KARACHI: The Next Big Story, a platform for aspiring writers, earlier hosted a launch event in Lahore which is now available to watch on YouTube. The event had none other than Fawad Khan as the panel’s moderator, while Humayun Saeed, Mahira Khan, Vasay Chaudhry, Ahmed Ali Butt were amongst the esteemed panelists.
The event, sponsored by Pepsi, was attended by film students, professionals from the industry, and aspiring writers in the process of curating their own next big stories.
Sharing a little about what the panel was about Fawad Khan took to his Instagram to briefly acquaint his followers with the event.
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“The Next Big Story is a platform that aims to provide aspiring writers with the opportunity for exposure, to help them realize their talent, and to help them overcome some of the challenges that content writers face today.
The launch of the platform attended by film school students, industry professionals, and aspiring writers, took place in Lahore where our panelists (Mahira Khan, Humayun Saeed, Ahmed Ali Butt, Vasay Chaudhry, Asim Raza, and Navid Shahzad) shared their experiences and inspired the audience,” wrote Fawad Khan.
The discussion primarily focused on writing within the industry. The generation of content, such as scripts for films, advertisements, etc. The discussion also focused on what challenges are faced by the industry as of this moment, and what can be done to overcome the issues.
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Upon being asked what Mahira Khan looks for in a story before signing a film she said, “Early on, and it still is a matter of ‘does this make me feel something? Do I want to be a part of this story? It has always been that. I have never held a script in my hand and asked myself, will this be a hit?” She revealed that she focuses on whether she wants to be the character she has been assigned, and as time has passed and she has gained experience as an actor, she has started to understand stories better.
On the other hand, Ahmed Ali Butt jokingly said how his payment is a major factor behind his choice of films. Later on, he stated how he started working with a film crew when Jawani Phir Nahi Aani was in the works. Later, the same team started to work on Punjab Nahi Jaungi, shortly after which the crew started working on the second part of Jawani Phir Nahi Aani. Due to this, Butt developed a level of comfort with the crew, and evaluation of script became secondary. “All three films were a no-brainer for me because I was working with the same team. However, afterward, when I met Asim Raza and he offered me Parey Hut Love, there have been a few things I’d close my eyes to before attempting. It was Asim’s film because I always wanted to work with him. It was his humility that he still put the script in front of me and asked if there is something you want to address on the matter.”
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Humayun Saeed revealed that he looks at the concept when choosing a script for his film. He added, “I am the kind of person who tries to see if this script would be successful. If you are successful, you have respect. However, I do realize that it should be the other way around. You should first focus on making something that brings you respect and worry about its monetary value later. However, if I am being honest I am thinking about both of these things together. Then you have to think about how you can entertain people, the film should be relatable and people do not get bored. The writing of the film should be such that people are hooked, such as character introduction and development.”
Vasay Chaudhry talked about a film he once wrote based on hockey, sometime back in 2005. He pitched the idea to a number of channels, and a lot of people had their interests piqued. However, in 2007, Shah Rukh Khan’s Chak De was released and the idea was dropped. “It often happens with us as young writers, that an idea comes to mind and you know it is great. I had the same feeling with that idea because I knew that hockey has not been addressed in films throughout the subcontinent. However, if there is an idea you are not being able to execute, do not worry. You will get another idea. Ideas keep coming, although it does hurt when a good idea is not taken further. But I guess you do get over that hurt, just like you get over heartbreak after some time,” he said.
The aforementioned are just some highlights of the event. A lot more was analyzed and dissected by the panelists. What the best part about The Next Big Story is, that it reaches out to people who wish to have careers in film and screenwriting. There should be more discussions such as these, inviting the cream of the industry to take on the issues that currently face the creative process of the fraternity and devise solutions to help make things better for the upcoming generation.
