“I wrote half a book when I was 18” – Twinkle Khanna

By Subhash K. Jha -

November 24, 2016 - 10:09 AM IST

Tell me about your growth as a writer? You were always fond of reading. When and how did you discover and nurture the writer within yourself?

I wrote half a book when I was 18, and, in fact, the characters Noni Appa and Binni from my new book ‘The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad’ were originally part of that manuscript. This is my third attempt that has finally appeared in print, where the story revolved around the two old ladies and another character Anandji. I also carried around a black felt file as a teenager that contained all the poems that I had jotted down, primarily about maggots and death. I have always been immersed in a world filled with words, earlier as a reader and now finally as both a reader and a writer.

“I wrote half a book when I was 18” – Twinkle Khanna

How did ‘The Legend Of Laxmi Prasad’ come about? Do you feel it says the stories in exactly the way you wanted them told?

I was doing some research on menstruation for a column. I read about Arunachalam Muruganantham’s life and work and his story gripped me. And, that is when I sat down, wrote the first few pages and sent them off to my editor to have a look. I then began chasing Muruga and after numerous lengthy interviews, he agreed to let me fictionalize his story and that is how this book started. The other stories then followed. They were all topics I had briefly touched upon through my columns and now I could weave a substantial tale around them.

Tell me about your next book?

I haven’t begun. I have some ideas for a book about dystopian India but we shall see.