Swapna Peri: Congratulations on the book! Can you give our readers a quick introduction of yourself?
Mukul Ranjan: Thank you for your kind words. I have been writing for newspapers, magazines and radio since my college days. I studied journalism but didn’t become one. I have been working in Hindi film industry as a screen writer and director for the last several years. COLD COCK is my debut novel.
Swapna Peri: How did the idea of writing a book on this plot happen?
Mukul Ranjan: In the beginning, I wanted to write a suspense thriller for my first book. Then, I thought I should write a romantic story first. After lots of churning, sleepless nights and rethinking, I set out my heart on this idea. Initially I wanted to set this idea in a struggling NGO or a school for children with special needs or a plastic bucket manufacturing factory and a spoken English teaching institute! The focal point of the book was the almost human like life cycle of an organisation, infused with dollops of all the nine rasas! I wanted to make this building/organisation/company as a living breathing entity.
For ambitious mounting, I placed this story in a TV channel. Look, not many novels have been set inside a television channel. Though television has been an integral part of our lives since several decades as a great infotainment medium. On top of it, the sword of deadline is always there for every tv professional. Trust me, delivering episodes after episodes for mass consumption, in impossible conditions, is a back breaking job, both physically and emotionally. COLD COCK is my little tribute to all these supremely talented and smiling workaholics!
Swapna Peri: The characters and the incidents in the story look realistic. Did similar incidents, if any known to you, inspire you?
Mukul Ranjan: A writer’s mind works like a litmus paper, sieve or a filter. The writer has to be like the famous common man by R. K. Lakshman, observing everything yet not reacting immediately. Every gesture of hands, walking style, laughter, look in the eyes, mannerism needs to be stored, remembered for later recall, at short notice. I can tell you that most interesting people that I’ve met and the memorable conversations that I had, have taken place with complete strangers while I was travelling in a long distance train, taxi, flight, boat, local train or a bus.
We are living amidst a make believe explosion tornado. Be it politicians, sports personalities, actors, media, social media handles, AI tools, everybody is telling us this is the truth and the only truth. We are constantly being barraged and bombarded with unwanted information. As an author, I had to force myself constantly to keep it real while writing this book. Realism is something which appears to be transparent, uncontaminated, organic and pure. The incidents might look highly dramatic in the book but they have been dabbed and coated with layers and layers of realism. Don’t real stories touch your soul? The incidents and characters from my book are one hundred percent fictitious and imaginary but extra effort has been taken to keep them realistic.
Swapna Peri: The names in the story, be it the characters or anything else, look quite authentic. What kind of brainstorming have you done?
Mukul Ranjan: I love traveling. It gives me a big high and works as a complete stress buster. My co-travelers talk to me about their current or past ventures, be it a play, magazine, shop, company’s name, village’s name etc. And invariably, I ask them about the person’s name being narrated in the conversation. That is how these names came to me while I was writing this book. For the titles of the shows mentioned in COLD COCK, I wished to keep them earthy and rooted.
Swapna Peri: Are there any such unpleasant experiences in your life?
Mukul Ranjan: A human life is sum total of all kinds of experiences. Experiences can bring smile on your face or scare you for a while. Experiences also humble a person and teach life lessons. It depends on that person how willing or receptive she or he is to learn from those past experiences. See, a rainbow has several colours. In the same way, life offers us various experiences. One cannot wish to have only good experiences. That is completely unrealistic. Expect bolt from blue, it might be carrying a deep meaning message for you!
Swapna Peri: The story has many layers and sub-plots, which can be further developed as full-length stories. How difficult was it for you to condense?
Mukul Ranjan: An author is always tempted to let her/his words flow and flourish. I believe in the mantra of brevity. As a student of journalism, I learnt editing. While working on this book, I applied brevity as an editing tool and it did wonders. One can remain greedy and rue the missed opportunity or one can work as a surgeon and keep smiling! An author has to pick the unwearable gauntlet to do justice to her/his characters.
Swapna Peri: There is a certain amount of strong language used in the story. Especially by the character- Mynah Khan. How do you think the readers will welcome it?
Mukul Ranjan: Swapna, a book needs to reach the reader’s heart after a long tumultuous journey. For that, it needs to be entertaining, pacy and engrossing. Length, language, plotting and characterisation are tools to achieve this goal. In this book, except Sartaj and Ashwin, most of the main characters have studied in premier institutions from India and abroad. In their universe and milieu, it is considered absolutely normal to speak the way they do. Also, as an author, if I was to dilute their lingo, I would be doing injustice to their bang on characterisation. This was no Hobson’s choice for me. I was clear and firm about my character’s language from the first page and day one itself.
God has been really kind to me. I’m absolutely thrilled with the love COLD COCK has received from its readers. The reviews that readers have done for the book on various online portals and social media platforms are unbelievably positive. Many readers have written that they are waiting for the author’s second book. Some readers have written to me that the actual hero of COLD COCK is Mynah Khan!
Swapna Peri: This story also gives a new direction of Indian fiction writing towards a more open-minded way of writing. What do you say about this?
Mukul Ranjan: I had set a really tough target for myself. To connect with the readers through COLD COCK! I’m happy to share with you that readers have loved and cried while being in the same coach with Ravi, Dakshina, Eleena, Swapan and party. When readers write that they finished this book in a single sitting, it tells you something, right?
I believe critics and reviewers would be the right people to comment on this. I’m young and this is my first book. I’m still learning the art of writing books.
Swapna Peri: How does a typical day look for Mukul? What changes did lockdown and pandemic do to you as a person?
Mukul Ranjan: My day begins at 5 am. After praanayaam, brisk walking for 45 minutes and taking shower, I sit down to write. This goes on for 2 to 3 hours, depending on my mood. Commuting to and fro to my work place takes a total of 2 hours. These 2 hours are spent reading a book. After dinner, I try to hit bed early preferably by 10 pm or whatever time I reach home in the night.
See, more than myself, lockdown and pandemic slowed down everybody on this planet. I firmly believe lockdown and pandemic have prepared us well for the third world war whenever it’ll happen. People have learnt the values of being minimalistic and are closer to nature now. These pandemic times have also made people think about other people. Saathi haath badhana applies now than ever and how!
Ah, letting a little secret out here. I wrote several stories and scripts during pandemic. One of them could be about pandemic itself, for all you know.
Swapna Peri: What are your recent favourite books? And why?
Mukul Ranjan: Mission Shengzhan by Tuhin A. Sinha & Clark Prasad. This one is a nail biting thriller with Corona virus amazingly, hovering in the background. The chills and fear can’t get anymore closer.
Sahkaarita Se Samriddhi by Alok Kumar. This non fiction book on co-operative movement in India was sheer joy to read. The author has written it in an interesting manner and the book editor has done a fabulous job.
How I Met You by Sri Chinnamatur. This romance drama is a modern day tale on love. The plot, characterisation and drama is nop-notch. I was impressed by the author’s craft on this pleasant joyride.
