Indian investment banker-turned-novelist Chetan Bhagat said the Indian film industry is only recently becoming more active in adapting books for screen, but that shoudl grow as India’s independent film production sector grows.
He noted that in India, commerical films are driven by the audience’s desire for escapism, formulaic stories and stars, but he hopes a space will always be available for arthouse films.
“A $25 million box office is considered a hit in India but you can get $2-$3 million to make an artistic film that makes $6-$7 million and that’s still a success. Some Indians want movies that give them insights into themselves and are tired of formula movies.”
Bhagat has experience with his novels being adapted into a huge box-office hit with top stars (3 Idiots), and also a more modest-sized success with lesser-known stars (Brothers For Life). Click here to read more »
As book-to-movie adaptations become more popular at the box-office, a FILMART 2013 panel has examined the importance of such work to the entertainment industry. Speakers including Indian writer Chetan Bhagat, writer/director Michael Tolkin, Marysia Juszczakiewicz of the Peony Literary Agency and Stu Levy of TOKYOPOP spoke at the 19 March event, sharing their experience on such projects and opportunities they create for filmmakers and publishers alike.
On February 25, 2011, Peony Literary Agency held a successful interactive creative writing workshop in Singapore, The Story and The Pitch, supported by the National Arts Council. The first of many, this interactive workshop provided aspiring writers with all the knowledge essential to initiate them in the international publishing industry and to launch themselves as professional authors. The event was held in the Living Room at The Arts House, which used to be the old Parliament building in Singapore.
The speakers of this event are Marysia Juszczakiewicz and Fran Lebowitz. Marysia Juszczakiewicz is the founder of Peony Literary Agency and has extensive experience of publishing in both the UK and Asia. Fran Lebowitz with over twelve years of experience as a highly successful literary agent in the US publishing industry specialising in pop culture and fiction, now runs a Singapore agency that specialises in editorial services for writers and screenwriters. Click here to read more »
