‘Where Mind Is Without Fear’ is the theme of the conference focusing on the challenges facing Indian Screenwriters today

Actor-producer-director Aamir Khan will be the Chief Guest at the 5th edition of the Indian Screenwriters Conference (ISC), the much-awaited biennial event organized by the Screenwriters Association.

The conference will be attended by the eminent journalist Padma Shri awardee Vinod Dua; new age filmmakers like Amit Masurkar (Newton, Sulemani Keeda), Vetri Maaran (Visaranai, Aadukalam) Rima Das (Village Rockstars) and Ravi Jadhav (Nude); Screenwriters like Mayank Tewari, Varun Grover, Basharat Peer and Akshat Verma, Anjum Rajabali and Shridhar Raghavan ; Producers like Sidharth Roy Kapoor; lyricists like Swanand Kirkire, Somen Mishra (Head Of Development, Dharma Productions, Nikhil Sane is the Business head of Viacom 18 (Marathi Film Division) and Sameer Saxena ( Head of Development at The Viral Fever), TV writers like Vinod Ranganath ( Swabhimaan, Mere Angane Mein, Sea Hawks), Purnendu Shekhar (Astitva, Saat Phere, Balika Vadhu) and Gul Khan (Geet, Is Pyar ko Kya Naam Dun, Qubool Hai, Ishqbaaz), Zama Habib (Bidaai, Saas Bina Sasural, Sasural Genda Phool);  Digital stars like Sumeet Vyas(Actor, writer of  Bang Baja Baraat,Tripling), Jyoti Kapoor Das (wrote and directed Chutney, a short film with 121 million views on youtube) Dhruv Sehgal (writer of a charming web series Little Things) and Smita Singh (one of the three writers behind the Netflix’s first Indian Original series ‘Sacred Games

The reputed journalist and Padma Shri awardee Vinod Dua will deliver the Keynote Address at the Inaugural day of the conference which will be held from August 1- 3, 2018 at the St. Andrew’s Auditorium, Bandra.

The theme of the conference this year ‘Where Mind Is Without Fear’ is focusing on the challenges facing Indian Screenwriters today.

The conference is expected to see a large number of screenwriters and established professionals from the film and TV industries, as well as the digital media. It will also provide a platform for networking to all its participants.

Stimulating discussions and insightful sessions await the participants at 5ISC, with panelists and speakers who’re amongst the most respected and knowledgeable professionals from the entertainment and media industry.

Some of the interesting panels are:

WRITERS Vs. PRODUCERS: CAN THEY NEVER BE ALLIES?

Panelists include Siddharth Roy Kapur, Akshat Verma, Somen Mishra, Amit Masurkar. Moderated by Anjum Rajabali

 

WRITING WITHOUT FEAR – IS A WRITER’S MIND FREE OF FEARS?

Panelists include Basharat Peer (writer of Haider, has also published two books, works as an Editor for The New York Times in Istanbul), Prof Rashmi Doraiswamy – Rashmi is a professor at Jamia Millia Islamia, renowned for her expertise in culture, cinema and literature, Rima Das (Village Rockstars) and Pooja Ladha Surti (Ek Haseena Thi, Badlapur). Moderated by Mayank Tewari (Newton and Sulemani Keeda)

WEB OF DIGITAL WRITING: FEARLESS OR FRIVOLOUS

Panelists include Sumeet Vyas (writer Bang Baja Baraat, Tripling and Love Square Feet. Also, an actor, who brought ‘cool’ to the Internet), Sameer Saxena (Head of Development at The Viral Fever), Jyoti Kapoor Das (Former Creative head of Big Synergy, writer- directed Chutney, a short film with 121 million views on youtube), Dhruv Sehgal (written Little Things, a charming web series that made him an instant star on the interwebs) and Smita Singh (one of the three writers behind the Netflix’s first Indian Original series ‘Sacred Games.  Moderated by Mayank Shekhar

 

HAS THE DAILY SOAP FORMAT REACHED ITS DEAD END?

