Hindi fiction writer Ved Prakash Sharma on mixing genres
Ved Prakash Sharma has been writing Hindi fiction since 1971, and is counted among the highest selling writers in the country, by some accounts even leading the pack. He spoke about his fiction and readership to The Hindu at his office in Meerut. Translated excerpts from the interview:
Mohammad Ali You have been one of the bestselling writers of Hindi novels and have millions of readers. But the literary fraternity has largely slotted you as a “pulp” writer.
See, I have written over 175 Hindi novels which have been read by several millions. Some of my books like Wardiwala Gunda (Goon in Uniform, 1992) broke all records and sold 15 lakh copies the very first day. Quite frankly, now I don’t have records of my readership, but unfortunately, whatever I write has been called by the high-brow literary bodies “pulp” fiction in English or “lugdhi sahitya” (lugdhi being Hindi for rough, referring to the paper it gets printed on), but that doesn’t affect me. I have the satisfaction that millions of people read me and what I write entertains the masses. The writing the Hindi literary world considers literature has no reader. Just over a thousand copies are printed, and the books exist only in a library. I think there is no point in writing a book which gets the “status” of being literature but doesn’t get read.
What I fail to understand is why writing is categorised as “pulp” fiction only because it is written on rough paper. So, a certain of kind of literature which is read not just by thousands but several millions will remain on the margins of the power hierarchy in the world of literature because the categorisation of literature is not on the basis of the purpose it serves in society, or its message, but just the quality of the paper it gets printed on.
Can you give an example?
I wrote a novel on the dowry problem Bahu Mangegi Insaaf (Daughter-in-law will seek justice) in 1985, but at the time it didn’t become a matter of discussion. It was only when a Bollywood movie was made on that novel that newspapers reviewed and praised the book as socially relevant. So my question is, why did it take a movie to see the merit of a book which was otherwise called “pulp” fiction? My point is that suppose I have written a novel or a short story or a poem about the problems of a working class person or a labourer. That piece of writing doesn’t reach that class or the subject I am talking about. What is the purpose of writing it then? According to me, the purpose will be served when I write it in a language and in such a way that a labourer can understand what I am writing about him.
“ Detective books used to be read by students, romantic novels used to be mainly read by women. Housewives used to buy novels. So, in order to expand my reader base, I combined the genres and started writing romantic detective fiction ”
Who are your readers?
I must say that my writing is very simple and understandable; because of that, it is read by almost anybody who can read simple Hindi. My readership has been pretty diverse and is across people of all classes. Students and housewives besides those who travel a lot, including all kinds of sales agents, form a big chunk of my readership. Now I also have young readers who heard about the famous novels and read them in the form of e-books.
What is it with the peculiar and rather sensational titles of your novels? Just to name a few, Dahej Me Revolver (Revolver In Dowry) ,Widhva Ka Pati (Husband of a Widow) and Dulhan Maange Dahej (Bride Asks For Dowry).
(Laughs.) See, these are catchy titles which attract your attention and create a sense of mystery and curiosity. As a writer of detective fiction, I make generous use of these feelings. My readers like these kinds of titles which keep them hooked.
You have been writing for almost 45 years. Can you describe changes over the years?
When I started writing in 1971, at the age of 14, it was a different age for writers. Two dozens of my initial novels were published on others’ names because publishers were not ready to publish a newcomer like me. The kind of writing I specialise in comes from a tradition which was started by great Indian writers like Devki Nandan Khatri, Ibn-e- Safi, Ved Prakash Kamboj. I used to read all these writers and think that I could write better than them. And that’s why I started writing what I write. Those were times when novels used to be rented out by book stalls. Even when my novels would be published on Kamboj’s name, I found readers preferred my novels over his actual novels. Unlike today, in those days there wasn’t the facility of going back and correcting the writing if there was a mistake, even mistakes used to be rare. But we used to write in instalments of 16 pages because of the standard prevalent format of 16 pages. Composing and proof reading used to happen, and after that it used to go for printing.
(Photo: Parvez khan )
How has your writing evolved with time?
I stared with detective fiction only because I had started as a novelist by reading detective writings of Ibn-e-Safi. In those days there used to be two genres, detective and romantic novels. While detective books used to be read by students, romantic novels used to be mainly read by women and housewives. But the purchasing power of students was not much, so one copy would be read by hundreds through renting system. But housewives used to buy novels. So, in order to expand my reader base, after writing detective fiction for several years, I combined both the genres and started writing romantic detective fiction.Most detective plots used to be some Indian secret file getting in the hands of Pakistani guys, and then an Indian spy, also the hero, would go to Pakistan, bash the bad guys and get the Indian file. But after combining the two genres, I wrote novels like Bahu Maange Insaaf, Widhva Ka Pati, Dulhan Maange Dahej. So in a sense, I started writing detective fiction on social issues and problems. This experiment turned out to be quite successful and increased the sales of my novels from thousands to lakhs… For instance, now I am writing a book on honour killing.
Did you ever feel you also deserve an honour like the Sahitya Akademi award for being a mass writer?
I will narrate an anecdote. I was travelling to Darjeeling with my family after of the launch of Wardiwala Gunda. In the train there were 52 seats. Besides us six people, I found about 40 people reading the book. So, I felt that I got my Sahitya Akademi award.
How are you associated with Ekta Kapoor?
I am an “Ideator” with Balaji Telefilms since 2010. Every time the producers of Balaji serials are stuck [in the narrative], they approach me. I visit Mumbai and tell them the way ahead. She had also adapted my novel Keshav Pandit into a serial.
You have been living in western U.P. As a writer of crime fiction, how do you see the communal violence in the region?
The way I see it, communal riots happen due to vote bank politics. Western U.P. society is playing into the hands of politicians.
(mohammad.ali@thehindu.co.in)
