Fawad Khan: The Next Big Story
Are you a scriptwriter looking for a platform to reach filmmakers? Our very own heartthrob Fawad Khan is in search for ‘The Next Big Story’ and is launching a platform for just that.
“A great story is the flesh and bones of a great film,” Fawad Khan.
As Alfred Hitchcock once said, “To make a great film you need three things – the script, the script and the script,” many in the Pakistani film industry have overlooked the quote. It was also the backbone of the ‘The Next Big Story’ launched by Pakistan’s much sought-after heartthrob Fawad Khan. Even though the Pakistani entertainment industry is currently soaring through the skies with blockbuster after blockbuster; it is the content that matters the most or as Fawad said, “A great story is the flesh and bones of a great film.”
His new platform aims to address just that and to bridge the gap between young writers and those already on a higher stand, away from the reach of revolutionary stories that are being made by those who don’t get the spotlight. Libas Now, in an exclusive interview with the Humsafar actor, talk about the platform and what a good script needs when being evaluated.
Being part of an entertainment industry that is trying to belt out more and more films every year, there is a dire need for more content writers/scriptwriters in order to provide a more diversified and more versatile content for the audience. While talking about the objective of the platform, ‘The Next Big Story,’ Fawad said, “As of now, the aim is to put out a mechanism through which content writers/scriptwriters and aspiring writers reach the right producers and directors, who normally through other channels are unable to.” The star further added that the main aim of the platform is to provide these writers “a wire that connects this end to the other end”.
After working on the initiative for over a year, Fawad is glad to finally give this initiative some wheels. With an open memo for story submissions, the writing guidelines and parameters for judging will be put out in a detailed format to the audience later on. “When we started Alteridom Films, we felt there was a serious dearth looking for some great content out there, therefore with the ever-growing industry, this initiative is the first big step towards the end of the journey.”
“We have a lot of talented writers who can bring heartfelt stories to the front; not all of them have to be heart-breaking, most of them are very inspiring,” Fawad Khan.
With that being said, the Pakistani industry saw more variety in the 70s, 80s and 90s in terms of content as compared to today. As of now, there is only one kind of “quality entertainment,” – something that sells. There are a certain kind of soap operas, serials that are available for the viewers. Therefore, any different ideas that come forth go unnoticed because the eye gets trained to watch a certain kind of stuff. With this platform, Fawad wants to break this very norm and bridge the gap.
“Normally, a writer is commissioned for a project that guarantees success to the producers, so, people are usually vying for the same producer and overlook the independent producers within the industry because they aren’t connected with them,” he said, adding that, “with this platform, we are aiming to find all those producers and directors and connect them with the new talent which can bring them different content and hopefully find someone who will produce the scripts. If not in Pakistan, then, definitely abroad”.
Now, what qualifies as good content? It is something that is very subjective because the mechanisms of scriptwriting are pretty much the same worldwide. What makes it stand out is the kind of twist the writer gives to the story. Moreover, Fawad said that there are three things that should be kept in mind; “the structure of the story, being able to present your story in a way that keeps the audience captivated so it sticks with them for a long time to come. Lastly, the story needs to be laconic for it to fit into a two-hour time slot for a movie.” A lot of TV projects and films would have done great but failed to do so could possibly be because of the never-ending storyline.
Moreover, the entertainment industry plays an important role in portraying the image of Pakistani society through our movies and dramas. As Fawad said, we want to portray a more “honest” image of the society and not manufacture one as it will not help anyone’s cause. “We have a lot of talented writers who can bring heartfelt stories to the front; not all of them have to be heart-breaking, most of them are very inspiring,” says Khan.
The actor did not reveal the prize for the competition but he did say that the participants will have an incentive to look out for. The submissions for the stories are open till 1st February 2020. Is your story going to be #TheNextBigStory, we can’t wait to see.
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