Screenwriter Atika Chohan’s upcoming project will be produced by Slumdog Millionaire (2008) actor Dev Patel.
The film is titled Knot and it will go on floors in the second half of the year. She shared the news during the show RoundTable on the newly launched platform Khul Ke.
Chohan has written acclaimed films such as Margarita With A Straw (2015), Waiting (2016), Chhapaak (2020) and Guilty (2020). She started her journey as a journalist with a newspaper and later joined the television news channel CNN-IBN. She then started focussing on fiction writing and got enrolled in the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) for the writing course.
Despite getting acclaim for her writing, Chohan doesn’t feel she is successful. Speaking on the show, she added, “Many people claim to have learnt from my success but if you ask me, I think I am a failure. I think we are in an industry that does not let you have your dues. Success has come to me after 15 years and it has not swept me off my feet.”
Chohan also has no qualms about considering writers to be above directors. “Writers are the most integral part of a film and not directors. Writers need to be connective and corrective in their approach. Give power dynamics to the characters, even if the female character does not carry weightage,” she said.
During an earlier exclusive interview with Cinestaan.com, Chohan gave a piece of advice to upcoming writers. “You need to choose whether you want to do screenwriting for passion or livelihood. If you are doing it for passion, you need to keep a day job. Writing for passion is not going to give you quick results. This fact won’t change today, tomorrow or the day after,” she said.