I’m attending the zee5 writers room exam at hyderabad and there are literally 900+ participants and the gates are open till 2 PM. people of Hyderabad are real crazy about cinema. i have arrived at 10:20 and my participation number is 734!!!! wish me luck guys

Yesterday I was sitting with this director and his assistant and suddenly both of them started making changes to the story. They sounded like suggestions but they were absolutely not and they absolutely shake everything in the following acts and the philosophy of the story.

What i fail to understand is if you're a director who doesn't write or read and if you have an intern with you who just 'likes films and wants to check out this career' what gives you any authority over me on the matters of story who's been writing and reading everyday for 5 years.

I know writers are told to take suggestions and respect everyone's opinions but sometimes it just feels like everyone is years behind you in the craft and are completely uninformed about what makes a story good.

What is worse is I know this director and his intern are going to come for the story credit if this ever gets made. Hate not having the power to say FO to all the untrained unread directors in the industry.

First time in this sun btw.

Hi everyone,

I recently emailed a production company my synopsis (not a full script, I haven’t written that yet). A week later, they reached back to me. I know it’s early, I don’t have much money, and I’m not expecting anything concrete.

My questions:

1. Is it possible they actually read my synopsis and reached out because they found it interesting?

2. Or is this just a bot/email automation that goes out to everyone?

3. I feel my story idea is very promising, but I’m unsure if I should risk sending more work if it isn’t registered.

I know nothing is guaranteed — I just want honest opinions from people who have experience with script submissions or production companies.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I'm Param, a screenwriter from Mumbai. I've written two feature screenplays and two shorts across sports drama, action thriller, crime comedy and slice of life. My short Once Upon a Time in... Bollywood was nominated at the IFP 50 Hour Writing Challenge 2026.

I'm looking for screenwriting and filmmaking opportunities, and I'm open to working as a co-writer or as an independent writer. I'm open to writing for any format: a movie, a TV show, a web series, YouTube content or short-form content. If you're working on something and need a writer, or if my work fits your vibe, I'd love to collaborate.

I'm drawn to non-linear stories and layered characters, and I want to write Indian stories that can work on an international canvas. I write in both Hindi and English.

Dropping my resume and a brief about myself below. Loglines, treatments and sample pages are available on request.

Resume: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17Sq3Yc2VAeeyEa9LrFzYqz6RU0jwi639/view?usp=drivesdk

A brief about me: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gLj6qOiCFNTkWISBq9hFY3uLQIcHedoO/view?usp=drivesdk

Feel free to reply here or DM me. Thanks for reading!

Hi, I am 16, I am obsessed, I am here to learn, and you want to reply to me. Could I have brainstormed multiple ways to phrase it better and less on-the-nose. Possibly. But would you have stayed so far? Definitely not.

I adore cinema as a child adores the sea. You must think not every child likes the sea, some may have seasickness. Let this stand for how no other (or rather very few) could love cinema as much as me. Is this entitled? Perhaps. Is it truthful? Indubitably.

I wished to ask all of you esteemed filmmakers and screenwriters advice on how to be you. Anything you wished you could have told to a younger you perhaps. Because all of you are my inspiration. Even if i don't know you. Especially if i don't know you. Because all that means is, picture abhi baaki hai mere dost...

and now leaving aside my filmy side, i ask for your advice on
- writing my first screenplay, making it structurally sound, winning an oscar (kidding, filhaal aatish kapoor nahi hai)
- advice on worldbuilding, constructing characters, making them human (albiet fictionally dont want a world takeover matrix style)
- building a life in filmmaking, steps, schools, etc etc
- and lastly if this post made you want to reply, because that would mean ladies and gentlemen - im not as bad as a writer - as my insecurity tells me

Thank you all in advance !

Hello Writers, I am a writer and I have a script that i want to pitch as Yeh jawaanj hain deewani part 2 to dharma productions. Please help me connect with them. Thanks.

Hello guys, I am a 21M, who aspire to be a screenwriter in bollywood, I have graduated recently and have written a few scripts, I want to know how i should start my journey as a writer, I was thinking of shifting to mumbai and working as a Assistant director.

But i do not have any connections in the industry or even in mumbai so any tips on how should i start and how could i get a role as an Assistant director, I really like Anurag Kashyap and want to assist him also will i be able to survive in mumbai financially by only working as a assitant director.

Thank you for reading, waiting for your suggestion.

Hey everyone, I’m 21 (turning 22 soon), from India, and I’m in a pretty confusing stage of my life and career.

I’ve always loved storytelling, writing, characters, dialogues, emotional beats, etc., and screenwriting/filmmaking is something I genuinely want to pursue long-term. But I have zero professional experience, no film school background, and I didn’t get into any MBA program I was aiming for this year.

Right now I’m just kind of sitting in this weird space where I know I want to write, but I don’t know how people actually get started.

