Murder mystery is a genre that Advaita Kala relishes. So, when the opportunity to write director Anu Menon’s Neeyat came her way, she grabbed it with both hands. The movie marks her maiden collaboration with sister Girvani Dhyani, who is a published author based in New York. “I got my sister on board. We teamed up [to write the film] during the lockdown,” begins Kala.

Starring Vidya Balan, Ram Kapoor, Shahana Goswami, Rahul Bose and Prajakta Koli, Neeyat sees a business tycoon’s birthday bash taking a dark turn when he is found murdered. As soon as the trailer dropped, netizens pointed out that it was strikingly similar to the Knives Out franchise. But Kala defends the murder mystery, which also has Priya Venkataraman as one of the writers, with Kausar Munir penning the dialogues.

“When I first saw the Knives Out trailer, I thought it had an Agatha Christie vibe. While watching Knives Out, I was reminded of Hercule Poirot. Neeyat is an Indian story. Its shoot was wrapped up even before Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery [2022] released. Also, closed-circle mysteries are common in this genre.”

Neeyat not only enabled her to explore her favourite genre, but also boasts of her favourite actor. “Vidya is one of the best actors we have,” says the screenwriter, who had teamed up with her to give us the genre-defining Kahaani (2012).

“Since Kahaani, the industry has changed. OTT platforms have established their audience. Now, there is so much space for female-centric stories. Back then, it was a challenge to get Kahaani made as we not only had a female protagonist, but she was also pregnant. Now, it’s great to see so many stories driven by female protagonists. Heroines go beyond just being accessories in a film.”