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Showing posts from 2021

How writing a screenplay is different from penning a novel

Sometime back I had done a post for Storizen magazine on how screenplay writing differs from novel writing. A script or screenplay is essentially a roadmap that guides a filmmaker towards his/her destination of putting together a film. And for that reason, there are a few rules that the writer needs to follow:  1. Descriptions need to be minimal and offer the filmmaking team with just the precise details about location, ambience, mood and action.  2. Emotions need to be actionable. Or, something that an actor can act out.  3. Scripts change with inputs from other members of the crew. And a writer has to be willing to make changes to her original ideas. You can read the full post here. In that article I had not talked about screenplay formatting - which is a very important aspect of writing screenplays. The screenplay format - which demands that action lines or descriptions be written from one end of the page to another and the dialogues are centered in the middle - has been determine

The Dignity of Dilip Kumar

  By Jaideep Sen        On 7th July, 2021, Dilip Kumar Saab was finally relieved from his suffering due to poor health of many years and gave lesser mortals like me to relive and rewind to the greatness of Dilip Saab.  Dignity is precisely what Dilip Saab brought not only to his performances but to the overall realm of Hindi Cinema.  A scene from Shakti My generation was brought up more on Salim Saab-Javed Saab’s Angry Young Man portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan Ji and uncannily it took the same haloed trio to introduce me to the greatness of Dilip Saab in Shakti . What a film, what crackling writing, what performances by both Dilip Saab and Amit Ji!  Dilip Saab was hitting the ball out of the park in every scene. Like a chameleon on top of its game -- because the character of Ashwini Kumar had such vast changing colours to cover. From a tough cop to loving husband to helpless father to ultimately shooting his only child dead.  Dilip Saab scored a 10 on 10 in every scene of this once in a

How to Start your Screenwriting Journey

Photo by Clemens van Lay on Unsplash Newbie writers who are eager to start a career in screenwriting often ask me: I wish to become a screenwriter. How do I go about it?  Every writer's journey is unique and what works for me, may not necessarily work for you.  Like every journey, in this one too you may come across many different paths to get to your destination. The important thing is to get started with a rough map and then figure out the milestones on the way. So here are some tips...   Learn the Craft It all begins with learning the craft. So let's not jump the gun. And this is the fun part. If you wish to be a screenwriter, you need to understand how movies are written. The best way to do this is by watching a lot of films. Mindfully. So you have a bunch of films that you love. Those are the ones where you should start...not simply to be entertained but to understand the writing behind it. Take notes on what happens in a scene. How one scene flows into another. How c

#JustTheWayYouAre has a brand new cover

My feel good, emotional romance novella Just The Way You Are has got a fantastic new cover. Here's a little excerpt from the novella and let me know if you agree that the cover perfectly captures the Yash-Shikha vibe.  Shikha and Yash had ended up in his room long after the party broke up. Seduction by music - was that even possible? And then, one thing had led to another and they had ended up in bed with their bodies making music of a different kind. Truth be told, it had been pretty sensational.   After a shower she felt ready to face the world. She had no clue how she would do it but she had to give the annoying hunk, who also happened to be a good eight years younger than her, the brush off. She had no wish to be branded a 'cougar' or 'bitch', or worse still, 'slut' as she definitely was not into younger men.   She finger-combed her hair, took a deep breath and opened the door. She was ready to face the music.   As soon as she stepped out, she heard the