Leaves from the past

He wrote a bestseller but is ‘depressed’ that he didn’t get any hate mail. That’s Jugal Mody for you.

March 27, 2013 05:04 pm | Updated June 12, 2016 04:23 pm IST

28nxgjugal

28nxgjugal

Jugal Mody is jovial, relaxed and an easy-to-talk-to guy, who loves to giggle. Dressed in casuals, he patiently signs and scribbles funny one-liners in the copies of his book Toke . This man actually waits to sign the copies for his fans. Mody used to handle web and social media for Filmfare and Tehelka before he turned author. Then, Toke was released.

Choosing to shift

As CNN-IBN says, the book “has all the elements of a blockbuster” and is about three stoner friends who are out to save the world. Why this sudden shift to fiction? Mody said, “I didn’t suddenly shift to fiction. I used to write even while I was studying computer engineering. As a student, I was part of a bunch of online bookshops. I was trying to understand what I enjoyed about writing.”

He started writing after he quit working at Filmfare . One morning he woke up with a hangover and told himself, “I haven’t written in so long. If I don’t write every day I am not writer. So I should start writing.” He wrote about 10,000 words that “completely described” his protagonist Nikhil. Now, he felt that something interesting had to happen in the story. He recalled old characters — Danny and Aman — from a story he had written in this college days. And Toke become a novel.

“I wrote my first draft before moving to Delhi. But, in Delhi, the editing took a little while. I couldn’t give it enough time because of the new job. I don’t think I looked at anything as inspiration. But, being a complete pop culture fan had a lot to do with this,” he answered rather thoughtfully. “I love pop culture,” he giggles.

Mody finds it “depressing” that he didn’t receive any hate mails. He believes that “controversy sells books.” He also said that his characters are not really inspired by anybody. Whenever, he is writing, he constantly asks, “What is that one good reason why I should not do this?” If he finds even one reason, then he changes it. He uses the same technique while revisiting his work.

What's in store?

Since, the characters in Toke are into substance abuse, it was only fair to ask him about the legalisation of marijuana. He answered, “I don’t think it should be a question. In Allahabad there is a government ration shop that sells cannabis.” In some parts of the country it is sold on the streets. After thinking for a while, he added, “I don’t think people talk much about it, that’s why all this drama is happening.” Answering a rapid-fire round he said he would write an erotic fiction if people are ready to read it. He would legalise weed in India. He said that he is a big TV fan.

So what can the readers expect from the author of the bestseller Toke ? “I am trying to work back my way to writing now,” he laughed.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.