Film Production

SWA announces nominees for best gender sensitive script for SWA Awards 2020

Published

5 years ago

September 16, 2020

MUMBAI: Screenwriters Association (SWA), the Indian guild of screenwriters and lyricists, announced today the five nominees for the best gender sensitive script category of SWA Awards 2020. The nominees were selected by an eminent jury comprising of screenwriters and filmmakers Apurva Asrani, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Leena Yadav.

Nominees for Best Gender Sensitive Script are:

1. Saagar Gupta and Sridhar Rangayan for Evening Shadows

2. QasimKhallow for Gone Kesh

3. Ivan Ayr and Kislay for Soni

4. Faizal Akhtar, Sameer Siddiqi and ShrabaniDeodhar for TheSholay Girl

5. FarukKabir, Kushan Mustafa and Siddharth Mishra for 377 Ab Normal

SWA general secretary Sunil Salgia said, “Stories have played an important role in building society, in bringing change in its thinking. Stories told with visuals have lasting impact. We, the screenwriters, can shape the popular discourse for better or worse. The best gender sensitive script award is SWA’s way of encouraging writers to tell insightful stories that nudge the world towards becoming a little more sensitive, a little more inclusive, and a lot more beautiful.”

The five nominees were selected from 167 Hindi language feature films released in 2019 that were submitted to the awards committee. A pre-jury assessed all entries and shortlisted nine films. The final jury then evaluated these films and selected five nominees that challenge social and cultural stereotypes by exploring the identities of and relationships between men, women and other gender identities. The final winner will be announced in an online awards ceremony on 27 September 2020.

SWA Best Gender Sensitive Script Award screenwriter and spokesperson Ketki Pandit said, “The Best Gender Sensitive Script Award is for the writer who does not shy away from telling stories that are truly ‘hatke’ from the mush of same old clichés. Diving deep, who unveils layer after layer of complex characters, until all notions of ‘us and them’ vanish; and we see, beyond the gender binaries, the spectacular drama of human vulnerability.”

SWA is holding the first ever SWA Awards on the occasion of its diamond jubilee year in 2020. Since they are judged by knowledgeable screenwriters and lyricists, these awards promise to become the most coveted validation for writers in India, much like the awards of other prestigious international writers’ guilds and literary organisations.

The nominees spoke to SWA, reacting to the announcement:

Saagar Gupta: Thank you SWA for nominating our film Evening Shadows under this category. We are truly humbled to be nominated from the list of 167 films. Winning the award will surely be a boost, but our work being acknowledged by such a prestigious body of writers is itself a great honour and a matter of pride for us, as for the writers and creators of Evening Shadows.

Sridhar Rangayan: The very fact that SWA recognises the need for instituting a category like Best Gender Sensitive Script to give leverage to marginalised stories about women and LGBTQ characters within the mainstream space means a lot to us writers and filmmakers working on these themes. And the fact that our film Evening Shadows made the cut is a huge honour. We hope to keep the rainbow flag flying high!

Qasim Khallow: Many congratulations to SWA for their first ever awards and thank you for nominating Gone Kesh. It’s a great honour for me to be nominated as I have always looked up to SWA. This SWA Awards will motivate budding writers and also give recognition to already existing writers. I am so glad and happy that finally we have an award show especially dedicated to writers.

Ivan Ayr: I am very grateful to SWA and the awards committee for this nomination. There's no greater honour than to be recognised by your peers and contemporaries, so this is very special.

Kislay: I initially joined SWA thinking that it is only an association. Later when I received regular updates about its activities, I realised it does much more. It’s an honour to be chosen by your esteemed fellow writers as one of the contenders for the SWA Awards. In academics, the uniqueness and inventiveness of academic work is recognised in its peer reviews. SWA Awards is equivalent to that for me in films.

