC India, said, “We are thrilled to introduce the first of its kind Romance Screenwriters’ Lab this year. With romance as an eternally entertaining genre worldwide, where India is no exception to stories and films in this space, our partnership with Harlequin, world’s leading publishers, for this initiative couldn’t be a better fit. There is a vast pool of exceptionally talented writers with unique and diverse stories in this country and offering this opportunity to enhance their skills with talented mentors will only help us compliment our ongoing developmental mandate.”
“Entertaining stories that connect with people can transcend formats and be told successfully through books or cinema. Harlequin India is excited about the Romance Screenwriters Lab partnership with NFDC. It is a unique arrangement to identify storytellers who can write both screenplays and novels. We are looking forward to getting original and compelling romance stories, which could have elements of drama or thriller or comedy or even darker issues, and be set in contemporary times or any time in the past.” – said, Amrita Chowdhury, Country Head & Publishing Director, Harlequin India.
Duration of the Lab: The lab will be held in three sessions, namely: the first session – last week of July 2014; second session – third week of Sept 2014; the third and the final session – 16th November – 20th November 2014, culminating just before Film Bazaar 2014. NFDC will offer an opportunity to the selected participants to attend Film Bazaar and pitch their projects to the attending India and international delegates, comprising producers, investors, distributors, sales agents, and the likes.
For more details on rules and regulations of the lab, please visit: http://filmbazaarindia.com/programs/romance-screenwriters-lab/
Hindi
Jio Studios, Sanjay Dutt team up to revive Khal Nayak
Rights acquired for new version, format under wraps as remake plans take shape.
MUMBAI: The villain is back and this time, he’s rewriting his own script. Jio Studios has partnered with Three Dimension Motion Pictures and Aspect Entertainment to revive the 1993 cult classic Khal Nayak, marking a fresh chapter for one of Bollywood’s most iconic anti-hero stories. The original film, directed by Subhash Ghai under Mukta Arts, was a commercial and cultural milestone, with Sanjay Dutt’s portrayal of Ballu becoming one of Hindi cinema’s most memorable performances.
Dutt, along with Aksha Kamboj, has now acquired the rights from the original creators, bringing on board Jio Studios and its President Jyoti Deshpande to steer the project creatively.
While the exact format whether remake, sequel, prequel, or a completely new narrative remains undisclosed, the collaboration aims to reinterpret the story for contemporary audiences while retaining the essence that made the original a defining film of the 1990s.
The move taps into a broader industry trend of reviving legacy intellectual property, particularly characters with strong recall value. “Khal Nayak” was notable for pushing mainstream Hindi cinema into morally grey territory at a time when heroes were largely one-dimensional, making Ballu’s character a standout.
The project also marks the film production debut of Aspect Entertainment, signalling a push towards more technology-led storytelling frameworks. Meanwhile, Jio Studios continues to expand its slate, having built a library of over 200 films and series, with more than 60 titles collectively winning 500-plus awards.
For Dutt, the revival is as much personal as it is strategic, a return to a role that reshaped his career. For the industry, it is another sign that nostalgia, when paired with scale, remains a powerful box-office proposition.
Because in Bollywood, some villains never fade, they just wait for the perfect comeback.
