Final Draft Script Contest Finalist

Shillong Times: Adaptation. Feature Screenplay, Comedic Drama, Historical Fiction. 

About: "Shillong Times", is a coming-of-age story set against the insider-outsider conflict that erupted in Shillong in the 1980s and continues to simmer to this day. The story begins when the protagonist, fourteen-year-old Debojit Dutta (or Debu), meets the older Clint Eastwood Lyngdoh, in his tuition classes.

Clint wants to befriend Debu, but Debu is wary of him. Clint is Khasi, a member of the indigenous tribal community that has labeled Bengalis like him as “outsiders” – illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Debu also knows of the ethnic violence that had rocked the city only a few years ago and he is scared of Clint. But the affable Clint introduces Debu to a brave new world of forbidden pleasures – pork chow-mien, Pink Floyd, whisky and most importantly, Audrey Pariat, the coolest girl in town. Gradually, Debu’s fears recede and he strikes up a firm friendship with Clint and Audrey. Together, the three of them embark upon many adventures.

But when renewed tensions between the Khasi and Bengali communities boil over, Shillong once again becomes a battlefield. Caught in the cross-fire, the three teenagers are compelled to confront hard questions of what friendship really means and the idea of "belongingness".

PRAISE FOR THE NOVEL

“A punch to the gut… a ripping good yarn written with a deft touch.” – Hindustan Times

“Leavened with humour, the fault-lines between the two communities, Khasi and Bengali, are delineated in superb set pieces.” – The Hindu Literary Review

"Filled with laughter, sharp observations, perfect scripting and historical details” – Mathrubhumi

“Offers a beacon of hope in troubled times” Asian Age

"A brilliant novel with a layered complexity” – The Shillong Times. 

“This delightful novel about growing up in Shillong in the 1980s has the power to create an unforgettable map of that place in one's mind. A moving story of friendship that transcends the barriers of communities” – Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, Sahitya Akademi Award winning novelist