The Story of a Nicholl Semi Finalist

“Writing is a lonely art. You tend to sit on your own in a room without a whole lot of feedback, and frankly, your mother’s feedback, your dad’s feedback is not really what you want because they love and adore you. You actually want to read the tough feedback from professional readers or from the agents or managers that you submit your material to in your great quest to get representation.” – Peter Samuelson, screenwriter.

Contests are a great way to get feedback that every writer needs—to understand what is working in the script and what’s not. I chose to enter my drama screenplay, Coaching Class in the Finish Line Competition in 2016 because they promised to give me feedback for my script. What’s more, based on the evaluation, I could re-submit a revised draft. This enabled me to improve my script taking it to the top of the contest table and winning a first runner-up place.

While a contest win can be a great ego boost, it actually is much more than that. It enhances a writer’s credentials. Being ranked among the winners of credible contest improves your chances of getting a foot in the door and having your work read by people who make films and are on the lookout for great scripts.

The Finish Line competition gave me the confidence to approach a number of top production companies, both in India and in Hollywood as well as agents. Meanwhile, the most prestigious screenwriting contest – the Academy Nicholl Fellowships – which is organised by the same people who run the Oscar Awards came up. And I decided to enter Coaching Class in Nicholl’s. If it ranked well, the chances of it being read by industry professionals across the world would improve manifold. If not, I had nothing to lose!

In July, results season rolled in. And to my great surprise—and delight—Coaching Class had made it to the Quarter Finals. It was one of 361 (out of a total number of 7100 entries) to have made the cut. Excitement kicked in even though I knew the next leg of the contest would be much tougher. By August, I was informed that my script was only one of 151 scripts to advance to the Semi Finals round. I was well and truly stunned and super happy, once it began to sink in.

The feedback from the judges was also sent to me. One judge said, “This drama, set in India, has an interesting, involving story that is full of tension and conflict. Careful attention has been paid to structure and both the main plot and the subplots have strong development.”

Another remarked, “The characters are richly detailed and their goals and dreams feel appropriate and unique to each of their character arcs. Even the ancillary characters…have interesting backstories.”

More importantly, they pointed out what needed work in the story. Unlike Finish Line though, I did not have the chance to submit a revised version. But reaching the Semi Finals of Nicholl’s has boosted my confidence and given me the calling card I need for future interactions with film industry professionals.

Even though the script did not make it to the Finals, I feel immensely proud to be walking in the footsteps of two-time Nicholl Semi Finalist Michael Arndt (among many other prominent screenwriters) who went on to win the Best Screenplay Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine.

Samuelson puts it succinctly: "There is no great victory in writing a script that isn't produced unless it was a stepping stone while you were perfecting your craft in order to be able to write a script that did get made into a film. You just need to do it."

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Basu Chatterji's Rajnigandha was like a breath of fresh air in the 1970s film universe of Bombay. At a time when the Angry Young Man was beginning to dominate celluloid screens, Amol Palekar was as un-hero-like as you could get. He was the Common Man who traveled in buses, did not have hero-like mannerisms and did not breathe fire and brimstone at his opponents. Basu Chatterji's Middle of the Road Cinema burst on to the scene and surprised the movie-going audience with its everyday situations and storylines that had an undercurrent of humour. Chatterji catered to an audience that he liked to call the "Balcony Class". Anirudha Bhattacharjee, author of Basu Chatterji and Middle-of-the-Road Cinema writes an entertaining and heartwarming account of the life and work of Basu Chatterji, one of the most under-rated directors of Indian cinema. Recall of Chatterji's brand of feel-good, slice-of-life movies is perhaps highest for his Rajnigandha, Chotisi Baat, Baaton Baa...

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The biggest Challenge is to Pitch your Story to Producers

I have been writing books and screenplays for a while and it's been a process of learning and re-learning. In this interview with Namrata of Kitaab.org , I share my experiences with regard to writing scripts, pitching and book to screen adaptations. Team Kitaab: Your career began as a business journalist before you transitioned to fiction writing. How has your background in journalism influenced your approach to writing screenplays and adapting books for the screen? Adite Banerjie: Journalism has shaped my career as a writer – both in non-fiction and fiction. First of all, by working on news stories, specially those with a human interest angle, I got the opportunity to observe first hand various situations and events and how they impact lives. It provided me with invaluable experience of the entire spectrum of issues that shape, impact and change people’s lives. At some subconscious level this stayed with me. So, when I started writing fiction, my journalism experie...

Amrita31 August 2017 at 20:03
Congratulations.You are walking the right path. I am sure thinga will get even better
Ls2 September 2017 at 09:09
Congrats Adite! From 7100 to 151 is a huge confirmation of your writing skills, not to mention morale boosting. I am sure your writing will be made into a film. Wish you all the best!
Richa s Handa3 September 2017 at 19:30
Congratulations. It's a great inspiration for me to read about your experience. That shows that we should just keep trying without undermining our own abilities. Thank you for such a detailed insight. Best wishes to you for your future projects.

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