Craft Stories That Matter: Masterclasses in Next-Gen Storytelling
By Abhijeet Deshpande | Writer & Editor
About the Session
Every great film begins with a great story. In this masterclass, celebrated writer and editor Abhijeet Deshpande takes participants inside the craft of constructing a compelling narrative — from the kernel of an idea to a fully realised screenplay. The session explores the architecture of story: character motivation, dramatic tension, dialogue, structure, and the invisible threads that keep audiences emotionally tethered to the screen. Abhijeet will also speak to the editor's perspective on storytelling — how the written word ultimately shapes the cut, and why writers who understand editing write better scripts.
Participants will explore the intersection of writing and editing as a unified creative act, and how great storytelling is always, at its core, about truth.
About the Speaker
Abhijeet Deshpande is one of Hindi and Marathi cinema's most versatile creative forces — a writer, editor, and director whose fingerprints can be found across some of the most memorable films of the last two decades. A graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, he began his writing career with De Dhakka (2008) and went on to craft screenplays and dialogues for a remarkable range of films including Shaitan (2011), Table No. 21 (2013), Shootout at Wadala (2013), David (2013), Wazir (2016), Breathe, and Class of 83. As a director-writer, he helmed the acclaimed Natsamrat, Har Har Mahadev (2022), and Ani... Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar — both deeply rooted in Marathi cultural identity and storytelling. His body of work demonstrates a rare ability to move fluidly between mass entertainers and intimate dramas, always anchored by sharp, human writing.