Hi, my name is Mukul Ranjan. I was born and brought up in Bihar. I finished my school and college education in Bhagalpur. I did my Master’s in journalism from Mumbai University.
I have been a storyteller all my life. During my school days, in my class if a teacher was unwell or not in the mood to teach, he used to tell me to narrate a story. I would stand next to the blackboard and start my narration of an original story, impromptu, then and there. All the teachers loved me for this talent and obviously, my classmates loved me more. In my free time or playtime, I used to read books in the libraries. The staff of most of the libraries in my town knew me. While I was doing my plus two, my articles and stories started getting published in various magazines and newspapers. And, my stories and articles used to get broadcast on the radio, that too in my own voice. My fan mail started increasing and dad was quite amused with this new development. Dad was a university professor and HOD. He suggested journalism as a career which, for some unknown reason, I was not keen on. Finally, I studied journalism but didn’t wish to become a journalist. My only wish was to tell stories. Hindi movie industry discovered me and I started working as a screenwriter. Later, my producers and directors started insisting that I turn director. This is how I became a director.
Cold Cock is a hardcore, unabashed, full on masala, roller coaster entertainer!
Yes, a lot. I believe, each tool is a welcome tool. It will help you sometime in your life, for sure. Gaining any knowledge is an asset. Journalism taught me editing, reporting and writing. When I was ready with my first draft of Cold Cock, it had 100,000 words plus. I was dealing with the problem of plenty. Ojas, you know very well, how first time authors fight to retain each word written in their manuscript. I think otherwise. I understand my responsibility towards my publisher and my readers very well. If my reader has spent money to purchase my book, I am duty bound to giver her/him some joy while reading my book. My years of training as a director and screenwriter made my job easy. I knocked off several sentences, detailed explanatory, technical, boring paragraphs and in one instance, chapters too from my manuscript. Now, it contains half of its total words. My experience as a screenwriter made it a breeze while I was working on this manuscript. I am used to interacting closely with my characters!
I am an early riser. So I could take out time in the early morning to write for 1-2 hours. On holidays, if any, I used to write the whole day. Then, commuting time was always set for reading. And I used to reach home late, exhausted, every night. Before hitting the bed in the night, reading is a habit. Primarily, I wrote this manuscript in the mornings only. It took me one whole year plus some months to write Cold Cock. It was really tough, yeah.
Ojas, I believe, writing about female characters was the most challenging part. My problem was a different one. I have studied in an all boys school. During college years, I had nil interaction with my female batch mates. So, the little that I knew about women was through the books that I read. I will always remain thankful to novels by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Ayn Rand, Bimal Mitra, Shivani, Emily Bronte, Usha Priyamvada and several others. I’ll be honest here. Writing from a female perspective is a tricky area for most of the male writers, including me.
I have several ideas in mind. There is no hurry. I’ll wait for the publisher’s nudge first. Response of my readers has been extremely encouraging. So, keeping my fingers crossed.
Sartaj Singh Sekhon. Look, all the characters are dear to me. But I’m extremely fond of this guy. I wish, I could have explored a little more about him in my book. I would love to meet him because of the mystery aspect of his personality.
My first book was Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography. I read it, cried, read it again, cried again. It held me in its spell. This book is an important part of my life and I’m proud of its author!
My favourite book is Bhagvadgita - need I say more?
No, never felt the need. (Laughs) Ha, ha, I don’t admire myself that much!
Quick to hear and, slow to speak!
This quote was written on the wall of the assembly hall of my school, C M S High School, Bhagalpur. It has stayed with me because I not only believe in it but practice it too.
Read more and keep reading, in order to understand, how different authors approach different subjects, plots and characters in their works. The more you read the easier it’d be when you venture out with your first book. Take time, don't rush, think about a lot about any idea or story. If you’re consumed by it for a long time, go ahead with it. It simply means, this is the opportune time for that idea or story.
Critics have a very strong and integral role to play in an author’s life. They point out the inconsistencies, disjointed sentences, shortcomings, missing links amongst several other things in the book. I study a negative review more closely and, more frequently. It keeps me grounded and works as a reality check. I appreciate the tough job that the reviewers do and welcome their inputs.
More than a life experience, I’d like to speak here about a thought which is very dear to me. Fear - it’s only human to fear. Everybody has heard this, right? Wrong. My friends, to write and to write confidently, you need to be brave and don’t fear anything. Because, if you are scared of anything, you won’t be able to begin your journey as an author. Trust me, this journey begins with missteps, blind shots, wrong moves and failings before you get it right. Precisely, the reason for you to be unafraid and courageous to begin your journey as a first time author.
Thanks a lot, Ojas for this wonderful platform to share my thoughts. Thanks once again.
Here, I want to speak about an amusing incident which brings smile on my face whenever I think about it. Last year, I was doing intense research for a movie project. I discovered a book by an Indian author which, I desperately needed to purchase. Neither offline or online copies of it were available. I checked with my book lover friends also. Nobody had it. Time was running out. Fortunately, I located the contact details of the author of that book. So, I wrote a mail to him, requesting him to send me a copy of his book or a photo copy of his book. I got a terse reply from him, stating that he had several copies of this book in his possession but he won’t send any copy to me. Because he was a proud author and not a book seller! I was surprised with his response. Ojas, I believe, an author needs to wear many hats today. Forget that you are an author only. You need to be your own publicist, spokesperson, promoter, seller, social media handler, in short, everything. For an author, being laidback is being lazy now, dangerous!
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