Panelists include Yubaraj Bhattacharya (a rare creative force within the broadcasting fraternity who successfully launched the regional Star Jalsha, headed programming at Hindi GEC Life Ok, and is now with Zee TV as the commissioning lead), Rajan Shahi, Director and producer of the longest running Indian Television Series Yeh Rishta Kya Kahlata HaiShanti Bhushan (Writer of successful shows like Mann ki Awaaz Pratigya, Ishq ka Rang Safed and Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya hi Kijo), Sharad Raj: An FTII alumnus who has worked on Kumkum, Rihaee, Siddhant, Dil Mil Gaye. Former Head of Programming at Sahara TV)

Moderated by Zama Habib (SWA General Secretary)

SOUTHERN WAVES

Panelists include Vetri Maaran (writer and director of critically acclaimed films like Visaranai and Aadukalam), Pushkar AKS and Gayathri Sivasubramaniam (Writer and director of Vikram Vedha) and Vikram K. Kumar (Writer and director of Manam, Hello and 24). Moderated by Shridhar Raghavan

Panel of lyricists Swanand Kirkire, Abhiruchi Chand, Shellee and Kausar Munir moderated by Varun Grover

The three-day conference will be attended by the eminent journalist and Padma Shri awardee Vinod Dua; new-age filmmakers like Amit Masurkar (Newton, Sulemani Keeda), Vetri Maaran (Visaranai and Aadukalam) Rima Das (Village Rockstars) and Ravi Jadhav (Nude) ; Screenwriters like Mayank Tewari, Varun Grover, Basharat Peer and Akshat Verma, Anjum Rajabali and Shridhar Raghavan ; Producers like Sidharth Roy Kapoor; lyricists like Swanand Kirkire, Content Development heads like Somen Mishra (Head Of Development, Dharma Productions), Nikhil Sane is the Business head of Viacom 18 (Marathi Film Division) and Sameer Saxena ( Head of Development at The Viral Fever), TV writers like Vinod Ranganath ( Swabhimaan, Mere Angane Mein, Sea Hawks), Purnendu Shekhar (Astitva, Saat Phere, Balika Vadhu) and Gul Khan (Geet, Is Pyar ko Kya Naam Dun, Qubool Hai, Ishqbaaz), Zama Habib (Bidaai, Saas Bina Sasural, Sasural Genda Phool); Digital stars like Sumeet Vyas(Actor, writer of  Bang Baja Baraat,Tripling), Jyoti Kapoor Das (wrote and directed Chutney, a short film with 121 million views on youtube) Dhruv Sehgal (writer of a charming web series Little Things) among many others.

Talking about the conference, Sanjay Chouhan – Conference Convenor says: “This conference is gathering of not only screenwriters but also directors, producers, tv heads, academicians and creative minds. As participant’s knowledge and insight I got from previous screenwriter’s conference was immense. We want to enhance it further with this conference. We want to bring people related to screen under one umbrella to share their experience, knowledge, mistakes, brickbats. trolls, rewards and achievement. Alone we may not be able to do anything but together we can sing ‘where the mind is without fear.”

Journey so far…

The Indian Screenwriters Conference was started with the idea of addressing issues concerning Indian screenwriters and lyricists, while also encouraging a dialogue on the surrounding social realities, within and outside the film and TV industries.

The first Indian Screenwriters Conference, held at FTII, Pune, in August 2006, was attended by 275 writers. The second, at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, next to Film City, Mumbai, in December 2008; saw 575 screenwriters and writer-directors attending it. 3ISC at St. Andrew’s Auditorium, Bandra, in February 2013, had the participation of 700 screenwriters. 4ISC, held in August 2016, was the biggest with over 900 screenwriters and industry professionals attending it.

Event details

DATES: August 1, 2 & 3 (Wed, Thurs & Fri), 2018

TIMINGS: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (on August 2nd, a cultural program from 6:30 – 8:00 PM)

VENUE: St. Andrew’s Auditorium, Bandra West, Mumbai

Programme

DAY 1: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1

1000-1130 hours INAUGURATION

Chief Guest: Aamir Khan

Keynote Speaker: Vinod Dua

1130-1200 hours Tea/Coffee Break
1200-1330 hours WRITERS VS. PRODUCERS: CAN THEY NEVER BE ALLIES?

