In this special Industry Spotlight, a Film Bazaar 2025 feature, screenwriter Niharika Puri joined Lohita Sujith, Sr. Director, Copyright & Digital Economy, Motion Picture Association, to discuss White Guy, her screenplay selected for the Screenwriters Lab. Niharika shared that the idea originated from a real encounter in her teens, when she met a Sikh man in the UK who had completely assimilated into white identity, and the tension between his outer transformation and cultural heritage stayed with her. As she researched deeper, themes of identity, authenticity, and belonging became central to the narrative.

She set the film in 1980s Birmingham, during Thatcher-era racial tension and the rise of the daytimer club scene, where South Asian teenagers gathered to dance and rebel during school hours. This setting allowed the story to explore cultural expression, music, and youth identity in a time when mainstream spaces excluded brown communities. To ensure emotional and cultural truth, she collaborated with writer-actor Ankit Bhatt, who is from the Midlands, emphasizing that authenticity required not only historical accuracy but a lived, local voice.

At the Screenwriters Lab, her mentor Christina Andrews encouraged her to refine the script in a way that remained deeply South Asian in texture while still resonating universally. This required identifying cultural nuances—such as how Sikh and Muslim families view music differently—and making them legible without over explaining. Niharika contrasted writing a self-contained film with the expansive world-building of series work, noting that the finite nature of a feature allowed her to tell a focused coming-of-age story.

She advised future Film Bazaar applicants to write boldly and personally before refining, arguing that authenticity is the writer’s strongest asset. Looking ahead, she planned to continue developing White Guy toward production while simultaneously working on new film projects.