German author L R Johnson has recently written To Dance or not to Dance? , a book on actor-dancer Haleem Khan that blends real and fictional incidents in a novel format. The author behind the story around the dancer’s career, had also written for an American TV series.
New format Cover image of the book; L R Johnson
Speaking of the book, Johnson says, “I believed this was the best way to project Haleem and his career at this moment in time.” Labelling Haleem Khan a ‘fighter against all odds’ he says, “With the information I received and, my reasonable knowledge of India, I managed to knit a story together utilising Haleem’s character as the backbone plus certain idiosyncrasies pertaining to his upbringing.” An element of fiction was embedded in the narrative on purpose. The fictional aspect deals with discrimination against all forms of minorities — Muslim male dancer impersonating a woman in a classical Indian dance form. The author says there’s a universality in his story that would give everyone hope. Bolstered by the positive response to the book, there are plans to translate it into several Indian languages.
