May 2020 The Literary Mirror May 2020 The Literary Mirror Silisti Karuriya Indian Author A microbiologist by qualification and a storyteller by passion, Silisti Karuriya has marked her presence as a storyteller. The Chamde Ka Lutera fame had already created a niche for herself.Her innocence and sweetness in the thought-process has been vividly visible in her tales whichtouches the hearts of readers. The cuteness of characters in her stories reveals a soft side of humanity which has been her way of embarking the society to a greater good. Follow On Social Sites www.theliterarymirror.com May 2020 The Literary Mirror From the EDITOR’S DESK Since the advent of the mere mortals on this placid earth, we have been prone to various fallacies. Those fallacies which are enough to distort a person's thought-process are enough to make an impact in the society. Ironically these impacts are not soothing always and over the top a natural or man-made disaster makes it more disturbing. Amidst all the prevailing chaos, the pandemic of COVID has left the world shattered. At the time when human lives are lost in a heap, it becomes imperative for us to stay calm and create a sense of belongingness and assurance to our near and dear ones. The Literary Mirror dedicates the May Issue to all those who have been affected in this hour of distress and pray for their well-being. Stay Safe, Stay Calm! Nitish Raj, Editor-in-Chief, The Literary Mirror 1 www.theliterarymirror.com MayMay 20202020 The Literary Mirror Managment Editor-In-Chief Nitish Raj Senior Editor Vikash Saxena, Md Akhlaq Assistant Editor Simran Tripathi, Nidhi Bansal Legal Advisor Shirsh Srivastava Technical Head Ashish Graphic Designer Ram Kumar Rajput Marketing Manager Dev Kushwaha, Ashish Raj 2 www.theliterarymirror.com May 2020 The Literary Mirror I NTERVIEW In an exclusive interview with the Editor-in,-Chief of The Literary Mirror, Mrs. Joshi talks about the various facades of literature along with the essential pre-requisites for a book to make it to the screen. An author just has to keep looking for an idea with a strong hook that the audiences can buy into says eminent novelist, Parinda Joshi Parinda Joshi, an MS in Computer Science has been an avid storyteller with 3 novels under her name. Born and brought up in Ahmedabad, Mrs. Joshi who is a mother of her precocious mini-me is an avid traveller, photographer along with an irre- sistible lover of modern poetry. Mrs. Joshi currently resides in the Silicon Valley with her loving husband and cute princess. 3. What challenges does an author have to face in the era of remakes of old classics while pitching a fresh idea to a movie Parinda Joshi Author 1. What are those factors of a novel to make it com- mercially viable in order to be adapted into a movie? Ans.: Regardless of whether a novel is ripe material for a movie or a web series, what makes it a good novel is no secret. It’s a cap- tivating story narrated in a gripping manner with unique, layered characters, something that takes readers on a compelling journey and makes them feel. Production houses often turn to books because popular books or book series are accompanied by an ardent fan base who then become influencers for the on-screen content, giving it additional publicity and word-of-mouth reviews. With the advanced analytics that streaming services often tap into, they are aware of the genres and sub-categories that are most popular, among other data points, and it makes more business sense for them to find content within that space. 2. How much the essence of a novel gets distorted while bringing it to the screens? Ans.: It really depends. When a production house finds a book they think will translate well on screen, they option and, subsequent- ly, purchase the book from the author. They can then choose to create a screenplay based on the book as it is or develop it further with their own team of writers. The end product may closely mimic the book or turn out to be very different from it. The author would have to explicitly agree to this via the contract drawn out between the parties. The author can be a part of the writing team or even be the solo writer. Again, this would be contingent upon the terms agreed to by both parties. 33 www.theliterarymirror.com w May 2020 The Literary Mirror director/producer? Ans.: While the old classics are being remade, high-concept stories that push the envelope on revolutionary ideas are also enjoying a quiet moment of spotlight. Good stories told in a compelling manner will never go out of style. An author just has to keep looking for an idea with a strong hook that the audiences can buy into. Whether it’s a fresh take on an old concept or something beyond the realm of the audience’s imagination, the struggle for a writer is the same: originality, re-invention, innovative ways to deliver the key message in the screenplay, creating fleshed out characters people can invest in and a meaningful narrative to tie it all together. 