Logbook of a Screenwriter
Can the principles of ‘Poetics’ apply to Indian Cinema? More specifically, commercial Hindi cinema? Is it possible to deconstruct a blockbuster hit Hindi ‘tragedy’ on the basis of Aristotle’s rules and principles of storytelling? Ever since I spent time with NSD Professor Santanu Bose, discussing the essence of ‘Poetics’, I had been thinking. Am I stretching things a bit too…
2 CommentsI won’t start this the usual way I do, by flashbacks to my own past. In fact, on this day, since I am feeling a bit down and depressed, a state of mind I can’t explain to myself – I am in no mood to talk about my past connection with Santanu Mitra. Perhaps it should suffice to say that…
4 CommentsThree months is nothing in the lifetime of a blog…But yes, you do get to know where you are heading, and think…!!! Let’s see.In the past three months, at therewillbetime, we have discussed screenplay writing with Farookh Dhondhy and Soumik Sen, Copywriting with Stanley Pinto, Satire Writing with Akash ‘Deshbhakt’ Banerjee, and Travel Writing with Nishi Pulugurtha. We have also…
5 CommentsThe theme puja I covered on 100 years of Bengali Cinema has been awarded the best creative pandal in Delhi NCR.Kudos to the entire team of Prantic Cultural, Indirapuram. And a special thanks to Tapash Maity, the artist, for spending so much time with me. That’s one update I had to make upfront. Now for the ‘making’ story… NOSTALGIA REVISITED…
1 CommentThere’s something disconcerting about Vincent Van Gogh that has always attracted me, even while I was in no position to understand the depth or the significance of his work. I might still be not qualified enough to even appreciate him, but what to do; that enigmatic pull has only increased with time…!!! Is it about his seemingly abandoned brush strokes?…
11 CommentsWhat was meant to be a social media joke has exploded big time!!! Storm Area 51 was a Facebook event dated June 27, created by US college student and Game-streamer Matty Roberts, planned for September 20, 2019. That’s about one week from now. The idea is – to mass-invade a top secret US Military base in search of extraterrestrial ‘aliens’;…
8 CommentsPersonally, I am not a big fan of adventure shows; they are too realistic for my comfort. But then, when a show featuring a superstar anchor and a super-busy guest breaks all previous records, and it’s shot in India, one has to sit up and take notice. Ever since I saw the Discovery Episode of Man Vs Wild, I was…
Leave a CommentAviva Field is true to her words. She took my question rather seriously, and has shared a response, which could probably be called the first step to a long journey. Now, by storytelling, one is normally inclined to think fiction; more specifically, feature films. Syd’s books, whatever I have read, are replete with a strong focus on cinematic storytelling of…
5 CommentsThis day of freedom, feel free to write. Make your voices heard; about anything that does, or doesn’t excite you. For them who write for their rights are always right, and those who write the right things are never left out. Balderdash!! Why am I fencing with words… Let me come straight to the point. Precision and simplicity, my friend,…
Leave a CommentI wanted to ask screenwriting guru Syd Field a question when I first read his book, two decades back. It remained unanswered, mainly because I never asked it. After starting this blog, and browsing through his books again, the question returned. Since Syd wasn’t there any more, I thought of approaching the one person that might consider responding to my…
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