Bhopal's aspiring screenwriter wins pan-India competition

Bhopal-based Deepak Sharma's "Wah Bhai Ghulaam" has emerged the winning entry in a pan-India story competition which was open to aspiring Indian film writers above 18 from the heartland of India.

The competition was 'Quest For Stories" by Drishyam Films, and as the winner, Sharma will not just be presented with a cash award, but will also have a chance to get his story developed.

His "Wah Bhai Ghulaam" is a story set in Old Delhi and is a heartwarming tale of a man and his struggle to be buried next to his beloved wife.

Thrilled about the win, Sharma said in a statement: "This award means a lot to me and my story, as it signifies the importance of writing on such a subject. Drishyam Films has given me the hope and courage to write even better films ahead. I take this award as the first milestone of my writing journey and hope to make it a great one. "

Over 700 entries from all over the country, and across genres, were reviewed.

The banner's founder Manish Mundra thought of coming up with the competition after establishing an in-house content development team headed by creative producer Natasha Chopra, formerly with Junglee Pictures, UTV Motion Pictures and Balaji Telefilms.

Mundra said: "Our vision has always been clear -- content is king. Having received a tremendous number of stories from all across the country, we were heartened to see how budding writers rose to the challenge of telling great original stories.

"We have selected Deepak's story because it has a very unique premise, at the heart of which lies a moving love story."

Chopra said it's a "unique gem of a story, that too set in a milieu not often seen on the big screen".

Drishyam Films has optioned the rights to the winning story to develop it into a feature film project. A dedicated fund has been set aside for developing the story into a full screenplay.

--IANS

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