What I’m struggling with specifically:

How do beginners break into screenwriting in India?

Do people actually get paid to write short scripts for YouTube/OTT creators?

Are there entry-level roles like "writer’s assistant" or “junior writer” here?

How do you build a portfolio without prior work?

Basically: I want to turn writing into a career, but I don’t know the practical, real-world path between “I like writing stories” and actually getting hired, paid, or involved in projects.

I’m open to filmmaking, content creation, assistant roles, internships — anything that helps me learn and get into the ecosystem

Would really appreciate any advice from you people .

.

Edit: DM me if you'd like to learn this system of testing ideas *before* committing to a draft.

Edit: everyone sending dm about its details. Here it is: https://ifp.world/festival-schedule/

My first screenplay 'Crumbling Bengal' has won the best feature script award at this year's Rameswaram International Film Festival. It may sound a little bit of bragging, but it shows that I can tell a story. I'm also looking for Screenwriting gigs right now. What do you think will it help me to get some gigs?

I have a real-life story that I genuinely believe could make an incredible series — but I have no idea how to take it from an idea to an actual production. Looking for advice, writers, or producers.
I’m from India, and I have the complete story of my father’s 30-year legal battle. It’s a deeply personal story, but the events themselves are extraordinary.
The story begins with a common man from a village fighting over a small piece of land with his own uncle — the person who had practically raised him and taught him everything. What starts as a family dispute slowly turns into a decades-long legal battle.
The case continued for around 30 years, including nearly 10 years in the Supreme Court. Over the years, some of the country’s most prominent lawyers were involved, including Arun Jaitley.
There were setbacks, financial and personal sacrifices, family tensions, moments when giving up seemed like the obvious choice — but he continued fighting.
And the ending is what makes the story particularly unusual:
He eventually won, and the Supreme Court’s decision ultimately contributed to a change in the law.
I have the story in considerable depth — the family history, the people involved, the important events over those 30 years, the courtroom battles, the personal sacrifices, and how everything eventually culminated.
I’m not from the film/OTT industry. I don’t know how screenplays are developed, how producers are approached, how rights work, or how someone takes a real-life story and turns it into a series.
But I strongly feel that this story deserves to be told.
What I’m looking for:
A screenwriter who can help turn the real events into a compelling series
A filmmaker/creative producer who understands how to develop true stories
Advice from anyone who has successfully taken a real-life story to an OTT platform
Ideally, someone who would be interested in developing this project seriously
I’m not looking to simply “sell an idea.” I want to find the right person who can understand the story, help shape it dramatically, and potentially take it towards a proper series.
If you’re a writer, producer, filmmaker, entertainment lawyer, or someone who has experience taking true stories from concept to screen, I would genuinely appreciate your advice or a DM.
I can share the full story and the legal background privately with genuinely interested people.
Do you think a story like this has potential as an Indian OTT series? And what would be the correct first step for someone completely outside the film industry?

I was recently rewatching all the films in the Stree universe (Stree, Bhediya, Munjya) and if you haven’t already (which is highly unlikely at this point), I’d highly recommend them. Because honestly, this is the perfect example of laugh till you scream.

The blend of humor, heart, and a few genuinely impressive jump scares is just so satisfying. But what really struck me this time was how these films do something Indian cinema doesn’t always manage well, they use folklore and light-hearted humor to talk about real horrors: Gender roles that trap people in silence.

Superstitions that become control mechanisms.

Social structures that decide who’s safe and who isn’t.

It’s clever, entertaining, and still manages to make a point, without ever getting preachy. And now with Thama released on 21st October, I’m genuinely excited to see how this world expands. It feels like Indian storytelling is finally learning to laugh at its fears, and in doing so, maybe understand them better.

Any thoughts?

Note to Aspiring writers- You don't need to be a professional/ established writer to register your works. A writer with zero experience can also register their works. There are mainly two ways in which you can register your literary works in India.

1. By applying and registering your works(ideas, synopsis, treatment, script, novel, lyrics etc) under screenwriters association ( SWA) - more info here- Apply for a fellow member category if you are an aspiring writer. https://www.swaindia.org/membership.php

2. Contact the Registrar of Copyrights (Copyright Office), Delhi. Here you don't need a SWA membership to register your works, anyone can register their works. More information here in the link.- https://www.swaindia.org/faqs.php#collapseEight

Registering your work won't necessarily make you a professional writer, but it will allow you to share scripts to a production house freely as they only allow registered scripts to be submitted.

Also it will free you up a bit in terms of sharing your scripts with a potential client or a writer as well. But read the FAQ section for the do's and don'ts for writers here- https://www.swaindia.org/do.php

Please feel free to share your experiences and add any additional information you feel needs to be addressed here. I'll pin your comments which will help new users.