4. Does being an NRI give you a privilege in pitching your novel to Production Houses or it had been just an existing stereotyping? Ans.: Neither. A writer can typically pitch ideas to production houses in one of two ways: via agents or through connections. In both cases, it’s your ideas that are instrumental in taking you to the next round. Your bio helps in terms of your body of work, not your location. The world is increasingly becoming flat. The next big idea can virtually spring from anywhere and is largely evaluated on merit, in my experience. 5. In the era of digitization where readers are getting away from reading habits, don't you think adapting the books into movies will further distance them? Ans.: The use of audiobooks is definitely on the rise but data in the US, where I live, shows that the average number of books people read in a year has largely remained unchanged since 2011. However, books are inherently different from movies, and movies based on books are largely the director’s interpretation of the world the author has created. That’s precisely what pulls in a reader – the need to experience the stories they’ve loved via a different medium. 6. How much the Indian movie industry has been perceptible towards Business Movies as we are still wrapped up in the genre of romance and thriller? Ans.: I think the appetite is definitely there for audiences to be treated to genres other than rom-coms and thrillers. The rise of streaming platforms with Netflix and Amazon Prime Video paving the way and several indigenous platforms coming into prominence has been indicative of the fact that the golden era of content is here and viewers are ready for original and interest- ing stories that are genre agnostic. 7. What would be your message to the young writers with Parinda Joshi, Author your recently released novel? Ans.: My advice to young writers would be to take risks with the subject, create relatable characters and create a world that’s deeply engrossing, and conflicts that feel real. Again, easier said than done. To achieve all that, I’d advise writers to read a lot across genres; fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. It opens up your mind to new styles of writing, whether it's contemporary, lyrical or literary and widens your horizons. And don’t quit your job to write full time until you make it really really big. 4 www.theliterarymirror.com MayMay 20202020 TheThe LiteraryLiterary MirrorMirror 5 www.theliterarymirror.com May 2020 The Literary Mirror F EATURED Detective Fiction Through The Eyes of a Doctor n an ordinary day you may see Dr.Razi Ahmed working relentless hours in Palamu since centuries,but when I visited that place and found out about the a bus ICU.Trying to save lives,consoling devastated relatives of serious pa- history and folk-lores associated with it ,I was literally possessed by its ghost!I tients,grabbing something to eat in-between the ticks of seconds and run- I wondered why haven't somebody written a book over it?Some stories are ning to an emergency call because somebody needs him. meant to be told and this was one of them. But don't let that fool you.This 'Superman' of Dr.Razi has a 'Clark Kent' too, i.e,his alter ego 'Author Razi'. And Jharkhand is the place where I have grown up.It has given me every- thing that I have today.This is my way of giving her back something,however This 34 years old Ranchi (Jharkhand)based Super Doctor has written a fab- small,in my capacity." He had an equally beautiful answer for whether he has ulous fiction novel 'The secret of the Palamu Fort' that has joined the ranks started writing recently or is it his old hobby, "I am in love with books since of bestsellers within a few months of its release. Asking about how he man- childhood.I have a small library at home with a little over 1000 books!So aged to write a best-selling book in spite of his busy schedule at hospital,he it was inevitable that I was going to write a book someday.I have writ- replies very casually with a smile, "It's never about time.It's about how much ten a few short stories earlier too.I used to write columns for a few local you love doing something.If you really love something you'll always take time newspapers and used to make cartoons strips for them also in my college out for it.And this fact holds true for everything,be it your family,your rela- days.You can say writing for me is like true love - pure and uncondition- tionship,your family or friends." He is an Intensivist (Critical Care specialist) at al!" Bhagwan Mahavir Medica Superspeciality hospital at Ranchi and according to him managing his time has been a little easier for him because his wife He has a whole series of Detective Robin Horo lined up for release this year Dr Sana Anjum Haque is also an Intensivist in the same hospital,and she un- and a non-fiction book is also in the making.His book is also being pitched to derstands his late hours very well.This 'Power couple' from Ranchi has been various production houses so he is keeping his fingers crossed.