Amish Tripathi slides into a sofa with his cup of coffee. He looks at me, and politely asks, “What will you have?” I say, “Aam panna.”
His eyes sparkle with childlike glee. “Wow! They have aam panna here? I don’t want coffee now. I’m having what you are having,” he tells me. We are in the authors’ lounge of the Kolkata Literary Meet at Victoria Memorial. It is a sultry afternoon; we are lucky to find this oasis of air-conditioned comfort.
The brief encounter with the bestselling author has put me at ease, and I have a feeling that the next half-hour will be a breeze. He is warm and funny, laughs with his whole being, and wears his fame lightly. We talk about book sales, the unexpected highs and lows of a writing career, his tenure as a bureaucrat, his upcoming books and OTT series, and his son Neel.
Excerpts from the interview:
You are one of the most commercially successful authors in India. A lot of young authors who are starting out are passionate about writing but have absolutely no business sense. What advice would you give them so that they can sustain themselves?
Look, I am going to be brutally honest about this. The reality of writing is a lot like the reality of acting or film direction or sports. Writing books is not a “normal career” like banking or IT or journalism, where everyone will get a reasonable salary and promotions. A majority of writers, actors, filmmakers, and sportspeople don’t have enough to make ends meet at the end of the month. And a few lucky ones make more than they had ever dreamt of. Such is the very nature of these fields. It is a high-risk-and-high-return game.
You have to be aware of that before you get into it. Also, you have no idea of how long it will last. There is no logic to it. Sportsmen suddenly go out of form. Film actors have low moments in their careers. Authors have publishers backing them until the books are getting sold. If my books stop selling, no publisher will back me. I will have to get back to banking, which was my earlier job. That’s the reality. We have had directors whose every film used to be a hit until one day they lost the blessing. Every movie after that ended up as a flop.
This kind of thing can happen to authors too. I tell authors that it is always good to have a job on the side. I had a job till my second book released. I resigned and became a full-time writer only after that. Even if you are successful, it is good to remember that it may not lost forever. Many creative people spend like there is going to be tomorrow. They have no savings. They get arrogant. They do not know what to do when the tide turns. It is better to stay grounded.
Things change all the time, and life throws surprises. You have to develop the grit and determination to deal with challenges when they come. You cannot rest on your laurels.
What is happening with your books published by Westland? After Amazon announced that it is shutting down Westland, there has been some confusion about this.
The announcement should happen soon. I have offers, and I am trying to close the deal. The War of Lanka, which is the fourth book in my Ram Chandra series, is ready now. All my books are interconnected, so it makes sense to have all of them with one publisher who can manage it. When a new book of mine releases, it increases the sales of my previous books as well. The negotiations are going on. I will talk about it when the time is right.
There was a time when readers knew authors primarily through their writing. In the last few years, authors are expected to be seen a lot and to mingle with readers. Do you see this as an occupational hazard, or is it something that you enjoy?
I would say it’s something in the middle. I believe it’s a part of the job. There are some authors who say, “No, my creative juices will get hurt, so I don’t care and I’m not going to do any events.” I think that is unprofessional behaviour. If the publisher has invested money in your work, the least that you can do is support the publisher with promotions and marketing. After all, it’s in your own interest if it’s your book, right? But outside of my books, and my work, I don’t feel the need to comment on every subject under the sun. I prefer to have my privacy, but marketing books is part of the job. It’s basic professionalism.
What do you think of the distinction that is often made in the publishing world, between popular fiction on one side and literary fiction on the other?
I know that this happens. Often, it’s on the basis of the language that someone is using – whether it is pure English or modern contemporary English. This is more of a Western debate, I think. Let’s look at the Indian context.
The Ramcharitmanas was composed in coarse Awadhi, and the Valmiki Ramayana was in classical Sanskrit. The kind of respect that is given to a text depends on the content, and what it evokes in the reader, rather than the language. That is the Indian approach. The Sanskrit word for a classic is “kaaljayi.” It literally means not timeless but that which defeats time. The only true judge of a work is time. Whether you sell a huge number of books or win many awards, it does not matter. Is your book remembered 50 years later?
Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa was considered a flop in its own time, and today, it is regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. I always tell creators to let time be the judge of their work.
