Anuja Chauhan who took a deep-dive into the thriller genre has consolidated her position with the sequel to her whodunit Club You To Death. The new novel, The Fast and The Dead, puts ACP Bhavani Singh to task again to solve a murder mystery in Bangalore and has Chauhan’s wit and humour intact, making the novel an interesting read. In an interview with t2, the advertising expert-turned author talks about adding more layers to her top cop, exploring Bangalore and updates us on the screen adaptation of the novel.
The sequel to Club You to Death is finally here and ACP Bhavani Singh too is back. Tell us about etching and developing the ACP’s character in this sequel.
It was really interesting writing this book because I knew Pankaj Tripathi was playing the character in the film version (produced by Maddock films and directed by Homi Adajania) so for the first time ever, I was writing a character with a specific actor in mind. The brilliantly apt casting certainly made the job easier, but I had to be careful not to let the tail wag the dog.
Bhavani remains the same — an empathetic listener, non-judgemental, unhurried, comfortably ‘settled,’ good humoured, and never trying too hard.
The sequel also now moves to Bangalore. Tell us about choosing Bangalore as your backdrop/character in the book.
It’s nice to take ACP Bhavani Singh to places and milieus he isn’t familiar with, to underline the fact that the man has enough aplomb to be comfortable absolutely anywhere. I enjoyed the idea of him befriending people while speaking execrable Kannadda. I’m a very new Bengalurean, still very hesitant to speak the language, and the part of town that welcomed me most enthusiastically was Shivaji Nagar where people (particularly the Muslims and the Marwaris) all speak in Hindi. Shivajinagar thrums with exuberant melting pot energy and a spirit of enterprise, and I warmed to it instantly.
Also, I fell in love with the city food-first, so you’ll see a lot of Ragi-Muddae, Nipattu, Gadbad and Mangalorean Dukra Maas in the book.
Finally, talking about the weather in Bangalore is such a cliche, but the fact is that the weather defines the people. Nice weather equals non-cranky people, not cross and quarrelsome like people tend to become in cities where the climate is extreme. Also nice weather equals nice architecture — there are more windows and verandahs and courtyards and sunshine and less darkened caves with air-conditioning. Things are home-spun and textured and garden-grown, less shiny and more solid. It’s the Rahul Dravid of cities!
The Fast and the Dead by Anuja Chauhan Published by HarperCollins Price: Rs 390
The Fast and The Dead is also about Jhoomar and Jaishree among other characters.
I really enjoyed writing the mother-daughter dynamic in this book. Jhoomar and Jaishree are nouveau-poor and reeling from the sudden change in their circumstances. And of course they’re terrible snobs. But they also love each other very much and aren’t afraid of working hard, which redeems them slightly.
With this cosy crime thriller you meld thriller with romance, two distinct genres. Tell us about your process.
I try to maintain a balance. Kabhi khushi, kabhi gham. I enjoy using the drama, the heightened tensions and the raised stakes that the murder provides to deepen my romance and delve into the psyches of my characters, romantic or otherwise. And I love the humour and the flirty frisson that the romance brings to my crime scene.
You have kept the language quite fun, deviating from the mainstream literature. It also reflects your personality of being a nonconformist and spirited person.
It’s all in the pursuit of authenticity. I try to write like how people really talk, and I try to make the interior monologues inside my characters’ heads feel like how interior voices would actually feel.
When can we expect the screen adaptation of Club You To Death to release?
It will release on Netflix early next year. There’s a wonderful ensemble cast including Pankaj Tripathi (as ACP Bhavani Singh), Dimple Kapadia, Karishma Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan, Vijay Varma and Sanjay Kapoor, amongst others. The screenplay is by Suprotim Sengupta and Ghazal Dhaliwal. The music is wonderful. I’ve seen a WIP edit and it’s looking really really good.
Authors who have inspired you to be quirky in your writing?
I love Meg Cabot, Vikram Seth, Joseph Heller and Georgette Heyer.
Your favourite whodunit, books and films/OTT?
For me, Agatha Christie’s Five Little Pigs is the best whodunnit ever. On OTT, I really enjoyed Kohrra recently, I’m a huge Barun Sobti fan!
