CHENNAI: For people who have seen Kuch Kuch Hotha Hai over 100 times, it would not be hard to remember the dialogue, “Ek ladka aur ladki kabhi dost nahi ban sakte” (A boy and a girl can never be friends). Trying to rebuff this notion is writer Sudeep Nagarkar with his new book, You are the password to my life. The author, who was in the city for the launch of his book at Starmark, had the audience drive home the point that a boy and girl can be friends for forever.
Through his book, the writer takes readers on a journey of commemoration of friendship, through the tale of two friends, Virat and Kavya.
He says, “From childhood, we watch movies where a guy and girl eventually fall in love. In real life, it is not the same. My book You are the password to my life breaks that myth. A boy and a girl can be thick friends and they can continue to be friends forever.”
However, the book is not completely a mere figment of his imagination. It is a real story, set in Pune, predominantly of his cousin and friends. Sudeep says that social media might have given netizens 400 friends or more than that, but in times of crisis, true friends become one’s only source of support.
Though his early books such as Sorry, you are not my type, It started with a friend request, That’s the way we met and Few things left unsaid revolve around the theme of love, the concept of friendship is also touched upon in all of them, according to him. Those who have read his books will know that Aditya is one character who has been an inseparable part of his stories. The new book also has the character, who, however, has evolved over the past few novels.
Talking about Chetan Bhagat and the ‘post Chetan Bhagat era’, as he calls it, he says, “Chetan Bhagat was the one who made youngsters read in the country.” He adds that those who want to read will read, be it Chetan Bhagat’s or any other author’s books.
Sudeep’s books have always had a tinge of autobiographical element, he says. They are either his own stories or about his friends, he says. “There are a lot of good stories around us. Instead of incorporating complete fiction, one can actually concentrate on these stories, which have so much of drama in them. Just a bit of fiction added to them can bring out a good book,” he adds.
He is proud to reveal that his first book Few things left unsaid is going to be made into a Marathi feature film, which will be released this year. Sudeep was awarded the ‘Youth Achievers Award’in 2013. He was also nominated for the list of ‘Top 100 influential celebrities of India of 2014’ by Forbes. Currently, he is writing for television and developing concepts for Colours and Sony.