Faizal Akhtar:Shukriya SWA for nominating me for The Sholay Girl, a movie so dear to my heart. Especially because it is a biopic of a completely unknown woman. Doing contemporary research is kind of difficult. But the team pulled it off. So it feels ebullient to be nominated by SWA, by your own people. This award is important for the appreciation of the art and craft of a medium that is called the ‘writer's medium’. SWA nominating me feels like being nominated by the Academy for Oscars, and because it is an award by SWA, I know this will be a true lens for writers to judge their work.

Sameer Siddqui: An artist can understand and appreciate the work of a fellow artist better. I’m grateful that my humble effort is nominated for the first ever SWA Awards. I’m sure that SWA Awards are going to be the most respected recognition of creative talents. I wish all the success to this great venture of our association.

ShrabaniDeodhar: I feel very honoured to be nominated for my film The Sholay Girl in the Best Gender Sensitive Script category. This nomination is very special as this is the first year for this category and more so because this award is given by screenwriters to screenwriters. I want to thank SWA and the eminent jury members for encouraging and acknowledging us.

FarukKabir: I am very happy to learn of the first ever SWA Awards. It’s a welcome step in recognising one of the most important pillars of cinema, the writer. I am delighted and honoured to be nominated by SWA and peers in this very prestigious first for 377 Ab Normal. SWA by far is going to be one of the most revered awards for any content creator and writer to receive.

Kashan Mustafa: The importance of the film, 377 Ab Normal, overshadows any and all creative achievements that it brings. Written and made with true heart and spirit, this film is a milestone in putting the historic judgement and the people who played the key roles towards achieving it in moving images, thus giving them posterity. FarukKabir and Siddharth Mishra were instrumental in getting this film made. And so was Zee5 without whom this would not exist and would not be viewed by so many across boundaries of nations, ideologies and gender.

Siddharth Mishra: I'm really very happy and excited as our film, 377 Ab Normal, has been nominated under the Best Gender Sensitive Script category of SWA Awards. It's an important film for these times as though the court has done its job by decriminalising Article 377, the message should reach out to the larger part of the population in a way which is understandable and which can sensitise them. Film, as a medium, becomes a very effective tool in doing this. And we, as a team, tried to convey this message in an empathetic manner through this film.

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Film Production

Balaji Telefilms launches Hoonur, its talent management vertical

Published

3 days ago

February 6, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Balaji Telefilms has rolled out Hoonur, a dedicated talent management arm under its digital division, sharpening its push to build an integrated entertainment ecosystem spanning content, platforms and artists.

The new vertical is aimed at structured career development in an industry increasingly driven by digital reach, brand partnerships and multi-platform visibility. Hoonur will focus on long-term representation, strategic positioning and audience engagement for talent across broadcast and streaming formats.

The initiative will be led by Mohammed Nagman Lateef, a talent strategist with more than 11 years of experience, who earlier founded Iconic Entertainment. His appointment signals a more organised, forward-looking approach to artist management within the Balaji Telefilms fold.

Balaji Telefilms joint managing director Ekta Kapoor, said, “At Balaji, we have always believed that every artist deserves the right environment to grow. Talent thrives when it is supported by a platform that understands its individuality and long-term potential. With Hoonur, we are creating a curated space where artists receive focused attention, strategic guidance, and opportunities that are aligned with who they are and where they can go. It’s about shaping meaningful journeys, not just managing assignments.”

Hoonur has already signed a diverse roster of television and digital stars, including Madalsa Sharma, Sahil Uppal, Rohit Chandel, Simba Nagpal, Tejasswi Prakash and Shubhangi Atre.

Several of its artists: Urvashi Dholakia, Ridhi Dogra, Shiv Thakre and Shiny Doshi, also feature in The 50, one of India’s most anticipated new reality television shows.

Balaji Telefilms chief revenue officer Nitin Burman, said the new vertical would enable closer collaboration between content, brands and platforms, placing talent at the centre of long-term partnerships and audience engagement strategies.

With Hoonur, Balaji Telefilms is doubling down on its integrated model, blending content creation, digital strategy and talent representation to shape the next generation of media stars.