Moderator: Anjum Rajabali

Panel: Aamir Khan, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Akshat Verma, Somen Mishra, Amit Masurkar

1330-1430 hours Lunch Break
1430-1600 hours BLURRED LINES BETWEEN HISTORY, MYTHOLOGY & FANTASY

Moderator: Kavita Kane

Panel: Siddharth Kumar Tewary, C.L. Saini, Dr. Bodhisattva, Shama Zaidi

1600-1630 hours Tea/Coffee Break
1630-1800 hours BETWEEN THE HITS

Moderator: Ketki Pandit

Panel: Nikhil Sane, Ravi Jadhav, Manaswini L R, Abhishek Jain

DAY 2: THURSDAY, AUGUST 2

1000-1130 hours DISPUTE SETTLEMENT – DEMYSTIFIED AND EXPLAINED
Moderator: Vinod Ranganath

Panel: Heema Shirvaikar, Sushrut Desai, Sunil Salgia

1130-1200 hours Tea/Coffee Break
1200-1330 hours WRITING WITHOUT FEAR – IS A WRITER’S MIND FREE OF FEARS?

Moderator: Mayank Tewari

Panel: Prof Rashmi Doraiswamy, Rima Das, Pooja Ladha Surti, Basharat Peer

1330-1430 hours Lunch Break
1430-1600 hours PAL DO PAL KE SHAAYAR

Moderator: Varun Grover

Panel: Swanand Kirkire, Shellee, Kausar Munir, Abhiruchi Chand

1600-1630 hours Tea/Coffee Break
1630-1800 hours WHERE ARE THE NEW VOICES IN TELEVISION?

Moderator: Sukesh Motwani

Panel: Ashish Golwalkar, Vivek Bahl, Purnendu Shekhar, Gul Khan

1800-1830 hours Break
1830-2000 hours CULTURAL PROGRAMME

 DAY 3: THURSDAY, AUGUST 3

1000-1130 hours SOUTHERN WAVES
Moderator: Shridhar Raghavan

Panel: Pushkar AKS, Gayathri Sivasubramaniam, Vikram K. Kumar, Vetri Maaran

1130-1200 hours Tea/Coffee Break
1200-1330 hours HAS THE DAILY SOAP FORMAT REACHED ITS DEAD END?

Moderator: Zama Habib

Panel: Yubaraj Bhattacharya, Rajan Shahi, Shanti Bhushan, Sharad Raj

1330-1415 hours Lunch Break
1415-1515 hours WEB OF DIGITAL WRITING: FEARLESS OR FRIVOLOUS Moderator: Mayank Shekhar

Panel: Sumeet Vyas, Sameer Saxena, Jyoti Kapoor Das, Dhruv Sehgal, Smita Singh

1515-1545 hours Tea/Coffee Break
1545-1800 hours AWARD CEREMONY

Complete Programming – Aug 1-3, 2018

 

AUGUST 1, 1200-1330 hours

WRITERS Vs. PRODUCERS: CAN THEY NEVER BE ALLIES?

 

Focus: By their very definitions, art and commerce seem to be locked in a perpetual conflict. One aims to unearth hidden truths, break new ground, whereas the other seeks to profit by pleasing the audience, by not disturbing status quo. The writer is considered a natural rebel, the producer, an establishmentarian. Ergo, the relationship seems riddled with tensions, anxieties and suspicions. And, yet, neither can survive without the other. So, can we at least understand each other’s point-of-view?

Moderator

Anjum Rajabali: Ageing screenwriter (Drohkaal, Raajneeti), Teacher, Senior SWA activist.

Panellists:

Aamir Khan:

 

Siddharth Roy Kapur: Founder Roy Kapur Films, President of Film & TV Producers’ Guild, Ex-MD & CEO Disney India

 

Akshat Verma: Screenwriter-Director (Delhi Belly, Kaalakandi)

Somen Mishra: Head of Development at Dharma Productions, earlier with Junglee Pictures.

 

Amit Masurkar: Screenwriter-Director of Newton(2017), Suleimani Keeda(2014).

