Last week Amish announced that he would reveal the next title in his Ram Chandra Series live on Facebook on March 22. Along with relief that he’s finally finished writing book 2, fans were piqued by his choice of guest for the Facebook Live — Smriti Irani. 

“I am here as a reader,” the Union minister of textiles said on air, but we still had questions. So t2 dialled the blockbuster writer after the FB Live for some deets on the book and to ask if he’s joining politics! Published by Westland Books, Sita: Warrior of Mithila is expected in May-end or early June.

The Ramayana has already been retold from Sita’s perspective by various writers, so why another book chronicling her journey?
Because till now largely what we have read is the Ramayana from Sita’s perspective. And the Ramayana is largely the story of Lord Ram. We don’t really know Sita’s story. There is a difference between someone’s perspective on Ram’s story and Sita’s story on her own, where Ram is a character who comes in after two-third of the book is over. This is Sita’s story. And that has rarely been told. Very rarely. 

Like, I’ll tell you, many people don’t even know that Sita Devi was adopted by King Janak and Lady Sunaina! So, this book is about what was she as a child, what strength of character does it take for an adopted child to rise the way she rose. That’s a very engaging story… an adopted daughter rising to become a warrior prime minister, rising to become a goddess. 
And this is one of the reasons why I wanted to do this event with Smriti Irani. I will do more events in the coming few months with self-made women, women who come from humble backgrounds, who’ve fought their way through… that’s what Sita’s story is, for me — a self-made warrior woman.

Yes, this image as the ‘warrior of Mithila’ is very different from the Sita we know…
But the Sita we know today is largely based on a 1980s television serial. There are many ancient versions of the Ramayana where she was a warrior. And following dharma and maryada doesn’t mean you give up your Shakti power. And you being in West Bengal, you know that even more clearly. In the Indian way Shakti is a very important component, it’s one of the essential components of the Indian way of life. The feminine power. 

You also revealed today that the third book will be on Ravana and that both books 2 and 3 will end where book 1 ended — the abduction of Sita by Ravana. So, the same story told thrice?
It is actually not the same story told thrice. It’s three different stories which just end at the same place. That is the key thing to remember. So, what you are reading in the second book is not a repeat of Ram’s story. Sita meets Lord Ram when she is 25 years old. So this book is primarily from zero to 25. And the third book is Ravana’s story.  

One couldn’t help but notice your choice of guest today. Is politics on the cards for you?
No, no, no, please! For God’s sake yaar (laughs)! I stay away… I don’t even comment on politics. I invited Smriti Irani not so much as a politician but as a self-made woman who came from a humble background and made it on her own in two diverse fields — acting and politics. Like I said, I will do a series of events with self-made women from various fields who have made it through their strength of character, through their Shakti…

So, Amish is a feminist?
But a feminist from the Indian perspective... I will clarify that. You know, regrettably, in the western world, sometimes feminism has moved towards hating all men. That to me is not feminism. Reverse sexism is also sexism. But feminism from the perspective of where you celebrate the Shakti principle, the power of the sacred feminine, is actually the Indian way. I’m not doing anything new, it’s the Indian way. 

One could see during the FB Live that the two of you were having a lot of fun. You laughed, you were cheeky, you were pulling each other’s leg… Was that a surprise to you, because often Indian politicians are accused of lacking a funnybone?
(Laughs out loud) It certainly is the kindness of Smriti Irani. I got to know her only recently, a year, a year-and-a-half back. But I feel there should be a place for humour and being relaxed in every area of life. We shouldn’t take life too seriously, ya. 

But on a serious note, the buzz is that Karan Johar is not making his film on The Immortals of Meluha even though he had acquired the rights because he got spooked by all the trouble he had to face for Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.... 
Yes, that contract had expired sometime back, but no, I don’t think a movie on this will create any controversy. Having said that, Karan and I parted as friends, we are still friends, and Karan is a thorough gentleman, the way we parted… and there is another deal that is happening and we’ll announce that in a few months. 

Which self-made woman do you admire? Tell t2@abp.in