Film Production

Ananya Birla steps into cinema with Birla Studios launch

Published

5 days ago

February 4, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Ananya Birla is rolling the camera on a new act. The entrepreneur and singer has launched Birla Studios, a film production house pitched at the sweet spot between artistic heft and box-office muscle, as India’s content boom lures fresh capital and ambition.

Based in Mumbai and launched in 2026, the studio sets out to produce high-concept, prestige-driven commercial cinema that pairs broad audience appeal with artistic distinction. The pitch is clear: culturally relevant stories, emotional immediacy and films designed to linger in the mind long after the credits roll.

Birla Studios will champion narratives that spark instant connection while offering long-term resonance. Its mandate blends creative ambition with commercial viability, alongside a stated commitment to nurture new talent and amplify fresh voices across genres.

The venture is rooted in Ananya Birla’s view of cinema as a serious medium of expression and influence, not merely spectacle. The studio positions itself as a platform for meaningful but widely engaging storytelling that mirrors contemporary cultural sensibilities.

“We are all stories. Cinema is one of the most powerful mediums through which those stories are told. At its most powerful, cinema creates an immediate connection while leaving a lasting resonance,” Ananya Birla said. She added that the focus is on curating a slate that balances cultural significance with strong entertainment value, while taking “a conscious stand to nurture new talent, explore genres, and amplify fresh voices and diverse perspectives”.

As the slate takes shape, she noted the “kindness and receptiveness” encountered across the industry, calling it a privilege to play even a small role in taking Indian cinema forward.

The content strategy is deliberately wide. Birla Studios is assembling a multi-language slate spanning Hindi, Gujarati and Malayalam films, alongside international English-language projects. The idea is to travel across regions, languages and borders rather than stay in one cinematic lane.

Genre is no barrier. The studio describes itself as genre-agnostic, backing stories with depth and commercial potential while prioritising craft, scale and careful execution. Details of specific projects remain under wraps, with announcements promised in the coming months.

India’s film business is in flux, with streaming platforms, pan-Indian hits and global audiences reshaping what travels and what sells. Into that churn steps Birla Studios, betting that stories with cultural specificity and universal emotion can do both.

The script, for now, is aspirational. The real test will be on screen. In a crowded market chasing the next big story, Birla Studios wants to make films that do not just open well—but endure.

Film Production

Agnieszka Veriga named VP program management for Apac global experiences at WBD

Published

1 week ago

January 30, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Warner Bros Discovery has elevated Agnieszka Veriga, widely known as Aga, to vice president, program management for Apac global experiences, placing her at the helm of the company’s fast-expanding experiences business across the region.

Based in Dubai and working closely with teams across Asia Pacific, Veriga will lead Warner Bros Discovery’s portfolio of owned and licensed experiences. Her remit includes the Warner Bros Studio Tours in Tokyo and Shanghai, alongside shaping the company’s long-term growth strategy for experiences in Asia.

The appointment follows a landmark year in which Veriga worked closely with Sarah Roots to deliver the Harry Potter Studio Tour Shanghai project. Developed in partnership with Chinese hospitality major JingJiang, the project marked a major step in Warner Bros Discovery’s global experiences ambitions and stood out for its scale and complexity.

In her new role, Veriga will partner with Tony Qiu and the regional leadership team, focusing on strong programme delivery, clear governance and close collaboration across markets as the experiences portfolio continues to grow.

Veriga brings deep international experience to the position. Prior to joining Warner Bros Discovery, she served as director, strategic project management and business operations for Asia at Paramount, where she led major transformation initiatives and played a key role in launching Paramount Plus in South Korea and Japan. Her earlier career spans senior strategy and operations roles across Asia, Europe and the Middle East within the Discovery ecosystem and beyond.

Sharing the news, Veriga said she was grateful for the trust and support she has received and excited about what lies ahead. With studio tours and immersive entertainment gaining traction across Asia, her expanded mandate signals Warner Bros Discovery’s intent to scale experiences with precision and pace.