Advaita Kala

Kala's father is a former bureaucrat who retired as a secretary for the Government of India. Kala spent her childhood living in central Delhi. She attended Welham Girls' School.{{cite news |last1=Chitkara |first1=Vanita |last2=Singh |first2=Ayesha |title=Off the beaten track |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/supplement/story/20100301-off-the-beaten-track-742078-2010-02-17 |access-date=5 April 2023 |work=India Today |date=1 March 2010}}

She wrote her first novel Almost Single from the idea that germinated as a result of some of the experiences that surrounded her. Kala said: "The rapid way in which the concepts of love and courtship are evolving and continue to do so. Also the fact that the ‘hunt’ was not necessarily the fiefdom of the male of the species." Almost Single was a runaway bestseller and called "Bridget Jones in a saree" by the UK's The Independent.{{cite web|url=https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1285945.Advaita_Kala|title=Advaita Kala|publisher=Good Reads|accessdate=15 September 2018}} She quit the job of a hotel executive to write her next novel Almost There!, which was a sequel to her previous novel.{{cite news|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/advaita-kala/237609|title=Advaita Kala|work=Outlook|accessdate=15 September 2018}}

Director Siddharth Anand had approached Kala to develop the story of two suicidal strangers who fall in love into a feature-length script. Although a bit hesitant initially as she had not written a screenplay before, she accepted the offer. Intrigued by the premise of the story, Kala started sketching the characters over the next few days and began writing the script, which she found was different from writing novels.{{cite web|title=Advaita scripts a new chapter |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/Advaita-scripts-a-new-chapter/article16049867.ece |author=Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi |work=The Hindu |date=28 September 2010 |accessdate=9 July 2017 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710203806/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/Advaita-scripts-a-new-chapter/article16049867.ece |archivedate=10 July 2017 }} Anand helped her in understanding the process of writing screenplays and co-wrote with her. Kala wrote the first draft, approaching it like writing a book, and sent it as chapters to Anand, saying: "Writing a screenplay can also be a lonely process like writing a novel, but along the way when others get involved, it becomes a fun collaborative effort." The film, starring Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor, proved to be a commercial success.{{cite web|title=Anjaana Anjaani|url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=80|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222231553/http://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=80|archivedate=22 December 2016|publisher=Box Office India|accessdate=18 April 2017}}

