Author Interview : Sourabh Mukherjee
Sourabh Mukherjee is the author of 3 psychological thriller novels - The Sinners, The Colours of Passion and In the Shadows of Death. The Colours of Passion was long-listed for movie adaptation in WordToScreen 2018, conducted by Mumbai Academy of Moving Image, and was among Top 10 new releases in Starmark outlets across India during the month of its release. In the Shadows of Death is among the first set of Indian titles commissioned by Storytel, popular global audiobook platform. Eminent book recommendation website MyBookPick.com ranked both the novels among top Indian thrillers for the years 2015 and 2017.
He has also written 3 short story collections. Romance Shorts, a collection of dark-romance short stories, won the Golden Pen Award in the Monsoon Romance Contest (2014) conducted by Sulekha.com. The 2-part Beyond 22 Yards on stories of Love and Crime from the world of cricket was among the first set of Indian titles acquired by Amazon Audible on its launch in India. The 7-part series It’s All About Love is among Readers’ Club All Time Best titles in Juggernaut Books (now Airtel Books), India’s premier mobile-reading platform and has also been commissioned by Amazon Audible for audiobook adaptation.
His books have received accolades from readers, book critics and several dailies, magazines and websites from the mainstream national media including The Hindu, The Times of India, The Week, Outlook, Yahoo! News, Zee News, Business Standard, Punjab Tribune, Free Press Journal, Absolute India Tabloid etc. He has written columns for Sportskeeda, India’s largest all-sports website, and Yahoo! Sports. Sourabh has spoken in events like the Kolkata Supernatural Literary Festival and International Women’s Day Tri-Series Debate organized by Rotary Club, Kolkata.
1. Tell us about your latest book "The Colors of Passion".
In "The Colours of Passion", I wanted to talk about how our society has certain pre-conceived notions about human relationships. Any relationship that does not conform to acceptable definitions is quickly dismissed as immoral, illicit, or even illegal. This has been the case with same-sex relationships in our country for a very long time. While the constitutional hurdle has now been cleared, has our mindset really changed? Is the society really open to same-sex relationships? Love, at the end of the day, is love. What we need to realize is that, love and passion come in a variety of colours - it cannot be painted in only one shade.
Secondly, the book aims to unravel the dark secrets behind the limelight. I have heard stories of betrayal, conspiracy, heartbreak from my acquaintances in the entertainment and fashion industries, and I felt that, these would be the perfect ingredients for an edge-of-the-seat thriller.
In that sense, "The Colours of Passion" has been truly hailed as India's first alternate sexuality thriller. It was long-listed in WordToScreen 2018, conducted by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI). It was also ranked by MyBookPick.com among top Indian thrillers in 2017, and was among Top 10 New Arrivals in Starmark outlets across India in the month of its release. It was also among Amazon bestsellers for several months post-release.
2. Which is your favorite character from this book?
One of my favourite characters from the book is Mayank - rugged and irreverent, yet he is soft and vulnerable within. I put my heart and soul in creating that character.
3. We all fall in love with the characters we read, did you ever felt so for any character you have written so far?
"The Colours of Passion" is primarily about the attitude of the Indian society towards same-sex relationships, and its adverse impacts. My heart goes out to the characters in the story who are caught in that conflict, and also to everyone in real life, who have faced societal resistance, and have undergone hardships and rejection, just because they dared to listen to their hearts, they dared to love - differently.
4. What will be your tips for new writers aiming to become authors?
I would like to tell budding writers that, it is important to create real, identifiable characters in a story. Correct use of the language is essential. An author should ensure that a story progresses at a uniform pace – a story that slows down after an energetic start is a big letdown. Finally, it is not about the length but always about the impact of a story. I have read 1-page stories that have left me thinking for days.
5. You have written on various topics, what inspires you?
I primarily write about human relationships. The many ways in which they unravel end up creating stories that make us happy, that make us cry, that sometimes scare us or thrill us. I find this very interesting and inspiring.
6. Tell us something about you that generally people don't know?
I have very recently published a thriller novel in Bengali, my native language, which has become quite popular among readers in this part of the country.
7. Tell us your favourites -
3 Books – Thrillers, especially books by Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins, Keigo Higashino, James Patterson
3 Movies – Too many to name here. Among my Bollywood favourites, I am a die-hard Amitabh Bachchan fan.
3 fictional characters -- Cormoran Strike in the Robert Galbraith novels, Alex Cross in the James Patterson novels. I find them very real.
8. Lastly a rapid fire -
- Snapchat or Instagram - I am not on either
- Reading or Writing - Reading, then Writing
- Notepad or Note app – Note app
- Summers or Winters - Winters
- Beaches or Mountains - Mountains
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