BENGALURU: From being an awkward teen in braces to becoming a sought-after master of ceremonies and successfully portraying the transgender Kukoo in the hit Netflix series Sacred Games, Kubbra Sait has broken boundaries and made a name for herself. The life and career of the actor have been written about extensively, but this marks the first time she has written about it herself. Titled ‘Open Book: Not Quite a Memoir ’- part memoir, part inspirational treatise, the book, which can be pre-ordered, lays bare her struggles, achievements, joys and failures .
Published by HarperCollins India, the book contains 24 chapters, each named idiosyncratically after the pivotal theme outlining the narrative of that chapter. Over a freewheeling conversation, Sait spoke about the thought behind it, the challenges and why she felt the need to pen her memoir at this stage in her life. Talking about what inspired her to pen her life in black and white, the Bengaluru girl says, “During the first lockdown when we didn’t know what to do with our time is when I decided to write the memoir. Everyone was looking to enroll in courses, learn a new skill, make banana bread or whip up Dalgona coffee, and I thought, ‘I want to do something that’s useful to me’.
Even though I tried to make banana bread too, I failed. It was an emotionally low point for everyone during the early phases of lockdown.” She adds, “The thought of writing a memoir came to me and I took it up. There was no pressure on me and moreover, the book is not a statement. There was no need for me to prove anything with the book. The entire process of writing took me eight months. The easiest part was naming the book. Open Book: Not Quite a Memoir felt apt for the title.” The fact that Sait was not afraid to fail as an author, gave her the required fuel to go ahead.
Even though she enjoyed the entire writing process, there are a few chapters in the book which are close to her. “The chapter about my school and hugs are very dear to me. I love to be hugged and during the pandemic, we were all alone with no one to meet. The spiritual side of me helped go through those troubled times.
Again, there’s this one chapter in the book, where it brought back challenging memories – I had lumps in my throat. The chapter ‘Face the Talk’ was also a very important phase of my life which I needed to share but it would take a strong stomach to hear the truth,” she shares. So, what made her attempt an autobiography this early in life? Wouldn’t she have wanted to wait it out t o share more experiences ? “Don’t worry, I might pen a mega autobiography too if I feel the need in the future. There I will include all that I have missed in Open Book. I feel writing a book is an art, if in the future I feel like pursuing it again, I will do so,” says Sait, who is working on multiple projects , webseries and films – all slated for release early next year.