Adventures of a Writer

By Jaideep Sen It’s often said that good writing can stand the test of time. Its power and relevance can shine through decades later. This thought struck me like a double whammy in the context of the masterful works of Salim Saab and his erstwhile writing partner Javed Akhtar Saab.  Amitabh Bachchan in Zanjeer Recently I watched a TV show, where a boy has a nightmare and gets up with a start, in a scene that is reminiscent of the introduction of the adult Vijay in Zanjeer , the film that set off Mr.Amitabh Bachchan on his unending journey of super stardom. It struck me that almost all of Salim Saab and Javed Saab’s writing have helped to create the ‘immortal’ persona for Mr. Bachchan and set him up for till now unseen success.   Dharmendra in Sholay The second instance was when later, on the same day,   I watched and heard the hook-line lyrics of a song from the soon to be released Super 30 – “Basanti, No dance in front of these dogs...

Spiritual messages flood our social media timelines. Gurus promoting their brand of spiritual wisdom have become a common feature on TV channels. Author Manoj Jain picks up on this trend to spin an intriguing tale about a 'sadhu of stories' in his latest novel titled A Man from Mandu. The story is told through the perspective of Tarini who needs a 'project' to resuscitate her flagging corporate career. A wager with her best friend provides her with the challenge she needs. She uses her marketing skills to create Brand Avishkar Baba and justifies it to herself thus, "Film-makers call themselves Peddlers of dreams, she thought, and Writers claim poetic license. Then what is so wrong with what we are doing? We are, in reality, providing a service to the people. I have given them someone who will make their lives better." But who exactly is Avishkar Baba and what is his game? Is he a conman, a storyteller or the real deal - a true spiritual leader?...

Welcome to Week T of Authors' Tips A - Z of Writing.  If this is the first time you are visiting this series, here's a quick recap.  Authors share their tips on writing fiction and each week we talk about various aspects of writing. This week, I discuss a very vital part of the writing process: The Thinking Through Stage. What comes before you have written a single word of your manuscript.  Read on... and don't forget to share your thoughts in the comment box.  How do you get your ideas? What comes first? The characters or the plot or the theme? This question is perhaps on every aspiring writer's mind and is among the most discussed topic on writing discussion forums.Well, the quick answer to that is, there is no structured way of getting ideas. Rarely, does a story idea hit you on the head with a neatly defined beginning, middle and end, a plotline, theme and fully developed characters. No, that doesn't happen! And if someone tells you it has happene...

On the occasion of Father’s Day Jaideep Sen pens a heartfelt piece for Salim Saab who is more than a father figure to him. Read on…   I don’t remember the context in which I made this particular call to Salim Saab one evening during the interval of a Film that I was watching at PVR Citi Mall, Mumbai. But as usual it was enriching because in the course of the conversation when I mentioned to him that in my understanding, a Love Story comprises of the relationship between a boy and girl, he stopped me and said that it’s a misconception that a Love Story is only between a boy and girl. Now that was a first for me and I immediately felt that some life altering knowledge was going to be imparted by the gifted Salim Saab. He said that a love story can be between a master and servant, between an animal and his master and mentioned Haathi Mere Saathi in that context.  In that very moment my already immense respect for Salim Saab shot up uncountable folds and went...