Four fangirls turned t2 reporters and quizzed Durjoy Datta during Kolkata Literature Festival, held in association with The Telegraph last month. After gushing and giggling for a good 10 minutes, the girls got down to business. t2 sat in on the fun chat...
We love the titles of your books. The best is Of Course I Love You..! Till I Find Someone Better....
Durjoy: The earlier books were named that way because my publisher told me it had to have 19 letters in it! He had this superstition. So I said okay. I never thought that anyone’s going to read my book!
You’ve written so many books. What’s next?
Because I thought my last book (The Girl of My Dreams) was quite bad…
(‘Nooooooooooo it is NOT!’ squeal the girls) ...so I thought I’ll go back to writing love stories. The next one is going to be a love story stretched over three-four books. It’ll be a series, but only if the first book works.
According to you, what is the way in which rich literary classics can be sent to the masses?
I think once you run out of all the commercial fiction writers, you’ll eventually move towards literary fiction. I think commercial fiction is the first step towards reading literary fiction.
You have studied engineering and MBA and now you are writing books. Is that the stepping stone for success?
Not at all (laughs out loud)! See, I have wanted to be different things at different points of my life. I think you make that decision about what you want to do in life very early. When I was in the ninth standard, I wanted to be an engineer. No one should be allowed to make that decision when they are that young!
Tell us about your struggle during your initial days as a writer...
There was no struggle! I wish I had a struggle story to tell you, but no… I wrote my first book and I had zero expectations. So when a publisher told me that they were ready to publish it, I was like, ‘Ya fine, do it, it’s your money, if you want to waste it this way, why not?!’
You have a lot of fans! How do you deal with all of them, especially fangirls?
I don’t have to ‘deal’ with it. Eight months out of 12, I am at my home writing books, so I don’t have to deal with anyone. It’s all online.
Can we expect short love stories or poems from you?
Poems, definitely NOT (chuckles)! I think poetry requires a very strong command over the language, which I don’t have right now. Short stories… the only short story writer I really like, because I read him while growing up, is Roald Dahl. And I think that if I write short stories, it’ll be like the way he wrote… and then I’d tell you, go buy his books rather than mine. So, I see no point in writing short stories.
Do you want your books to be made into films? How about Till the Last Breath?
Till the Last Breath will never get made because there are two heroes and two heroines, it’s very hard to get that. Most of my books can’t be made into movies because there are multiple characters and casting would be tough. I think If It’s Not Forever It’s Not Love could be made into a hit movie.
We want the three Khans to be cast in your film.
(Looks amazed) The three Khans?! Yes, yes, they are waiting... like when will Durjoy come!
(Everyone has a hearty laugh and then gets their books signed.)
The fifth fan arrived late because she was in school. She shared her agony and ecstasy with t2...
Dear t2,
What happens when your favourite newspaper gives you a chance to interact with DURJOY DATTA and you end up being late? You feel like slapping yourself left and right!
As I entered the room, there he was... in front of me. That smile, that look... I felt like I would faint. He was so sweet, he signed my book and asked me if I had any question for him. I was so overwhelmed that I just smiled. He asked me to sit down and catch my breath and I ended up eavesdropping on his entire Valentine’s Day interview with t2. And guess what, he shook hands with me! Thank you so much t2. I can’t explain how happy I am!
Debapriti Sengupta,
Modern English Academy, Barrackpore
