Puneet Sikka – Calling her an author is not enough, as she is a treasure trove. We can best describe her as a perfect blend of talent, seamlessly merging creativity, intellect, and versatility across various fields. Its an opportunity to interview such an inspirational persona as you get to learn a lot from them which can help you in being more creative and better in your arena.
Welcome Puneet for the Talk Time Session with me @indiacafe24. I insist you share few words about you, your background and your works for my readers to know you closely.
Thank you.Writing for various media – news, fashion, advertising – and coupling it with theater and films, has essentially been the mainstay of my professional life. From an early age, I felt inclined towards the arts; I trained in Hindustani classical vocal music and Bharatnatyam (for a little bit, and have revived my training well into my adult life now), actively participated in painting and art competitions.
I was afraid of stage acting but mustered the courage for it only in college, which felt like tasting blood. I didn’t realise all of these experiences would come in handy when crafting my characters for my debut fiction, Take No. 2020.
Take No. 2020 explores the blurred lines between heroism and villainy. What inspired you to delve into such a complex theme, and how does it reflect in the characters’ journeys?
My own lived experience and navigating the complexities of life in general and the film industry in particular, inspired this story. Each one of us lives with both the light and the shadow within; it’s part of experience here on earth. Leaving the characters untouched by this duality, who are inspired from life anyway, would have been an injustice to them, to myself as their creator and would rob the reader the chance of being told a nuanced story.
The book blends pop culture and realism. How did your own experiences in the entertainment industry influence the narrative and the characters?
Bollywood (or any film industry for that matter) is the ultimate smoke-and-mirrors set up. It’s called showbiz for good reason. While the setting of the story of Take No. 2020 is Bombay and the film industry, I felt the theme should reflect the slippery, illusory nature of the elements at play. Which is, the people, their ambitions and their interpersonal dynamics. For someone from the outside, I was regularly faced with the task of making judgement calls as to how far I’d like to for the sake of acquiring a role.
Secondly, I was also in awe of the determined force with which a lot of actor, casting and filmmaker friends and colleagues sought their way within this labyrinth. In my eyes, those who were able to manage this delicate balancing act, were already stars in their own right, even if they were known to only a few. Basically, being a keen observer of my environment helped me add dimensions to the characters who had to portray the slice-of-life story I was telling. That is what makes the story an evocative read, in my opinion.
The title Take No. 2020 is intriguing. Can you share its significance in the context of the story?
The reason behind the title is two-fold. One, that it represents the marriage of two themes – the film industry with ‘Take No.’ as displayed on the clapperboard used on a film set, and the second ‘2020’ which is an obvious reference to the year that was.
Second reason is more indicative of the number of trials and errors i.e. the number of takes, so to speak, that aspiring actors have to go through in real life to find a certain footing in the industry. And since the story is an ode to the human spirit and the struggles of the aspirants in a complex system as Bollywood, I felt the title to be befitting. But, I’ll wait for the reader to confirm that.
The story revolves around four diverse characters. How did you go about crafting their individual arcs while ensuring they intersect meaningfully?
Hindsight is 20/20. And so is this ‘Take No.’! (Pun intended). But seriously, I had a lot of inspired moments while crafting the characters. The first one I came up with was Meera, since I was keen on writing a role for myself, although I didn’t know what I’d do with her. So I started giving her a friend, who later became Dabloo. It was around this time that we found ourselves in the first lockdown living our own existential dilemmas, and it only made sense to let Meera and Dabloo live through real life as well.
Jayesh and Mickey came in as an antithesis to the hardscrabble lives of the aspiring, migrant actors as we know them. But they soon began taking space in my imagination and acting as catalysts to move the story forward, becoming fully developed characters in themselves. The only common thread running through all of them was the Araam Nagar pincode but somewhere along the line, I crisscrossed their paths. It all makes sense in retrospect, but at the time of writing, it felt like an unsolvable puzzle.
Bollywood’s #MeToo movement is a pivotal backdrop in the story. Why was it important for you to address this, and how did you navigate its sensitive nuances?
This industry is replete with these stories, so many of which came under the spotlight post the Harvey Weinstein fiasco. Earlier, there were only whispers of the dreaded ‘casting couch’ but with the #MeToo campaign starting off in the West, it opened a can of worms here too. Somehow, this subject always becomes a talking point after some time in a conversation. Ignoring it in the story would have meant overlooking the elephant in the room.
As contradictory as it sounds, some times it’s easier to find the nuances in topics that generate a lot of noise. Because as a writer, one is tuned to look for the least obvious. Or, take the most obvious and turn it on its head.
Humor and grief are key elements in the book. How did you strike a balance between these contrasting emotions to keep the narrative engaging yet thought-provoking?
This book is a slice-of-life story and so, it is naturally going to be filled with moments that will amuse the reader while also being heartbreaking. As far as striking the balance aspect is concerned, that came only after writing and re-writing multiple drafts. I was lucky to have my friend Vinita mentor me through this process, because it’s so easy to lose one’s way in the process, especially when there are four storylines running parallel to each other.
This being your debut novel, what challenges did you face while transitioning from acting and media work to writing a book?