AUGUST 1, 1430-1600 hours

BLURRED LINES BETWEEN HISTORY, MYTHOLOGY & FANTASY

Focus: Indian Cinema began its journey with Raja Harishchandra, a Mythology. For television, the stories from past have always drawn big bucks, but how does one differentiate between History, Mythology, Fantasy and Folklore as it has all got mixed up in our stories. Do the writers have liberty to create a concoction in a society that is already confused about what is History and what is Mythology/Fantasy? Where do you draw a Lakshaman Rekha?

Moderator

Kavita Kane: Journalist, columnist, and scriptwriter. Author of bestsellers like The Karna’s Wife: The Outcast’s QueenSita’s Sister and Menaka’s Choice.

Panellists:

Siddharth Kumar Tewary: Founder – Swastik Productions. Writer, director, creative producer of shows like Mahakali, Mahbharat, Shani and Porus.

C.L. Saini: A veteran writer of the genre with shows like Siya ke Ram, Devon ka Dev Mahadev, Prithviraj Chauhan and Naagin to his credit.

 

Dr. Bodhisattva: Research head for TV Serials like Chandra Nandini, Meharunnisa, Mahabharat and Sankat Mochak Mahabali Hanuman

 

Shama Zaidi: Writer, costume designer, art director, theatre person, art critic, and documentary filmmaker who’s written movies like Garam Hawa, Shatranj ke Khiladi, Sardari Begum, Netaji Subhash Chanda Bose, Umrao Jaan, and many more, TV serials like Bharat Ek Khoj, Samvidhan and Zubaane Ishq.

AUGUST 1, 1630-1800 hours

BETWEEN THE HITS

Focus: Marathi and Gujarati film industries have seen a robust growth in last two decades, as evidenced by the booming box office numbers, and the sheer number of films made every year. Low budgets and the state governments’ incentives have helped filmmakers tell offbeat stories with unconventional treatments. But for every hit film, there are twenty flops. Maybe more. Why so? What’s the reality of the silence between the hits? And how can we break through?

Moderator: 

Ketki Pandit: Ketki Pandit is a playwright and filmmaker whose Hindi solo play Mansha Ki Shaadi recently crossing the milestone of 50 shows. Formerly the Head of Screenplay Writing Department at FTII, she is now gearing up to direct her first Marathi feature.

Panellists:

Nikhil Sane: Business head of Viacom 18 (Marathi Film Division). Formerly the business head of Zee’s Essel Vision, Mr Sane has to his credit numerous blockbusters including Sairat, Natasamrat, Lai Bhari as well as critically acclaimed films like Fandry and Killa, to name a few.

Ravi Jadhav: Acclaimed writer, director and producer in Marathi who has succeeded in striking a chord with the audiences every single time he brings a story to screen, starting from his debut Natrang to his latest Nude.

Manaswini L R: Successful Marathi writer, playwright and screenplay writer whose work includes films like Kachcha Limbu and Ti Sadhya Kay Karte as well as the popular TV series Eka Lagnachi Dusri Gosht.

Abhishek Jain: Writer, producer and director who has helmed Gujarati films Kevi Rite Jaish and Bey Yaar that have earned praises from both the critics and the audience.

AUGUST 2, 1000-1130 hours

DISPUTE SETTLEMENT – DEMYSTIFIED AND EXPLAINED

Focus: The DSC of the SWA attends to close to 300 cases in a year. Most of the cases filed turn out to be a wrong interpretation of what Copyright is and some cases deal with lack of knowledge of what a contract is. The discussion will aim to make our members aware of the law and the rights of a writer that are protected under it. It will also cover Do’s and Don’ts in a contract. All this will be explained through some DSC cases and some important judgements passed by the courts.

Moderator:

Vinod Ranganath: Writer of TV shows such as ‘Swabhimaan, Mere Angane Mein, Sea Hawks amongst others, and Hindi Feature films, ‘Mast’ ‘Ishk Vishq’ and Malayalam films Millenium Stars & Beebalsam. He is also an SWA activist and teacher of TV/Web writing course at FTII. He is also the DSC Chairperson.

Panellists:
Heema Shirvaikar: A graduate from Symbiosis Law School, Pune, she has been working at SWA as the in-house legal officer. Intellectual Property Laws and Entertainment Law, especially Copyright Law are her areas of expertise.

