Humour, for author Kiran Nagarkar, is serious business. You might find his latest novel, “The Extras” (Harper Collins, Rs. 599) side-splittingly funny, but it is also thought-provoking. It traces the lives of Ravan and Eddie, 30-odd years after they met, as children, in a book by the same name.
Unlike the many novels based on the highs of urban India that tell the stories of rich businessmen or IT employees, “The Extras” is about those we see everyday on television in Bollywood item numbers. They are seen, yet not registered. It is this brazenness with which we treat them that Nagarkar addresses.
“Let's face it, we don't even care about them. Ravan and Eddie really want to become actors, but they end up being extras. From childhood, these poor children dream of being superstars. Their mistake is that they dream big and for that, they suffer. They have no godfather. They have to take up side jobs, being taxi drivers and singing at ‘Aunty's Bars'. Despite this, they keep their dream alive. They can never admit to themselves that being actors is not within their reach. If they did, what would happen to them? The original sin, for the extras, is hope.”
There are philosophical dimensions to the book. According to Nagarkar, the book never loses sight of affection or compassion for the characters. “There is a character Asmaan, who is a wonderful person and an extra. She tells Eddie that when their children will ask them what they do for a living, they would probably say they are in the ‘film business'. But Eddie tells her that he is the hero of his own movie, and the hero of his own life. This is a feeling most of us have. We wonder, am I the centre of the Universe or just another person?”
“The Extras” is not a spoof on Bollywood, and Nagarkar explains why. “It is like writing a parody on a parody. Bollywood is already a parody of itself. Believe it or not Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh are human beings.”
The author of the Sahitya Akademi award winning “Seven sixes are forty-three” and “Cuckold” says that writing involves going beyond one's pale. “They don't seem to realise that criticism or even dubious comments isn't about them. It's about the text!”
Nagarkar's only concern is about the characters. “Think of Kiran Nagarkar and that is the end of the book. The only thing you are allowed to think about are the characters. A writer, if he's any good, will be true to his characters. Is he or she merely a puppeteer? If so, then there is not going to be any blood throbbing in the characters. They are dead. The author has to stop playing God. The author needs to realise I am merely following these characters. Getting carried away makes one self-indulgent.”
Nagarkar says that he does not attempt to obfuscate his English. “I believe that depth comes from transparency. The wonderful thing about transparency is that you will never be able to make out how deep the water is. You can write the most philosophical thoughts in compelling, transparent English. It sows the seeds, and when it rains, they will sprout. A reader will go back to the book after many years and understand the strength of the book from how relevant it still is for him or her. That, for me, is a classic.”
Imagination is the tool of the writer, facts are secondary for Nagarkar. “We don't want to accept that most books written here are pure, lovely trash! As a writer, I want to write a book which is honest, a vision and an imagination that uses research if necessary. Research must always be the handmaiden of the imagination. For some writers, research is the primary objective, for me, it isn't. If it is, then write a research paper!”
There is a conscious effort on Nagarkar's part to write a book overflowing with descriptions and metaphors. “I don't write a book ever in terms of metaphors. The metaphors, if they come at all, come through the book. They must be integral to the book. Don't tell me, show me — that is what fiction is about.”
Nagarkar the person is as compassionate as Nagarkar the writer. “In ‘Seven sixes are forty-three' I wrote a phrase ‘patent nonsense'. People are concerned about who's having an affair with whom. What business is it of theirs'? They don't seem to care that farmers are dying by the thousands. ‘Patent nonsense' to me is when we allow someone to starve. The irony of it is that we don't even understand what ‘patent nonsense' is!”
The role of the critic is as important as that of the writer. “It is not only essential for a critic to give insights and unfurl very gradually the many layers in a book but also important to make sure the reader knows that it is worth spending time reading this book.”