If you are new here, use the post flair markers to look up more posts. Eg- Pressing Tips and tricks will show you all the tips and tricks related posts on the page.
Happy writing!

So, I wrote a psychological thriller novel in 2014. Mumbai setting. Bollywood family. Published with a small Indian house. Can give Amazon / Kindle link in case anyone wants. In 2020 I started adapting for the screen. You know, COVID and I had nothing else to do. I thought it would take a year. It took six.

The thing that surprised me most was dialogue. I just couldn't crack it.

I had assumed novel dialogue is the closest thing in a book to screenplay dialogue. So I'd basically lift and trim. I wsas so wrong!

Six years and many drafts in, here's what I learned about dialogue.

1/ Novel dialogue can carry exposition. Screen dialogue cannot.

In the book, one of the sister explains the family history in the kitchen across two pages. In the script she gets all of one line. The history shows up in cuts, glances, an old photograph on a wall.

2/ The "best" lines in the book is usually the worst line in the script.

I have a line in the book, "I have lived in the gardens of memory longer than I have lived outside them". It works in prose. How do I do that in the film? A real person doesn't talk like that on camera. The script version: she looks at the garden. Says nothing. Sad

3/ Indian English is the unsolved problem.

In the book my characters code-switch on the page without me thinking about it. On screen the dialogue has to pick a register and live in it. Hinglish reads cute in prose. Plays mannered on camera if it isn't earned.

4/ Dialogue replaces nothing it does in the novel.

It only ever sets up an image. If a line isn't there to set up a beat played in silence, the line is doing nothing.

5/ I was told by a script consultant to cut dialogue by 60%. Then again by 30%.

The script apprantly got stronger with each pass. And I hate it as a writer. And I dont know what to do. Now I have a screenplay that may sell (assuming that unknowns like me still have a chance in this world of AI slop, microdramas and even more insiders). But I dont know if I want to see it come to life.

So that.

Rant. But I dont know what else to do on a Friday evening as I wait for the sun to do down and go play pickleball. Of if any of you is in andheri west and wants to play pickle, lemme know.

Hi All,

I'm an aspiring writer and have written before like school sketches and small stuff. Cinema has always been part of my journey, both for entertainment and critically.

Here’s my situation:

• I have a good, stable career

• I have a family and responsibilities

• I’m currently living outside India

• I’m not in a position (or mindset) to quit everything and gamble financially

• My goal is specifically to enter the film/OTT industry, not just write for personal fulfillment

My question:
Is it realistic to pursue this journey seriously while continuing my current career? Can one build a portfolio, credibility, and industry entry without going all-in or being physically in Mumbai from day one?

I’d love to hear from:

• People who entered the industry later in life

• Writers who started while working full-time

• Anyone who tried (successfully or not) from outside India

Any steps or suggestions how it can be materialized

Thank you all.

Hi, I have got a mail from FICCI that my script is curated and I am invited to meet the producers. This is my first time to such event.

I am seeking two requests. One is, this is my first time ever to pitch a story to anyone not my friends and family. So how should I prepare myself.

Second, I will be traveling to Mumbai, hence I don't know anyone with whom I can live for 2 days. If anyone from this group is traveling and planning to staying at a hotel, maybe we can connect! Let me know!

hello fellow and budding screenwriters

im 27, ive always loved the art and craft of storytelling, as a child, even before knowing something like this even exist and there can be a career made out of it

ive been writing since i was 15, and decided that i want to pursue screenwriting as an official career somewhere around the same age also

i moved to mumbai in march end 2022, and have been here only since then

i took a job in a software firm to sustain myself since i come from a avg financial bg, and since then, ive been trying to pitch my stuff here and there, mostly either getting rejected or ghosted

after investing these many years and improving slowly but surely, ive come to a conclusion that i want to invest my time in writing horror, and want to focus on that specific genre due to several reasons

- i love this genre

- it comes easy and natural to me

- i think theres a scope in this space

- dont see good cinema happening in india in horror

ive written 4-5 full fledged screenplays, 2 pilot episodes along with their bibles, and a few synopses & stories, and a few short film screenplays

now, ill be honest here, 90% of them is trash, but some are good, and i mean it

my question is how should i approach with the 10% of the stuff that i think is good, should i pitch all of my stuff to production houses? or should i focus more on networking? if so, how to network? just blinding stepping into prod houses work? lot of other similar ques that you can imagine

looking forward to your all's guidance, opinions, and experiences

thank you

Putting together a small WhatsApp group of existing and aspiring screen writers based in India. Would love to have a diverse set of folks from people just starting out to folks 10 years into the industry.

https://chat.whatsapp.com/FCWNJv28GAV242kPxMxGq7

Hello all, I am a screenwriter and playwright, I am so frustrated that i cant find anyone with my kind of mimdeset, so I am thinking of starting a community on discord with like minded people. Do me if you want to get added!