 

Sushrut Desai: Advocate in Bombay High Court practicing civil/commercial litigation and specializing in intellectual property rights litigation. He was consulting lawyer for SWA for two years.

 

Sunil Salgia: Writer, editor, director, executive producer, researcher and documentary filmmaker, who’s directed more than 20 television shows.

AUGUST 2, 1200-1330 hours

WRITING WITHOUT FEAR – IS A WRITER’S MIND FREE OF FEARS?

Focus: In today’s time, along with burgeoning opportunities to tell their stories, writers are also facing the resistance from the market, the society, and from their own selves. In this current scenario, are writers freely telling their stories, or are writers curbing their own expression under the known and unknown fears?

Moderator:

Mayank Tewari: Mayank proved his mettle as a writer to be reckoned with the diligent Newton(2017), and the quirky Sulemaani Keeda (2014).

 

Panellists:

Prof. Rashmi Doraiswamy – Rashmi is a professor at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. She is renowned for her expertise in culture, cinema and literature.

 

Rima Das – Rima’s film Village Rockstar(2017) was talk of the film festival in 2017. The charming film touched hearts, and showcased the courage of Rima.

 

Pooja Ladha Surti – Pooja is an editor and writer. Her writing repertoire includes formidable films such as Ek Haseena Thi(2004), Badlapur(2015), Phobia(2016) among others.

 

Basharat Peer – Basharat made an impressive writing debut with Haider (2014). He has also published two books, and works as an Editor for The New York Times in Istanbul.

AUGUST 2, 1430-1600 hours

PAL DO PAL KE SHAAYAR

Focus: Lyrics writing in Hindi Cinema has been the favourite punching bag of the purists while the Hindi film music continues to widen its reach. Seemingly the simplest of crafts, what are the challenges faced by lyrics writers from within and outside in today’s times and market-driven albums. Where do they stand on the ever-evolving language and idioms, and how do they (if they do) plan to write something timeless? A freewheeling discussion with some of the best contemporary lyricists discussing their process as well as wish-list with the audience.

Moderator:

Varun Grover: Varun has written many of the chart-busting songs of the past 5 years. With songs like Womaniya, Yeh Moh Moh Ke Dhaage, Varun is leading a new dawn in Hindi lyrics writing.

Panellists:

Swanand Kirkire: Starting with ‘Baawra Mann’ in 2005, Swanand has been creating magic with his poetic words. His songs always find home in millions of hearts every year, making him the most prominent lyricist of our time.

 

Shellee: Shailender Singh Sodhi popularly known as Shellee is a poet veritas, whose songs like PardesiChitta ve among others have created storm among the people of this generation.

Kausar Munir: Whether it was the last year’s haunting ‘Main Kaun Hoon’, or this year’s love ballad ‘Aaj Se Teri’, for over a decade, Kausar’s songs have overtaken the sound waves everywhere across the nation. When it comes to penning soulful lyrical hits, there is no one better than Kausar.

Abhiruchi Chand: Abhiruchi made noise with her ‘Buddhu sa mann’ in 2016, and this year with with ‘thehar jaa’. Abhiruchi is fast becoming a lyricist to lookout for in the coming years.

AUGUST 2, 1630-1800 hours

WHERE ARE THE NEW VOICES IN TELEVISION?

 

Focus: Newer breed of writers are also spewing the same old content. In fact they almost seem like by-products of the last one decade of television lacking any new contemporary creative insight or approach. Is there any space for new voices that equals to new content, new stories in our television? Where is the new talent? Is the new talent sitting in fear to bring forth new ideas?

 

Moderator:

Sukesh Motwani: A writer who has written for Doordarshan as well as Private GECs, also served as Head of Content (Fiction) at Zee Television Network and is currently producing content across GEC and OTT platforms.

Panellists:

Ashish Golwalkar: A hardcore media professional who has led the non-scripted content vertical for Zee, weekend programming for Star Plus and currently leading the scripted and non-scripted content development and management for Sony.

Vivek Bahl: Writer and broadcaster who has served as head of content (fiction) in many GECs.

Purnendu Shekhar: Writer of iconic shows like Astitva, Saat Phere and Balika Badhu.