Sujoy Ghosh approached Kala with the idea for Kahaani, starring Vidya Balan.{{cite news|url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/vidya-balan-is-the-hero-of-kahaani-says-scriptwriter-advaita-kala_75637.htm|title=Vidya Balan is the hero of Kahaani, says scriptwriter Advaita Kala|publisher=Zee News|agency=Press Trust of India (PTI)|accessdate=30 March 2012|date=16 November 2010|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120706041728/http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/vidya-balan-is-the-hero-of-kahaani-says-scriptwriter-advaita-kala_75637.htm|archivedate=6 July 2012}} Kala took inspiration from her experience in Kolkata, where she had moved in 1999, akin to the protagonist in the film.{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/books/Vidyas-journey-was-my-own-Advaita-Kala/articleshow/12208225.cms|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103210050/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-16/books/31142700_1_kahaani-sujoy-ghosh-vidya-balan|url-status=live|archive-date=3 January 2013|title=Vidya's journey was my own: Advaita Kala|first=Ipshita|last=Mitra|access-date=8 May 2012|newspaper=The Times of India|date=16 March 2012}} She reported that despite facing a language barrier and the chaos and poverty of the metropolis, she was charmed by the warmth of the people, which was reflected in the film.{{cite news|url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/kahaani-story-inspired-from-real-life-experiences_107223.htm|title=Kahaani story inspired from real-life experiences|publisher=Zee News|agency=PTI|accessdate=21 March 2012|date=7 March 2012}} Kala started writing in 2009 and finished the 185-page script by February 2010.{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-01-15/news-interviews/30627829_1_novel-sujoy-ghosh-release|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104060712/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-01-15/news-interviews/30627829_1_novel-sujoy-ghosh-release|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2013|title=Vidya's Kahaani to release as novel|first=Priyanka|last=Dasgupta|agency=Times News Network (TNN)|accessdate=26 March 2012|newspaper=The Times of India|date=15 January 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/advaita-kala-had-to-tell-vidyas-story-right/237060-40-103.html|title=Kahaani: Advaita Kala says she had to tell Vidya's story right|first=Malvika|last=Bhardwaj|publisher=CNN-IBN|accessdate=21 March 2012|date=7 March 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309225621/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/advaita-kala-had-to-tell-vidyas-story-right/237060-40-103.html|archivedate=9 March 2012}} Her research included reading the books Open Secrets: India's Intelligence Unveiled by Maloy Krishna Dhar and India's External Intelligence: Secrets of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) by V. K. Singh. Made on a budget of {{INRConvert|80|m}}, Kahaani grossed over {{INRConvert|1.04|b}} worldwide after a 50-day theatrical run.{{cite web|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/vidya-balans-kahaani-declared-a-hit/238407-8-66.html |title=Vidya Balan's Kahaani declared a hit |publisher=CNN-IBN |date=12 March 2012 |accessdate=29 December 2014 |agency=Indo-Asian News Service |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205151114/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/vidya-balans-kahaani-declared-a-hit/238407-8-66.html |archivedate= 5 December 2013 }}{{cite news|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/vidya-balan-s-kahaani-completes-50-days-grosses-rs-104-cr-worldwide/article1-847121.aspx|title=Vidya Balan's Kahaani completes 50 days, grosses Rs. 104 cr worldwide|newspaper=Hindustan Times |accessdate=29 December 2014|date=27 April 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428164829/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Bollywood/Vidya-Balan-s-Kahaani-completes-50-days-grosses-Rs-104-cr-worldwide/Article1-847121.aspx|archivedate=28 April 2012}} The film proved to be a critical success as well and garnered several awards and nominations. Kala won the Screen Award for Best Story, Star Guilds Award for Best Story and Zee Cine Award for Best Story along with Ghosh.{{cite news|title=Screen Awards 2013: Hall of Fame|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/screen-awards-2013-hall-of-fame/1060726/|accessdate=31 December 2014|date=18 January 2013|work=The Indian Express}}{{cite web|title=Winners Of Renault Star Guild Awards 2013 |url=http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/features/type/view/id/4564/ |date=18 February 2013 |accessdate=14 August 2014 |website=Bollywood Hungama |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220045056/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/features/type/view/id/4564/ |archivedate=20 December 2014 }}{{cite web |title=8th Apsara Guild Awards – Nominees |url=http://starguildawards.org/8th_apsara_awards_winners.html |accessdate=7 March 2013 |publisher=Film Producers Guild of India |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930223430/http://www.starguildawards.org/8th_apsara_awards_winners.html |archivedate=30 September 2015 |df=dmy-all }}{{cite web|title=Kahaani (2012) — Awards |url=http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/moviemicro/awards/id/542221 |website=Bollywood Hungama |accessdate=31 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101210119/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/moviemicro/awards/id/542221 |archivedate= 1 November 2014 }}

Apart from writing for films and novels, Kala has also written the television serial Airplane which aired on Star Plus.

She writes a regular hospitality column for the Financial Express called Epicuriosity and has regular columns in the Financial Chronicle and on Yahoo as well as in Dainik Jagran(Hindi).She also writes a regular column for the Dhaka Tribune.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in India, Kala ran a community kitchen, called Janta Rasoi, in Gurugram since the Janta Curfew was announced, to feed the poor in the city who have been the most affected by the lockdown.{{cn|date=April 2023}}

• Almost Single (2007), HarperCollins India, {{ISBN|8172236557}}
• Almost There! (2013), HarperCollins India, {{ISBN|9351361500}}

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Category:Living people

Category:21st-century Indian novelists

Category:21st-century Indian women writers

Category:Indian women screenwriters

Category:Indian women television writers

Category:Indian women columnists

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:21st-century Indian screenwriters