An Interview
An interview with Amit Shankar (BestSelling Author of Flight of Hilsa, Chapter Eleven and Love is Vodka)
Q. Hi, apart from the boring questions, I would ask something else! What makes you think that you have what it takes to be author?
A. Thank God for small mercies and thank you for getting me beyond the realm of ‘so predictable’ and moronic questions. As far as the answer to your question goes, well we all are destined to follow a certain path. I guess by being a writer, I am just following mine. Apart from the same, my traits--being a loner, non-conformist and a keen observer, also helps me. The ‘writer streak’ further gets fortified and accentuated by my restless nature.
Q. In my personal experience there is a lot of negativity in this author business. Have you ever faced this sort of situation?
A. Well, not really. I firmly believe in the ‘karma theory’ of Bhagwad Geeta. I focus on my work less any desire of result or number. I am a writer not a sales person who is supposed to do everything to sell—from book readings to interviews. Maybe that is the reason why you will never find me at book launches, author’s meet, book readings or any such social event, which really are the breeding ground for, cut throat competition and negativity.
Q. If given a choice would you act in a movie based on your book and which character would you choose to be?
A. I’m more of a director than an actor. If I ever play a role, for sure it would be Batman or Superman. Too bad, I could not write these. Also, I would love to play the Dracula.
Q. I read in your website or in a newspaper that Chapter Eleven is being made into a movie. Can you tell us a little more about that?
A. There is always a slip between the cup and the lip. Also, Bollywood requires a very straight jacketed and stereo typed narration, catering to a genre. But I guess Chapter 11 was far more over arching to be compartmentalized. Also, my shortcoming of not letting anyone edit my work hampered the process. But I am sure there is always a next time.
Q. Have you encountered a person or a reader who has come to you and said “I love your books” or it has been only in the virtual world? If it did happen, what was your reaction?
A. More than once. At bookstores, airports, malls even in the lift lobby of my apartment. Readers, especially women have been very kind to my work and me. I feel so overwhelmed when they call me, write to me & thank me for helping them solve a riddle. Flight of the Hilsa was a very powerful plot with deep insights that helped a lot of women. So was Love is Vodka which did impact teens. No wonder, most of the likes on my page are from women. And yes, on my birthday, I do get numerous cakes and bouquets from kind readers.
Q. If you were nominated for Man Booker Award or won it, what would be your winning speech?
A. The Devil is here… and for good.
Q. If you became a rock star, what name would you choose to your band’s name?
A. ‘AamAadmi Band’. It seems that today to get sticky eyeballs or for that matter ears, it is imperative to brand oneself as an ‘aamaadmi’. On second thoughts, as it would be a rock band, I would name it ‘The Mango People Band’.
Q. What should young authors aspire to do and I am very curious to know what is the premise of the next book?
A. Firstly, aspiring writers should try getting their writing act in place. From sentence structure to semantics, plot to the craft, every area needs work. In present context, there is a great hurry to get published to flaunt the ‘published author’ tag. But what good is writing if it can’t touch lives and hearts? What good is a best-seller if it can’t stand the test of time? What good is any author who lacks the craft of writing? Secondly, they should also read and when I say ‘read’ I don’t mean the Rs.95 category. Classics would be a good starting point. Like all my previous efforts, my fourth title will also demystify some pertinent issue. This time, it will try looking at more than one—religion, faith, sex, rape, parenthood and freedom.
Posted by Amandeep Kaur at 03:27
Q. Hi, apart from the boring questions, I would ask something else! What makes you think that you have what it takes to be author?
A. Thank God for small mercies and thank you for getting me beyond the realm of ‘so predictable’ and moronic questions. As far as the answer to your question goes, well we all are destined to follow a certain path. I guess by being a writer, I am just following mine. Apart from the same, my traits--being a loner, non-conformist and a keen observer, also helps me. The ‘writer streak’ further gets fortified and accentuated by my restless nature.
Q. In my personal experience there is a lot of negativity in this author business. Have you ever faced this sort of situation?
A. Well, not really. I firmly believe in the ‘karma theory’ of Bhagwad Geeta. I focus on my work less any desire of result or number. I am a writer not a sales person who is supposed to do everything to sell—from book readings to interviews. Maybe that is the reason why you will never find me at book launches, author’s meet, book readings or any such social event, which really are the breeding ground for, cut throat competition and negativity.
Q. If given a choice would you act in a movie based on your book and which character would you choose to be?
A. I’m more of a director than an actor. If I ever play a role, for sure it would be Batman or Superman. Too bad, I could not write these. Also, I would love to play the Dracula.
Q. I read in your website or in a newspaper that Chapter Eleven is being made into a movie. Can you tell us a little more about that?
A. There is always a slip between the cup and the lip. Also, Bollywood requires a very straight jacketed and stereo typed narration, catering to a genre. But I guess Chapter 11 was far more over arching to be compartmentalized. Also, my shortcoming of not letting anyone edit my work hampered the process. But I am sure there is always a next time.
Q. Have you encountered a person or a reader who has come to you and said “I love your books” or it has been only in the virtual world? If it did happen, what was your reaction?
A. More than once. At bookstores, airports, malls even in the lift lobby of my apartment. Readers, especially women have been very kind to my work and me. I feel so overwhelmed when they call me, write to me & thank me for helping them solve a riddle. Flight of the Hilsa was a very powerful plot with deep insights that helped a lot of women. So was Love is Vodka which did impact teens. No wonder, most of the likes on my page are from women. And yes, on my birthday, I do get numerous cakes and bouquets from kind readers.
Q. If you were nominated for Man Booker Award or won it, what would be your winning speech?
A. The Devil is here… and for good.
Q. If you became a rock star, what name would you choose to your band’s name?
A. ‘AamAadmi Band’. It seems that today to get sticky eyeballs or for that matter ears, it is imperative to brand oneself as an ‘aamaadmi’. On second thoughts, as it would be a rock band, I would name it ‘The Mango People Band’.
Q. What should young authors aspire to do and I am very curious to know what is the premise of the next book?
A. Firstly, aspiring writers should try getting their writing act in place. From sentence structure to semantics, plot to the craft, every area needs work. In present context, there is a great hurry to get published to flaunt the ‘published author’ tag. But what good is writing if it can’t touch lives and hearts? What good is a best-seller if it can’t stand the test of time? What good is any author who lacks the craft of writing? Secondly, they should also read and when I say ‘read’ I don’t mean the Rs.95 category. Classics would be a good starting point. Like all my previous efforts, my fourth title will also demystify some pertinent issue. This time, it will try looking at more than one—religion, faith, sex, rape, parenthood and freedom.
Posted by Amandeep Kaur at 03:27
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Amit
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Dec 29, 2013 08:50AM
love it.
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