Page 16 - MASALA LITE ISSUE 91 | APRIL 2018

16 COVERED

“Short fi lms for me, are pure,
personal, and often way more
artistic and powerful than
half of the commercial feature
releases out there. ”

HOLLYWOOD
HOLLYWOOD
Bound
Bound
Bound

Get candid with Karthik Menon, an aspiring and

ambitious screenplay writer who sheds light on

pressing global issues in his short fi lm 7 Rounds,

which got selected for the Cannes Short Film
Festival this year.

BY CHRISTY LAU
Karthik Menon is a talented young screenplay writer, whose most recent short fi lm, 7 Rounds, just got
selected to be screened at the Cannes Short Film Festival that will take place from May 8th to 19th,
2018. A graduate of the New York Film Academy, he spent an exciting 2017 freelancing as a screenwriter
in Los Angeles, California. Currently exploring the scene in Dubai, he plans to return to Hollywood in the
next few years, eager to make his mark on the industry. Masala gets the scoop on this rising talent.

What inspired you to get into fi lmmaking?
Filmmaking sort of fell into my lap. I had always enjoyed penning down short fi ctional pieces during my
free time, and my critiques extended only as far as a couple of friends and family. They told me I had a
very visual sense when I wrote, but to me, it was just a hobby and nothing more. It wasn’t until the end
of my Bachelor’s Degree, when I realised that I wasn’t quite happy with where I was in life.
I was doing a lot of content writing for diff erent companies and social media pages, but my heart
was always fi xated on fi ction. That’s when I decided to take a leap and move to LA to pursue my Masters
in Screenwriting. Movies had always been a huge part of my life, and I can’t exactly point towards a single
movie, or a single director, but I knew this was one way my writing could reach a global audience.
I wanted to share my views, and if I could do that while entertaining people, why the hell not? It was my
calling and it just took me a while to realise it. Better late than never!

What do you enjoy about screenplay writing?
I’ve always believed that a screenplay is the blueprint to a fi lm. The more precise the blueprint, the more
solid the structure. It’s exciting if nothing else. You get to create your own characters and world, where
you could make them do whatever you want them to do. For those few hours or days, you actually feel
like you almost rule the world. However, if the screenplay is weak, it does not matter how much money
you put into a fi lm, or how well you shoot or direct, it will all be a waste.

MAS AL A LITE ISSUE 9 1 APRIL 2 018