Mysore/Mysuru: At the Mysuru Literature Festival last evening, author Dev Prasad highlighted a trend among Bollywood film producers who prioritise screenplay literature over novels for film adaptation.

Speaking at a panel discussion on ‘Spy Adventures – How to keep readers on edge’ along with Harish Vasudevan, Kiron K. Abraham and Mark David Abbott, Dev Prasad addressed the question of whether writers like him could give more importance to Indian cinema in their storytelling.

Dev Prasad, hailing from Bengaluru, explained the challenges writers like him face in establishing connections with Mumbai’s Bollywood industry, which is centred around directors, producers, actors, cinematographers and hairstylists.

He emphasised the logistical difficulties for writers based in distant Bengaluru to respond promptly to invitations from Mumbai for reading scripts and other literary aspects of the movie-in-the-making, which can involve last-minute travel and the necessity of an agent for representation.

Dev Prasad noted that these practical hurdles often deter opportunities for writers outside Mumbai. Consequently, producers and film crew members tend to favour screenplay literature that is readily adaptable over novels, despite the literary interest in works. Also, scriptwriting and movie plot writing need mastery of their own. 

Adding to the discussion, Harish Vasudevan, a Bengaluru-based author, who has written ‘Redemption,’ pointed out that writing film scripts demands a specific skill set distinct from historical narratives. While taking aspects from history, he opined that authors must stick to historical facts   and references.

He shared his experience of blending fictional elements with real-life inspirations in his work, highlighting the creative liberties taken in storytelling. Mark David Abbott and Kiran K. Abraham also contributed to the panel discussion alongside Dev Prasad and Harish Vasudevan.