Sacred Games author Vikram Chandra interviewed by his niece
Hindustan Times | ByZuni Chopra
Jul 21, 2018 10:53 PM IST
The author of the book, now a web series, shares his secrets of storytelling with buddying writer and niece Zuni Chopra
Here’s the thing about being the niece of Vikram Chandra, the author of Sacred Games: Since you want to be a writer too, you get to interview your own uncle! His 900-page novel is now a digital show – the first Indian original series on Netflix, and HT Brunch suggested I put some interview questions to him. Here are excerpts, niece to uncle, writer to writer, Chopra to Chandra.
Vikram Chandra, pride writ large on his face, indulges his niece Zuni Chopra as she interviews him for HT Brunch(Aalok Soni)
“[ Sacred Games as a TV series] is more of a translation. I think books have their own life within a reader’s mind.” –Vikram Chandra
Quick takes with Vikram Chandra
What’s the one item that is necessary for the perfect writing environment? Quiet. Not necessarily physical, but internal.
Would you rather write at the top of a mountain or in the middle of a dense forest?(Laughs) Mountain, I think. A lot of my happy childhood memories are associated with the Himalayas.
You get an interesting idea at 2am. What do you do? Actually, nothing! I don’t keep a notebook next to my bed so I just cling to it with the hope that I don’t lose the idea before I wake up. I don’t think I’ve ever forgotten my ideas completely though.
You get an idea in the shower. What do you do then? Write it down once I’m out. A shower is actually my most productive work area! It introduces this meditative, calm state that lets you explore. Sometimes problems just click in the shower. My daughters get so annoyed with me! They grumble about how ‘Dad takes such long showers!’
A message for readers intimidated by the length of the book...? Well, I guess you could try reading it on a Kindle (laughs)! Also, Penguin is coming out with a two-volume version now, which should hopefully make it more digestible.
Artist Jaideep Mehrotra did the cover designs for two editions of the book. He put them up on Facebook, and got more than a thousand likes in no time!
