Amish Tripathi's two best-sellers, The Immortals of Meluha and The Secret of the Nagas , have hit publishing gold with their interpretation of Shiva as a delightfully democratic god and obsessive lover. Now, Tripathi's success moves to the movies — he has signed a major deal with Karan Johar's Dharma Productions for a film based on The Immortals of Meluha . He talks about the deal, his approach to mythology and why he prefers to write in a “simple style”.
Congratulations on the movie deal. How did it happen?
The deal was negotiated through the Creative Artists Agency, which represents me globally. They're the largest movie talent agency in the world.
How involved were you in the process?
I met up with all the producers pitching for my book. What I was looking for was a creative comfort because this book is very close to my heart. What clinched it for me with Karan Johar and his team was the sheer passion they had for the project.
Guess they offered good money, too.
I won't lie and say the money is not important. But movies of this scale take a long time and you need true commitment to be able to live with it for a year or two. Ultimately you have to be driven by passion and commitment.
Two best-sellers, a full-time writing career and now, a big-time movie deal. Not bad for someone who got some 20-odd rejections in the beginning, right?
I stopped counting after 20. I'll have to count them all one day. I never thought my book would be published, much less made into a movie.
But you were the first author to make a cinematic trailer of your book, weren't you?
So I'm told. It was only then that the thought that it could be made into a movies struck me.
How exciting was that process for you?
Damn exciting. I was involved in every aspect: the scripting, the shooting, the editing. I think I irritated everyone working with me. I'm not a hands-off creative person at all; I'm nauseatingly involved.
You're pretty involved in the marketing of your books as well, aren't you?
Absolutely. I don't believe in telling my publishers, I've done my bit, now you do yours. That's not fair. I make a marketing vision document for each book and share it with the publisher.
Wait a minute; you make a marketing vision document?
It's done in the corporate world, why not here?
So how are you going to let go when it comes to your film?
Trust me, I will. Because I believe every project can have only one captain. In a film, that captain is the director and I can't muddle his vision. I'm very clear about that. Democracy is good for countries, to run a country; not to run an organisation. Of course everyone's inputs are important and I will give mine. What matters is how and where you give your inputs. And that's where the relationship you share with the producer and director matters. That's why I wanted that creative comfort.
What do you think so many producers saw in the book?
‘The best of both worlds' is a phrase I heard a lot. My books are a retelling of mythology from a modern viewpoint. They are deeply Indian and speak of issues that go deep within the Indian identity, in a way that today's audiences can relate to. In sum, they bridge both worlds. Strangely enough, those from Hollywood felt it was a deeply universal story.
But for me, my book was never just a story. For me, the core of the book is its philosophy; that was my motivation for writing the book in the first place. Some who read it may get the message; some may not; that's okay. For me, it is all-important.
The retelling of mythology is a very successful segment today. By a strange coincidence, Mumbai has three writers — Devdutt Pattanik, Ashok Banker and you — interpreting mythology each in their own manner. How do you see yourself in relation to the other two?
Devdutt Pattanaik's approach is more traditional; his non-fiction work is dissemination of knowledge in a very readable manner. Ashok Banker, on the other hand, has retold the myths in modern language; I love his books.
My approach is: What could be the plausible story behind the myth? For instance, the myth about Sati is that she jumped into a sacrificial fire. Another version is that she died of a self-created fire. What could have given rise to these myths? My theory is that she was shot by a poisoned arrow that creates a fever that never breaks and eventually consumes you.
Your language, like Banker's, is pretty contemporary as well.
I have a simple writing style and I am happy to keep it that way. The literary crowd might not approve, but that's all right by me. Keep in mind that, thousands of years ago, Valmiki's Ramayana became the popular version because he wrote it in a very simple style. I want to keep my style real and approachable.
Predictable question to a writer: Which books have you read lately?
I tend to read more non-fiction than fiction. There were three books I really liked last year: Arun Shourie's Does He Know a Mother's Heart? , The first chapter was very difficult to read as a parent; I started crying. Even if you're a believer, Shourie forces you to think about your beliefs.The next is M.J. Akbar's Tinderbox: The Past and Future of Pakistan , and which mines our morbid fascination with Pakistan: how can a country go so desperately wrong? The depth and breadth of the book is amazing. I'm a history buff myself, but I discovered many things I didn't know, in his book. Pakistan is a cautionary tale for extremists around the world because it has a basic design flaw. My mother once told me: If you hate someone more than you love yourself, if you are willing to destroy yourself to destroy the other person, there is no hope for you. That is the story of Pakistan. The third book is Amitav Ghosh's River of Smoke . Though it has a tremendous amount of historical background and it deals with the crimes the colonial Raj inflicted upon the colonies, it is an entertaining book. What I particularly liked was that he told the story from a very balanced perspective. I am a balanced person, I like balanced books.
