Screenwriting Masterclass with Dibakar Banerjee
December 17, 2025 to December 20, 2025
All the above films, and many more were all made by Dibakar Banerjee. Dibakar loves rules, only so he can break them.
A rebel right from his NID days (he dropped out), Dibakar’s genius first surfaced with “Khosla ka Ghosla”, followed soon after by “Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye” both of which won the national award and many others.
This iconoclastic writer-director will work closely with 10 handpicked screen-writing enthusiasts in the Himalayas. In a small group, you’ll get much wisdom and personal attention from Dibakar.
To join you should have a film idea – it could be a short or feature, English or Hindi. We’ll be hand-picking the ten participants from all applications on a first-come, first served basis.
Application deadline is Oct 31st, but we’ll be screening forms on a rolling basis so the course may fill up well before that so apply now. We may put some applicants on a wait list.
The selection will be done by the team at Himalayan Writing Retreat and is final. No justification will be provided to those not accepted.
Detailed Program
Day 1
December, 17th: We all get to know each other, and learn about each project. Dibakar wants you to come forward with the that idea which has haunted you. The one that you think has the most promise, but is also the most intractable. The most difficult to tame or structure.
Day 2 & 3
December 18th and 19th:
We start with intentionality – What are you trying to say? What is the core of the meaning (or meanings) you want your film to leave in the viewers mind?
We then move to sequence.
Dibakar says that most common error is that people think screenwriting is writing.
But screenwriting differs from much other writing in that it is a very specific sequence of events and scenes. A screenwriter has to think in a sequence to unfold meanings.
Intentionality helps you think of the meaning you want to convey. The sequence helps you think of how to layer these. Some famous directors like Francis Ford Coppola say they just have seven essential scenes (Like Joe Pesci’s “how am I funny” scene in Good Fellas). They then figure out what else is needed to make it a film.
That Intentionality and sequence then combine to help us arrive at a semblance of a structure – a beatsheet.
We try to excel at every aspect of writing a film – not with ready solutions, but in ways that defy cliché or convention.
Day 4
December 20th: After breakfast you head back to your homes (unless you’re choosing to stay longer)
This masterclass will be held at the Himalayan Writing Retreat in the Uttarakhand Himalayas. It is rated 5/5 from over 300 google reviews. CN Traveller also covered it in this article.
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About the Instructor
Dibakar Banerjee
Dibakar Banerjee started his career in advertising, being a feature filmmaker, he still continues to be an ad-filmmaker.He also runs his own film production company
As a filmmaker, he is known for Khosla Ka Ghosla, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, both of which won National Film Awards.His next film was the experimental Love Sex Aur Dhokha. It was followed by the political drama Shanghai and Bombay Talkies, which was made as a celebration of the centenary year of Indian cinema. He is also known for Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!, Titli, Ghost Stories and Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar Hai.
Travel and Stay
The Himalayan Writing Retreat is built for writing and learning. We are rated 5-star on Google and Facebook.
Once here, you will be sharing a room with a fellow participant (unless we’ve confirmed a single). All essentials like food, hot water, towels etc. are provided. No hidden costs.
It can snow in winter. Weather can vary and the weather chart of Mukteshwar (12 km from the retreat) is here. A pair of sturdy walking shoes, some rain protection and an extra layer or two are always a good idea.
Our rooms are built to let nature in and inspire you. To see pictures of the rooms click here . To see pictures of the writing spaces click here.
Depending upon where you travel in from, you can reach us by road, train or air. Even if flying or taking a train, the final stretch is a drive, and the last 150 metres is a walk.
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By Road
The retreat is a 370 km/8 hour drive from Delhi. If driving, we recommend you leave early. Note that parking at the retreat is on the road – we do not have any private parking. We have limited driver accommodation, so please check in advance.
Overnight Volvo buses ply between Haldwani and Delhi, the more reliable of which are government operated. You con book those here. Private Volvos and Sleeper buses also ply between Delhi and Haldwani, which you can book on redbus. Make sure you pick a bus with a high (4+) rating.
By Train
There are three trains a day from Delhi to Kathgodam, the nearest train station. Some others also come in from Kolkata, Lucknow and Dehradun. From Delhi, Ranikhet Express is a convenient overnight train both ways, but finding tickets can be difficult.
Most people prefer to take the Kathgodam Shatabdi (Delhi dep: 6.20 AM, Kathgodam Arr: 11.40 AM). A cab from Kathgodam to Satkhol takes about 2.5 hrs / Rs. 2200 (more for a big car). Cabs are often shared by participants.
By Air
There are daily flights from Delhi to Pantnagar. A cab from Pantnagar to Satkhol takes about 3.5 hr / Approx INR 4K (more for an innova / large cab).
There are direct flights from Mumbai and Bangalore to Bareilly 3-4 days a week. Satkhol is a 5hr / INR 6 k cab ride from Bareilly. (More for a big car). Cabs are often shared by participants.
FAQs
1. Why should I choose HWR Workshops?
Personal Attention: We don’t take more than 15 students in a class. You get a lot of personal attention and feedback. No classrooms of 20-30 people or one-way pre-recorded videos here.
Class Quality: For most courses, we filter our participants. You can’t just pay and sign up. We need to see a writing sample (in our application form) to ensure the class is of a uniform standard.
Cost per hour: Our courses are long and intense. As an example, the Creative Writing course is 18000 for 24 contact hours (3 days, 8 hours each day). The cost per hour = 750 / hour. That is comparable to many of the “cheaper” courses.
Quality of faculty: No lightweights here. Many of our faculty are award-winners. All are experts and great teachers. We don’t settle for average.
Feedback scores: Across courses, we are rated 4.5/5, or higher. You can read our reviews HERE.
2. Do I get a certificate of participation?
Yes, certificates are available on request.
3. Any discounts for students / other categories?
At the Himalayan Writing Retreat, we follow a strict No-Discount policy.
4. Is the workshop fee refundable?
Our cancellation policy is as follows:
For Physical Workshops:
- 100% refund (less 5% of total programme fee) on cancellation 40 days or more before the event start date.
- 50% refund if cancellation is between 20-40 days before start date.
- 0% refund if cancellation is less than 20 days before the start date.
For Online Workshops:
- 100% refund (less 5% of total programme fee) on cancellation 15 days or more before the event start date.
- 50% refund if cancellation is between 15 to 7 days before start date.
- 0% refund if cancellation is less than 7 days before the start date.
5. Is the Himalayan Writing Retreat a business or an NGO?
The Himalayan Writing Retreat is a social enterprise. It works closely and actively with two local NGOs in its community work initiatives: Chirag and Alaap. In 2020, HWR raised INR 6.1 Lakhs to support the Chirag School.
Have more questions? Feel free to write to us at info@himalayanwritingretreat.com or connect with us at +91 73035 16665 (call or WhatsApp).
Event Summary
Early Bird Price:
* Price includes 3 nights stay (twin shared), food and learning
* Single rooms available at: INR 69000 + GST (limited availability)
* Regular price INR 55,000 + GST for a twin shared room after 2nd November, 2025
Regular price INR 74,000 + GST for a single room after 2nd November, 2025
* Strict Zero Discount Policy
* Twin shared Suite / room at the Himalayan Writing Retreat
The Himalayan Writing Retreat
Village Satkhol
District Nainital, Uttarakhand 263138
India
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+91 73035 16665
