March 28, 2008
by News Desk / IANS

Would you like to script a film? Do you have engaging stories to tell? If yes, then the Mirchi Movies story hunt could help you make it big in Bollywood. The hunt for great stories begins on April 2, 2008 and ends on April 30th, 2008. Results will be announced by May 31, 2008, and the prizes would be given at a grand function organized in Mumbai.

Based on your talent, the three best stories will be awarded 10 lakhs, 5 lakhs and 3 lakhs rupees respectively, while the next 25 best stories will be given 5000/- rupees each, as consolation prizes. A select number of top stories would be developed into feature films, with the writer getting due credits in the respective film. Check out the details on www.mirchimovies.com

While the country has a lot of original writing talent, filmdom certainly doesn’t get to see much of it. And that’s where Mirchi Movies, a production company which is a subsidiary of Times Infotainment Media, is stepping in.

Kamlesh Pandey, who scripted the Aamir Khan starrer “Rang De Basanti” and will be on the judges panel, says: “We can’t go on waiting for a good writer to land up, and the industry will benefit from this talent hunt initiative.

“We need a lot of writers. We are making more than 1,000 movies every year. Writers are the first need to make a movie. Everything begins with them,” Pandey told IANS on phone from Mumbai.

Ask him the important elements he would look for in a story and he says: “The story should be good. By good I mean that it should have a beginning and an end. It should have well defined characters. There should be a conflict between the main characters because without conflict there is no good story. These are the basic minimum requirements.

“Also, it has to be refreshing. For instance, an old story can be presented with a new touch. A good writer can hail from the remotest part of the country. A small town writer can provide interesting stories as they are living in an environment where stories are emerging every day.”

Well-known filmmaker Aziz Mirza too will be on the judges panel along with eminent actors and directors.

The pan-India story hunt will cover 20 cities and towns - Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Pune, Jaipur, Surat, Baroda, Kanpur, Indore, Bhopal, Coimbatore, Lucknow, Visakhapatnam, Raipur and Thiruvananthapuram. Each story has to be between 1,000 and 3,000 words.

Munish Purii, chief operating officer, Mirchi Movies, said: “We are excited on the Mirchi Movies Story Hunt initiative. Three top story ideas will be converted into screenplays and might be made into feature films.”

Next: I am not threatened by newcomers: Minissha Lamba.