Shekhar Kapur and Suparn Verma are adapting your Shiva trilogy, which includes The Immortals of Meluha (2010), The Secret of the Nagas (2011), and The Oath of the Vayuputras (2013) into a web series. Could you tell us more about this?
That’s right! I am damn excited about it. Shekhar Kapur, whom everyone knows, is helming it and directing it. Roy Price, the former president of Amazon Studios, is the producer. He has started his own company now. Suparn Verma, who is the creator of The Family Man, which is undoubtedly one of the most successful OTT series we’ve had in India, is writing it. He is also the co-director. I am also involved with Suparn on the writing. There will be a minimum of three seasons because there are three books in the series.
What is the difference between writing for the screen, and writing for novels?
The medium is different so my experience as a writer is bound to be different. With a book, I use words to create images in the minds of my readers but how they visualise also depends on their own imagination. On screen, you get to see only the director’s imagination. Books give me a chance to spend more time in a character’s mind. The advantage with an OTT series is that action sequences and war scenes can be built very well.
Each medium comes with its own strengths and weaknesses. I am learning to appreciate both aspects.
What is your dream cast for this series? Who will be your Shiva?
It wouldn’t be right for me to say. Shekhar, Suparn, Roy, and I will talk together.
How do you feel about the idea of making a Subhash Ghai-like cameo?
What an idea! Yes, why not? Maybe one of the pandits in a temple!
You are also writing a new series of books set in London. Tell us about those.
I have the concept in my mind but I haven’t started the actual writing. I will get to it after the next book in my Ram Chandra series. I plan to do a modern-day series based in London. It will have elements of gaming and time travel. It is different from what I have done before so I am preparing myself to get out of my comfort zone. I hope readers will like it.
What is your job at the Nehru Centre in London like? To what extent did your popularity as a writer help you in getting you that position?
I am the Director of the Nehru Centre but I am also part of an experiment. The Government of India wanted to bring lateral hires into a few departments at Joint Secretary rank. These people are specialists in their area. Technically speaking, I am a bureaucrat now. I travel on a diplomatic passport. Yes, I do think that my books played a role in my getting hired from the arts and culture space. All this is due to the blessings of Lord Shiva.
When I started working at the Nehru Centre, I realised that it was a good place doing great work, but it was in danger of becoming a ghetto rather than a cultural outpost. The programming and the audience were only Indians, and that too mostly the elderly people among the Indians residing in the United Kingdom. In my briefing, I was told that my job was to engage more with the native British, take our culture to them, and learn from their culture as well, in addition to maintaining relationships with the existing audiences.
I moved the programming in that direction. Our audience reach has expanded dramatically. The shift to digital has been a blessing. Now, we are reaching out to audiences beyond London in places like the Midlands, north of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
How long is your tenure?
Three years! This is my last one.
And after that?
I will come back and write. Writing is my main job.
Have you not taken up a screenwriting gig too?
I am developing an OTT series where I am the screenwriter, but this is not an adaptation of any of my books. It is a direct-to-screen kind of story that I am doing. I won’t be directing it. Every ship must have one captain. When it comes to books, it’s the author. In movies and OTT series, the captain is the director. What I must clarify though is that it is not a commissioned project. It is something that I am developing on my own from scratch.
Can you say more?
I cannot share details at the moment. You’ll have to wait a bit.
You told me earlier that you have a 13-year-old son. Have you ever considered writing fiction that is geared towards children and young adults?
This is exactly what I’m trying out with the series set in London that I mentioned earlier. I am actually trying to impress my son by writing this series. I am his second favourite author, and not the first one.
Oh, who is that?
(Laughs) No, I am not mentioning that person’s name. I’ll tell you when he becomes my son’s second favourite, and I become the first. Let me say that the author is American.
It is Rick Riordan, isn’t it?
He used to! Not anymore! Becoming my boy Neel’s favourite is a huge motivation for me to work on the London series. His name is based on Lord Shiva’s name Neelkanth.
Chintan Girish Modi is a writer, journalist, commentator, and book reviewer.
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
from Firstpost Bollywood Latest News https://ift.tt/RUNy1Tv
0 Comments