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Tag: Content HUb 2020

  • It’s the golden age of content: Sooni Taraporevala

    It’s the golden age of content: Sooni Taraporevala

    MUMBAI: Sooni Taraporevala, an Indian screenwriter, photographer and filmmaker best known for her work in Mississippi Masala, spoke on ‘The Golden Age of Content’ at The Content Hub 2020 organised by indiantelevision.com.

    Taraporevala was the screenwriter for the movie Namesake and Oscar-nominated Salaam Bombay, both directed by Meera Nair. Speaking on her friendship with Nair and her most difficult movie she said: “Meera and I wanted to work together for the longest time. Seven years after we graduated, she had several acclaimed documentaries under her belt and wanted to make her first feature. We embarked on what was to become Salaam Bombay.”

    Yeh Ballet, currently on Netflix, proved to be a game-changer for the filmmaker. A Harvard University student, Taraporevala came to movies both by chance and destiny. Her biggest lesson, ‘Never hear the naysayers and never give up’, made her successful and relevant in the industry.

    She said, “Like in screenplays real life does have turning points and this was mine. At Harvard, I discovered two things – photography and films. I initially felt I don’t have the personality to be a filmmaker. I was happy with my crew of one person and a camera. I returned to India and started working as a professional photographer.”

    Taraporevala has progressed a lot since those initial days. “I remember when I wrote the Salaam Bombay script I didn’t know what ad structures are. My script was research mixed with imagination. Everything I have learned helped me in writing. From literature, I moved to narrative, character, point of view, plots and sub-plots. Certain stories didn’t work out well. Later, I moved to Bombay. That time I was also writing Mississippi Masala, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, directed by Dr Jabbar Patel and later started Namesake. Dr Ambedkar with Jabbar Patel took ten years. It was one of the most difficult movies I did.”

    While addressing the audience, Tarporevala spoke at length about her foray into filmmaking. In 2005, the writer, after completing her shoot for Namesake, was all set to take a big leap in her life. “Now I had time for myself because before that I was writing for other people. So I wrote Little Zizou in ten days. It was a story that took place in my backyard. The main locations were the lane where I grew up as a kid.”

    Taraporevala made her directorial debut with Little Zizou. The movie had an ensemble star cast of Boman Irani and John Abraham in the main lead.

    Taraporevala believes it is the golden age of content because content providers, writers and producers are in demand. “There’s a lot of work for everybody. There is diversity of storytelling and scale. There’s never been a better time for medium-sized stories and web series to be in the business,” she concluded.

  • India lacks bandwidth, financial ability to work in sequences like Hollywood

    India lacks bandwidth, financial ability to work in sequences like Hollywood

    MUMBAI: The last session of The Content Hub 2020 organised by Indiantelevision.com was moderated by Suraj Wanvari with screenwriter-director Karan Anshuman and director Gurmmeet Singh. The duo spoke on their learning while making shows for OTT platforms and the development process of Inside Edge and Mirzapur.

    In conversation with Wanvari, Anshuman and Singh spoke about their journeys as a writer and film director, challenges they faced, development of Inside Edge and Mizapur, OTT platforms, and the genres that will work well on OTT.

    Anshuman said, “Writing is my favourite part of filmmaking. While writing, we have to let the big idea win and we should allow them to come. Hollywood works on sequences and we want to work in the same manner but we don’t have that bandwidth or money to work in a similar format.”

    Singh said, “While in writing best idea wins, but as a director there is always a chance of improvisation as new ideas are always welcomed; it depends from case to case. We keep ourselves creatively open and engaging within the team.”

    Anshuman said, “There is a rigour about how streaming platforms access a project. On OTT there is a proper way of accessibility; there are good creative people who take their decisions.”

    Asked about which genres OTT platforms are looking at and what genres new writers should focus on, Singh said, “Gangster kind of stories has come to a saturation level; platforms are looking at comedy genre but it’s difficult to make them in long format.”

  • ‘Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan’ director Hitesh Kewalya to speak at The Content Hub 2020

    ‘Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan’ director Hitesh Kewalya to speak at The Content Hub 2020

    MUMBAI: Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan has been hogging B-Town limelight for the last two days. One of the major attraction points seems to be the recreated version of the 80s hit track Yaar Bina Chain Kaha Re, which has already taken social media platforms by storm. It seems director Hitesh Kewalya’s debut feature is treating him well.

    Kewalya will share inputs on content creation and its business at Indiantelevision.com’s two-day-long event, The Content Hub 2020. The fourth edition of the summit will be graced by the biggest producers, studios, content creators, and platforms involved in the feature film, television and digital, along with the makers of international content that has worked in India.

    He is an alumnus of the National Institute of Design, Film Department, started his career as a writer on the radio in 1998. Jumping through various fields like theatre, advertising, cartoons/illustrations for a magazine, he finally found his calling in Mumbai in 2005. Over the years, he has worked across genres like feature films, advertising, television dramas and short films as a screenwriter and director.

    Is Modh Pe Kuch Nahin Hota, Rhythmatics, Man Of The Match are among some of his award-winning short films. He has also written for popular shows such as Miley Jab Hum Tum, Is Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon, Nisha Aur Uske Cousins.