Tamil actress Vasundhara Kashyap, known for a number of films down south, has recently forayed into the literary world with her debut novel The Accused. The book is a gripping crime thriller that explores the dark realities of modern society and the perils of social media trials.

Beginning with a murder, the storyline involves a seemingly infallible police inspector, initially hot on the case, finding himself entangled in a complex web of secrets. Meanwhile, a former actress facing her own media scrutiny starts a true crime podcast that further entangles her assistant in the existing mystery.

The novel weaves together themes of scandal, resilience and the dangerous power of online narratives, offering a thought-provoking take on how perception can shape reality.

A t2 chat with Vasundhara, who has proven that her storytelling prowess extends beyond cinema.

What inspired you to write The Accused? The introduction mentions that you’ve been wanting to write your own book for a while but tell us about the moment that really started you off on this journey.

I’ve been wanting to write since I became a voracious reader, so since I was 13. And I have written multiple bits of stories, poetry, fiction before, but this one in particular started in 2016. I gave it up within a few months and then I went back to it during lockdown, properly zoned in and managed to finish it.

And it’s quite a heavy genre for a first book too… How did your experience as an actress help in shaping this book, especially the events and characters? Is the actress in the book a little bit of you at all?

The commonality between that character and myself starts and ends with both of us being actors and our love for South Indian food. I haven’t based her on any one person; she is an embodiment of a lot of people I know. The theme of the book may come across as heavy for a debut novel, but I wanted to write a book that would speak about our society and current trends. The thriller is my favourite genre, and pretty much everybody I know loves a good thriller too. So, it was the natural choice of genre for me, and I feel the genre allowed me to capture the themes I wanted without making it a very heavy read.

The story intertwines a murder mystery with intense character studies. How did you balance the thriller and emotional elements?

I think I let my sensibilities as a reader take over to find the right balance. Keeping the thriller aspects exciting without compromising on characters and keeping the characters deep without making them boring was my biggest challenge. I think as I write more novels, I might get quicker at it, but I do hope, earnestly, that I have managed to achieve the right balance here.

Speaking of crime, are you a fan of true crime yourself? Did you draw inspiration from any existing stories, or are there any that have particularly impacted you?

I am a big consumer of true crime. I wouldn’t say I’m a fan because it feels like the wrong terminology to use. While there wasn’t any particular story that inspired me, what did trigger my writing of this novel was the fact that with the prevalence of social media, everybody seems to be under the impression that they are an expert on what truly happened behind the scenes. No one is hesitant to give their opinion and present it as if it is a well-informed expert opinion. With everyone acting as if they know exactly what happened where, and when, it made me wonder if anyone really knows, except the exact people involved, and what would it be like to experience it from an omniscient point of view.

You’ve taken up writing alongside your career in the films. What was the biggest challenge in shifting from performing stories to crafting them?

I wouldn’t quite say I have transitioned, exactly, because I am still acting, and I have been writing behind the scenes the entire time. I just hadn’t had the courage to try to get published till now. The biggest challenge for me is each time I thought of an idea I kept imagining acting it out, and where the cut would be and what props would be there in the character’s hands. To stop enacting it in my head was the biggest challenge in terms of writing.

Do you see yourself writing more books in the future? If so, what kind of stories would you like to explore next?

I most certainly hope so. It would be a privilege for me to be able to continue writing as it is one of my greatest passions. I would like to pursue all the genres I enjoy reading like horror, sci-fi, romantic comedies, and a lot more thrillers.

Now that you’ve written The Accused, if you could adapt the story for the screen, who would you cast as Rakesh (the inspector), Mira (wife of the murdered man and Rakesh’s first love interest) and Pooja (the actress)?

Oh, this has to be my favourite question so far! I think the film industry person in me is showing. I think for Rakesh, considering that his character requires a lot of nuance in terms of performance, I would love it if Siddharth (Suryanarayan) or somebody like (Vijay) Sethupathi did it. For Mira, I’m not quite sure, but maybe Aditi Balan. She is an excellent performer and has that innocence to her face while still managing to present steel and grit. Pooja is my favourite character, and I would love to have someone like Tamannaah (Bhatia) in that role. In fact, I have sent her a copy of the book in the hopes that she will like the character enough to make it a reality if and when somebody makes it a movie or a series.