Film Ink
In India, film isn’t just an art form. It forms a part of the very ethos of Indian lifestyle. Cinema is almost a religious experience, permeating and punctuating every aspect of our lives. We see it in the songs we play at our weddings, the holidays we choose to take, the way we style our hair. It shapes our expressions of emotion, and creates a mode of communication across a diverse country of varying languages and cultures.
Film Ink is a unique initiative to document the great stories surrounding films and artists who shape Indian culture through cinema.
What is Film Ink?
What’s in it for you?
The selection process
What is Film Ink?
Film Ink is an initiative by Film Companion and A Suitable Agency, supported by Google Arts & Culture. Our aim is to create a library of work that will document the journeys of luminaries of Indian cinema and uncover various cultural moments — some well-known, some hidden from the public eye. To this end, we are on the lookout for intuitive writers who can represent the awe-inspiring phenomenon of Indian cinema through well-researched and balanced writing.
Two writers will be funded through our grant to write a book each, focusing on inspiring lives and prominent moments in Indian cinematic history.
Once completed, the books will be represented by A Suitable Agency and will be submitted to publishers.
What’s in it for you
Through this grant, we will be funding two writers to research and document people or moments that shaped or changed Indian cinema, along with providing support to have their book placed with a reputed publishing house so that it reaches as broad an audience as possible.
To the chosen writers we will provide:
- The 2 selected writers will get the funding of Rs. 2.5 lakhs per writer
- Channels of access to Indian cinema personalities for research
- Recognition within writing community
- Opportunity for publication through leading publishing houses
- Social media campaigns and visibility tailored to the book
The Selection Process
Stage 1
Candidates for the grant will present a detailed proposal with a clear outline of which moment/artist from the Indian industry they will be interested in documenting.
Stage 2
After a careful perusal of all applications, six shortlisted candidates will present their proposal in front of a jury. The jury will then select two candidates to receive the grant.
What is Film Ink?
Film Ink is an initiative by Film Companion and A Suitable Agency, supported by Google Arts & Culture. Our aim is to create a library of work that will document the journeys of luminaries of Indian cinema and uncover various cultural moments — some well-known, some hidden from the public eye. To this end, we are on the lookout for intuitive writers who can represent the awe-inspiring phenomenon of Indian cinema through well-researched and balanced writing.
Two writers will be funded through our grant to write a book each, focusing on inspiring lives and prominent moments in Indian cinematic history.
Once completed, the books will be represented by A Suitable Agency and will be submitted to publishers.
Further, we are aiming to have the books translated into major Indian languages so that the work is accessible to film lovers, aspiring film students, enthusiasts and academics across the country.
What’s in it for you
Through this grant, we will be funding two writers to research and document people or moments that shaped or changed Indian cinema, along with providing support to have their book placed with a reputed publishing house so that it reaches as broad an audience as possible.
To the chosen writers we will provide:
- Funding of Rs. 2.5 lakhs per writer
- Channels of access to Indian cinema personalities for research
- Recognition within writing community
- Exclusive guidance by industry members
- Opportunity for publication through leading publishing houses
- Social media campaigns and visibility tailored to the book
The Selection Process
Stage 1
Candidates for the grant will present a detailed proposal with a clear outline of which moment/artist from the Indian industry they will be interested in documenting.
Stage 2
After a careful perusal of all applications, six shortlisted candidates will present their proposal in front of a jury. The jury will then select two candidates to receive the grant.
About the Jury
Balaji Vittal
An engineering graduate from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, Balaji Vittal spent thirty years in the corporate world but somewhere down the line the Bollywood bug enticed him into writing film-based books. He co-authored the National Film Award winning ‘R.D. Burman: The Man, The Music’ (2011), the MAMI Award winning ‘Gaata Rahe Mera Dil – 50 Classic Hindi Film Songs’ (2015), and the highly acclaimed ’S.D. Burman: The Prince-Musician’ (2018).
Balaji’s latest book (and his first with sole authorship), ‘Pure Evil – The Bad Men of Bollywood’, is a delightful exploration through the gallery of Bollywood rogues and villains from 1929 to 2021, showcasing the changing shades of villainy across the decades. ‘Pure Evil’ is a quick, fast-paced narrative, enriched by rare trivia and anecdotes based on interviews conducted with leading actors, film makers and script writers.
Uday Bhatia
Uday Bhatia is a film critic and journalist with Mint Lounge in Delhi. His work has appeared in The Caravan, Indian Quarterly, Time Out, GQ and other publications. He is the author of the non-fiction book, ‘Bullets Over Bombay: Satya and the Hindi Film Gangster’.
Deepanjana Pal
Deepanjana Pal is a Mumbai-based author and journalist. She is the author of ‘Hush A Bye Baby’, ‘A Book for Puchku’, ‘Puchku Seeks a Song’, and ‘The Painter: A Life of Ravi Varma’.
She studied English Literature at St. Stephen’s College and postcolonial theory and literature at University of Warwick. Her non-fiction writing on culture and gender has appeared in publications like The Atlantic, Wallpaper*, Caravan, Buzzfeed and Vogue. She currently serves as the Managing Editor of Film Companion.
FAQs
About Us
Film Companion
Film Companion, founded by Anupama Chopra, is India’s leading entertainment journalism platform. The platform is a celebration of movies and storytelling, and covers entertainment across the world. A platform committed to quality with balanced, well-researched and credible journalism, Film Companion brings to readers engaging and informative content on movies that includes reviews of films and web shows, interviews, film festival news, features and masterclasses.
A Suitable Agency
A Suitable Agency, founded by Hemali Sodhi, is a literary and brand consulting agency, designed to provide quality representation to writers, artists and brands, to enhance their public profile, and bring their work to the widest audiences.
As a literary agency, A Suitable Agency represents leading writers and champions the most exciting debuts across genres. The agency represents their creative work to publishers for print editions and digital, audio and film platforms.
A Suitable Agency also works with brands to define and execute their brand and communications strategy.
