Why Global Recognition Must Not Be a Western Approval Badge
By Sai Vijendhiran
Inventor of the Screenplay Auditing Process
www.saivijendhiran.com
"When the West writes a theory, it's called a revolution.
When India writes one, it’s asked for recognition."
For far too long, film writing theories and screenplay structures have been dominated by voices from the West. Names like Syd Field, Blake Snyder, Robert McKee, and Michael Hauge are not just authors — they have become gatekeepers. Their books are taught globally, their templates followed religiously, and their words taken as gospel.
But here’s the question:
Why must a theory be born in Los Angeles to be seen as legitimate in Chennai?
Why does recognition still flow in one direction?
ЁЯОм A New Wave from the East
I am Sai Vijendhiran, a screenwriter, analyst, and educator from India.
I created the Screenplay Auditing Process — a method to diagnose and fix screen-level problems, not personal shortcomings. I published a book in Tamil titled родிро░ைроХ்роХродை родрогிроХ்роХை. I’ve conducted workshops, developed tools, gained testimonials, and inspired writers across India to look inward — to their own stories, structures, and voices.
This isn’t imitation.
This isn’t rebellion.
This is contribution.
And today, I declare this contribution with pride.
ЁЯзн The Declaration
We, the independent screenwriting thinkers, theorists, and educators of the non-Western world, assert the following:
1. Storytelling Is Not West-Centric
Story began long before Hollywood. It belongs to tribes, temples, oral traditions, and village firesides.
India, with its Ramayanas and Mahabharatas, is a screenwriting school in itself.
2. Theory Can Be Born Anywhere
If a structure can emerge from Aristotle’s Poetics or Snyder’s Beat Sheet, it can equally emerge from Bharat Muni’s Natya Shastra, from Kollywood, from prophecy genres, or regional cinema frameworks.
3. Recognition Must Be Decentralised
We do not require validation from Western publishers, film schools, or critics to be legitimate.
Theories can be globally valuable without being globally approved.
4. Indian Frameworks Are Not Derivative
The Screenplay Auditing Process, the B-Plot Structure, the Kickstarter stage — these are not Western derivatives. They are original, indigenous screen-level interventions rooted in observation, practice, and cultural specificity.
5. We Are Building the New Canon
The future of cinema will be written by voices that weren’t previously heard. We’re not waiting to be included in someone else’s syllabus.
We are writing the syllabus.
ЁЯМП To Every Independent Creator
If you’ve ever been told:
“Has it been tested in the US?”
“Where’s the endorsement?”
Let this be your answer:
Theory is not geography. It is insight.
And insight can come from you.
Whether you're an author, educator, filmmaker, or curious learner, the Declaration of Independent Screenwriting Thought is your open invitation:
To think freely
To publish boldly
To teach locally and globally
To trust your methods
To make room for other frameworks that don't need to look Western to be worthy