Gul Khan – A writer, director and producer of successful shows like Geet, Is Pyar ko Kya Naam Dun, Qubool Hai and Ishqbaaz.

AUGUST 3, 1000-1130 hours

SOUTHERN WAVES

Focus: Rooted, relevant, original, pathbreaking and hyper innovative, from the mainstream blockbusters to quirky and experimental low to no budgeters, some of the most exciting films and screenwriting across genres are coming from Southern cinema. Is it that their audience are more receptive? The producers are more risk taking? What is their approach to story and screenplay as compared to the Hindi film industry?

Moderator:

Shridhar Raghavan: Screenwriter (Khakee, Apaharan) and ex creative advisor to Endemol, Eros, etc.

Panellists:

Pushkar AKS: Writer and director of Vikram Vedha.

 

Gayathri Sivasubramaniam: Writer and director of Vikram Vedha.

 

Vikram K. Kumar: Writer and director of Manam, Hello and 24.

 

Vetri Maaran: Writer and director of critically acclaimed films like Visaranai and Aadukalam.

AUGUST 3, 1200-1330 hours

HAS THE DAILY SOAP FORMAT REACHED ITS DEAD END?

Focus: With shows garnering lesser ratings and a majority of shows winding up within three months on air due to poor ratings, is it content that is to be blamed or the format?

Is the daily soap format forcing its continued run and thus stifling better content as well as a better brighter future of television?

Moderator:

Zama Habib: Writer of successful shows like Bidaai, Saas Bina Sasural, Sasural Genda Phool and currently writing and producing Nimki Mukhiya, and spearheading a change at SWA serving as the General Secretary.

Panellists:

Yubaraj Bhattacharya: a rare creative force within the broadcasting fraternity who successfully launched the regional Star Jalsha, headed programming at Hindi GEC Life Ok, and is now with Zee TV as the commissioning lead. He also leads the Zee TV Idea Exchange – a forum of all commissioning leads and fiction heads of Zee TV.

 

Rajan Shahi: Director and producer of the longest running Indian Television Series Yeh Rishta Kya Kahlata Hai.

 

Shanti Bhushan: Writer of successful shows like Mann ki Awaaz Pratigya, Ishq ka Rang Safed and Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya hi Kijo.

 

Sharad Raj: An FTII alumnus who has worked on Kumkum, Rihaee, Siddhant, Dil Mil Gaye. Former Head of Programming at Sahara TV, he is currently teaching at Whistling Woods International and Digital Academy.

AUGUST 3, 1415-1515 hours

 

WEB OF DIGITAL WRITING: FEARLESS OR FRIVOLOUS

 

Focus: Four years since the upload of the successful and path-breaking web shows and content, Indian digital space has grown multi-fold. With big names and small names sharing the digital space, are we now experiencing the era of fearless writing, or are we still surrounded by frivolous content?

Moderator:

Mayank Shekhar: Mayank is a renowned reporter, author, and critic, who has convered entertainment and culture for the last two decades. He currently serves as the editorial head of Mid-Day entertainment.

Panellists:

Sumeet Vyas: Sumeet wrote the quirky and delightful Bang Baja Baraat (Y films), Tripling (TVF), and Love Per Square Feet (Netflix). He is also an actor, who brought ‘cool’ to the internet.

Sameer Saxena: As the Head of Development at The Viral Fever, Sameer oversees creative development of all the TVF shows, and video content. Sameer has also directed the most beloved shows for TVF.

Jyoti Kapoor Das: Former Creative head of Big Synergy (Reliance). Creative Producer behind Bose-Dead/Alive for Alt, and other Big Synergy’s shows for Voot, Netflix & Amazon. Also, wrote and directed Chutney, a short film with 121 million views on Youtube.

 

Dhruv Sehgal: Dhruv has written Little Things, a charming web series that made him an instant star on the interwebs. Dhruv also writes video content and web series for Dice Media.

 

Smita Singh: Smita is one of the three writers behind the Netflix’s first Indian Original series ‘Sacred Games’. An alumna of FTII’s screenwriting programme, her first screenplay was selected by Mumbai Mantra Cine-Rise in 2015.