During the 2020 lockdown, actor and director Boman Irani began Spiral Bound, an initiative that trained aspiring screenwriters. Six years on, it has grown into a nurturing hub for writers. The actor, who had announced a writing competition after conducting 870 sessions, is set to felicitate the winners at a special gala in Bandra on April 30.  

Irani told mid-day that the idea of the competition was to instill confidence in the writers. He explained, “Many of them are afraid to share their work. They are unsure whether the writing is good or bad. So, I told them to just write, send it ahead, and come for the gala.”  

Aamir Khan. Pic/Yogen Shah; Javed Akhtar. Pic/AFP; Anil Kapoor. Pic/Satej Shinde

Noted writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar will felicitate the winners. Other attendees include Aamir Khan, Anil Kapoor, Karan Johar, Sooraj Barjatya, and Anupam Kher. Irani added, “I told the students that so many people are turning up to support writers. If we don’t support writers, we can’t complain that we are not getting [good] stories.”