Thriller writing a hit among debut authors : Upendra Namburi

Debutant author Upendra Namburi, who took up his first summer job when he was 17 and has spent the last 16 years in the FMCG, banking and financial services, talks about how thriller writing has attracted debutant authors and about his further plans. 

Excerpts from an interview : 

Q. '31' being your debut book, any specific reason behind choosing a thriller story to make your debut in writing?
A. I was looking for a subject which had a contemporary setting. ‘31’ is the story of Ravi, a regional head in a multinational bank over the course of 31 days as a global crisis sweeps the bank resulting in a restructuring and layoff plan for the Indian operations, with a firing list set to be issued on 31st March. The story revolves around his colleagues at work, his wife and family. There are so many variables that come into play in a complex situation such as this and with the pressures of seeking to retain his job and respect by 31st March. The thriller was a natural format to suit the storyline and capture the essence of the pace and complexity of events that keep rapidly unfolding over those 31 days.

 Q.  Recently many thriller books have come in the market and that too by debut authors. Do you think that thriller as a genre interests the debut authors? Why or why not?
A. The subjects being written about have evolved significantly over the last few years and so have the tastes of the readers. This is also led by the explosion of content across media including television and movies. It also reflects the nature of lives that are led by us these days and our aspirations for ‘thrills’. This is a genre that is seeing increasing interest both amongst debut and established authors.

Q. What inspired you to write your first book?
A. I have been thinking of writing a book for several years now. I wanted to write a book in a format and storyline that I would like to read personally and believed there was a large audience out there with similar views. Indian fiction has evolved and there has been very little written on the aspects of work or corporate life where we spend so much time of our lives, and hence ’31’.

 Q. How much of the book is based on real life incidents?A. Corporate India has evolved significantly over the last two decades with the growth of large Indian firms and several multinationals now having significant business interests in India. The aspects of work life and its nuances including the politics and challenges that exist are now quite prevalent across sectors and industries. Though the story has been set in a bank, the incidents and sub plots can and have occurred in multiple industries. The challenge of restructuring and layoffs and its impact on millions of Indian families is now reality and a trend that would continue for years to come.

 Q.  Is there anything you found particularly challenging while writing this book?
A. Writing any book can be quite challenging for an author. It takes a tremendous amount of hard work and discipline to complete writing a book and then finally publishing it.  As I was in the journey of writing the book, I realized that there was a deep impact and effect of corporate life on the family and the relationships within the household.
      Originally I had taken a fairly linear approach on covering the incidents and challenges faced by the protagonist Ravi over the course of the 31 days in March and then realized that the other dimensions of his relationship with his wife Savitha and their two children were of equal significance. Encapsulating all these aspects and yet making it a crisp and fast paced read was a significant challenge.

Q. What is next in store for your readers? Any plans of turning a full time author?A. ‘31’ is the first in the Numbers triumvirate that I would be writing, with the subsequent titles being ‘60’ and ‘8’. The series of books would be in a thriller format with the subjects touching upon passions, love, manias and work. The underlying theme is time in all the books capturing the essence and significance of timelines in our lives.
         I haven’t contemplated the concept of being a full time author, as I equally enjoy my corporate role

Q.  How comfortable you will be with your work being captured on celluloid?
A. It would require a certain sensibility and treatment to be captured on celluloid. I’m quite sure that the Indian audience is ready for a subject and storyline as covered in ’31’

Q. 31 is a three-part series.  When are the other two expected? What are they about?
A. The subsequent books titled ‘60’ and ‘8’ capture the essence and magic of timelines in our lives and how quickly events and circumstances can change in a short period of time. It would also delve on the impact and pressure of timelines on human behavior. They would have a corporate background but lean more towards the emotional and personal lives of the characters vis a vis ‘31'. Am planning on the subsequent two books being out in the shelves over the next two years.

 Q. Any particular reason behind keeping numbers as titles of your books?
It just reflects the reality of contemporary urban lifestyles and how numbers are interwoven into every aspect of our lives. Time, timelines, deadlines, flights, trains, meetings, business plans, schedules, the stock market, the grocery budget…the list goes on. Numbers and time are all around us. It is an attempt at capturing the essence of lives as we lead them in urban India today

Q. Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
A. ‘31’ captures the story of Ravi, a regional head in a multinational bank, as he traverses his way through 31 days in the month of March as the bank goes through a global restructuring and layoff plan. The politics, scams and all the manouveres by the bosses, peers, colleagues and even subordinates in these trying times can be demanding to say the least.
      This is a book that traces the story of one such working professional and his wife as they both struggle to balance the conflict between ambition and ethics and seek to identify what’s really important to them. It is also a period in which  they begin to understand and reflect on what is really important to them.
       ‘31’ is a story which has been written in a fast paced format and would allow the readers to relate to incidents, events and characters that they are quite likely to witness at their work place as well.