My biggest challenge was that there was no time for transitioning; it was a plunge into the deep end from the get go. Luckily, this being my first book, I had no reference to context about the difficulty level of writing a book. And by the time I did realise it, which was the second draft onwards, it was too late for me to abandon the project. I had begun to own it. But yes, the roadblocks were confronting the much-feared writer’s block.
I thought I’d given up, when for 2 months all I did was open and shut my laptop without typing a single word. What revived me was constantly showing up at my desk regardless, and not censoring the flow of my thoughts. How I overcame the mental block is an enigma to me as well, but now I understand to fear this phase less as it too will pass.
The book is described as very visual. Did your experience in film and theater shape your writing style or influence how you approached storytelling?
My primary sensory learning style is visual. And I had learned early on in the writing phase to ‘show and not tell’ which greatly aided in the story becoming such a visual read. Interestingly, I hadn’t planned to write in this style, but it did amplify the theme of the book, which is about films which are a visual medium. Plus, I think, writing from memory makes it a more visual read.
Was there any character or scene that was particularly challenging to write, and how did you overcome that challenge?
Yes, Jayesh. His was a character well removed from my comfort zone. In the sense that I have met people like him in life but haven’t been curious enough to know them beyond the surface, given that that’s the persona they are projecting as well. Which is why, Mickey asks Jayesh to identify his pain point, and Jayesh draws a blank.
There are plenty of people who haven’t met themselves at a deep level, and are yet streaming into the world of cinema to portray characters that would need them to swim in deep waters, metaphorically speaking. So, with writing Jayesh, I often wondered how would a person so emotionally closed-off confront his demons. Getting into his shoes was definitely a task.
I’m happy with how I’ve crafted him but I sincerely hope I’ve been able to overcome that challenge. The reader’s the judge here.
Meera, Dabloo, Jayesh, and Micky are all navigating Bollywood’s highs and lows. Is there a character you relate to the most, or one that’s particularly close to your heart? Why?
Even though I was inspired to write a story keeping Meera in mind, Dabloo turned out to be my most relatable character. It was such a joy to write him. His arc is like the hero’s journey and being a person of hope, I couldn’t imagine not infusing all my characters with hope. Life is what we make of it; we have the chance to operate out of freewill to define our destiny. All characters embodied that spirit, but Dabloo really goes through the wringer in comparison to all, so the completion of his arc makes for a very satisfying tale.
Micky Taneja, embroiled in #MeToo allegations, is a bold character to write. How did you ensure his portrayal was nuanced and multidimensional?
Like I said, either I look for the hidden in the obvious and highlight that or take the obvious and flip it around. A casting director with a #MeToo allegation is a stereotypical character to write, so I had to approach him with care. He’s a trouble maker and there should be no excuses made for problematic behaviour, but only he could bring the element of surprise in the story that I was looking for. And it is only this blemish in his character that bring out the shine in the others, and give the story a supreme twist in the end.
As someone deeply entrenched in the entertainment industry, what do you think readers will take away from Take No. 2020 about the reality of Bollywood?
Bollywood is a microcosm of the world we live in. It comes with its share of triumphs and treacheries, redemption and ramifications. In my opinion, the reader will connect with their own emotions and choices in life by interacting with Meera, Dabloo, Jayesh and Mickey, but also hopefully appreciate the spirit of human endurance in the face of a crisis.
One that each person on this planet has lived and experienced in 2020 and onwards. Take No. 2020 will remind us of having faith in the process, and above all in ourselves. I felt empowered as an author and as a person after writing this book, and I trust the reader will feel the same.
Your book tackle’s themes like love, loss, and redemption amidst the backdrop of Bollywood. What do you hope readers learn about life through these stories?
The one and only thing that I can say here is something that I learned about life. That, this too shall pass. The transient nature of success and failure, ambition and indifference, joy and sorrow is what gives life its colour. One cannot be without the other. The pandemic came and went, transformed some for the better and others for the worse, but even in that shift, there is impermanence.
And the fickleness of fame in this industry is well known. It is themes like these that we understand through the lives of the characters, and how they tackle adversity. The reader will correlate to the ebbs and flows of life through the story, and know that inspite of the myriad possibilities, each one of them will pass eventually.
You’ve worn many hats – actor, media professional, writer, and entrepreneur. How have these diverse experiences shaped your worldview and the way you approached this novel?
As a writer and actor, I think the wider the experience, the deeper the expression. Donning several hats in my 20s has significantly contributed to my worldview, in a way that has made me more empathetic yet mindful of the adage – do no harm but take no shit.
This fierceness has lent itself to the novel as well, in how I approached my daily writing routine and sinking my teeth into the task and not letting go till I’ve seen it through. I suppose that resilience is reflected in the characters as well. Take No. 2020 is my creative baby and something I’m deeply proud of.
What else you love to do or in short what are your other passions in life?
I enjoy dance and am presently I’m training in Bharatnatyam; it’s a slow burn process but one I’m excited to pursue.
Whose writing inspires you the most and why?
Each time I read a short story by Roald Dahl. The writing is arresting and effortless; I just let out a sigh each time I’ve finished reading a story.
Any tips for the budding authors?
Nothing extraordinary but writing every day, even if by the way of journaling. To be able to put our complex thoughts and feelings on paper is the most painful exercise but also the most rewarding one.
Leave a Reply