A television star turns writing phenomenon - Deccan Herald

Ranjani Raghavan enjoyed writing travel diaries after her school trips. She was a child in love with languages, scoring well in English, Kannada and Sanskrit. Yet, it was her acting skills that took Ranjini to the households of Karnataka.

The face of popular Kannada serials 'Putta Gowri Maduve' and 'Kannadathi' is now a publishing phenomenon. Her maiden book 'Kathe Dabbi' by Bahuroopi Publications is a sensational hit. Around 9,000 copies of the Kannada book have been sold ever since it came out on September 29 last year. 

"Publishers had lost hope when the pandemic hit. But the book's success is an encouraging sign," says GN Mohan, founder of Bahuroopi Publications. Mohan, who is also chief editor of Avadhi Mag, first convinced Ranjani to write a short story a week for the online portal. 

When her writing struck a chord with the readers, it propelled Mohan to bring out the short stories in the form of a book. "Every story would get 30,000 hits," he says. 

'Kathe Dabbi' has relatable and engrossing stories of complex relationships. Ranjani's 'urban Kannada' gives the book a reader-friendly quality. How she rounds off each story is impressive. The actor spoke to Showtime about the book. 

Excerpts

From acting to writing, how did the switch happen? 

Languages always excited me. I participated in debates and writing competitions as a student. When I reached a saturation point in acting, I wanted to explore writing. The second lockdown of the pandemic gave me the time to seriously pursue this interest. 

Your book talks about the generation gap and independent women. You have valued meaningful relationships over materialistic living…

To be honest, my content is reader-driven. I observed what they wanted and catered to it. For example, the story 'Uppilada Satyagraha' got a terrific response and many housewives felt they were represented rightly. Also, I feel people have forgotten the value of staying connected with their roots. I want women to be treated equally in society. I have tried to bring these arguments into my stories. 

It's a tricky task to write a convincing climax for a short story. You seemed to have managed that. Is some part of the book autobiographical? 

I first think of the ending and then begin to write. In the story 'Kaaneadavara Bagge Prakatane', I knew that the monkey will not return to the forest. I had to then form a coherent story to suit the climax. I hadn't read many short stories apart from the works of Anupama Niranjana and the Akbar-Birbal tales. So it was a fresh challenge that I enjoyed tackling. It was also a tough ask to write a story every week, especially in the middle of shoots.  Most of the stories have a connection with my life. The people in the shorts 'Cab We Met' and 'Kaanada Kadalige' are inspired by my life experiences. I have added a great element of fiction to their stories. I would have found it difficult to believe the stories if they were completely fictional. 

What are you reading currently? 

I have read a lot of Poornachandra Tejaswi's works. I am reading Jayant Kaikini's 'Anarkaliya Safety Pin'. The quality of language scares me. Perhaps I wouldn't have written my book if I had read these great writers earlier (laughs). That said, I understand that there is a following for my simpler language. I need to stick to my strength. Also, my reputation from my on-screen characters makes people curious about my writing. I feel responsible to deliver to their expectations.  

What are you writing next? 

I am writing a novel. The story will have an urban setting. Usually, cities are glorified as sophisticated places. People face real issues even in big towns and they often go unexplored. I am writing on that.

Factfile: What is 'Kathe Dabbi' about? 

It's a collection of 14 Kannada short stories. 

The book is priced at Rs 200 

It has consistently featured in the top-10 list of Sapna Book House and Ankita Pustaka.