Screenwriting is a genuinely distinct craft from prose writing, with its own specific format and structural conventions, and learning this format properly, along with studying the scripts of films and shows you admire, is an essential first step, since a well-written scene in the wrong format signals inexperience immediately to anyone reading it professionally.
Write and actually finish full scripts, even short ones, since finished, complete work is what genuinely establishes credibility in this field, not ideas or partial drafts, however good they might be. Build a small portfolio of a few polished scripts across different genres or formats, since this range demonstrates versatility to the people who might eventually hire or option your work. Look specifically at script competitions and writing labs, several of which are run by Indian production houses and streaming platforms and function as genuine entry points into the industry for new writers, giving real visibility to work that would otherwise struggle to be noticed.
Networking within the industry matters enormously here, and assistant roles or positions within an established writers room, working under and learning from an already-working writer or on an active production, are common, realistic entry points rather than jumping straight to writing your own feature independently. Indias rapidly expanding streaming industry has genuinely created considerably more entry paths for new screenwriters than existed even a decade ago, particularly around web series, which tend to have more room for new voices than traditional feature films.
Example: A student who taught themselves proper screenplay format by studying produced scripts, wrote and finished two short scripts in different genres, and submitted one to a streaming platforms writing lab gained real industry visibility they would not have had by writing in isolation.
One practical tip: Learn proper screenplay format early and finish at least one complete script before anything else, since a finished, correctly formatted script, however short, demonstrates real capability in a way that ideas or partial drafts never can.