Discovery of an Author : Interview with Shrey Sahjwani(English).

We interviewed Shrey, author and screenplay writer, about his journey as an individual, his book ‘Rhode to Rouen’, his career so far, and his future projects.

The editorial team at Blessink Mag is dedicated to promoting both new and established authors, helping them reach a wider readership and audience.

In this insightful interview, we delve into the creative journey of Shrey Sahjwani, a prolific writer whose path to storytelling has been shaped by a unique blend of early influences and personal experiences. Growing up in a family deeply entrenched in the TV and film industry, with a father who owned a production house and a mother who was a scriptwriter, Shrey’s environment was a fertile ground for nurturing his creative inclinations. Despite an initial aspiration to become a veterinarian, a pivotal moment witnessing his mother at work on her typewriter ignited his passion for writing. This early exposure not only set the foundation for his career but also instilled a profound understanding of storytelling.

Shrey’s journey from writing scenes for productions as a teenager to penning his debut novel, Rhode to Rouen, reflects a rich tapestry of experiences and emotional depth. His work is characterised by a versatility that spans genres, from romance and drama to dark comedy and sci-fi. In this conversation, Shrey shares how personal tragedies, like the loss of his girlfriend, profoundly impacted his writing, infusing his stories with authenticity and emotional resonance. He also discusses the challenges and rewards of transitioning from novels to screenwriting, highlighting his collaboration on the successful film The Lift Boy.

Through his candid reflections, Shrey offers valuable insights into his creative process, the evolution of his writing, and advice for aspiring writers navigating the literary landscape.

Join us as we Discover the author behind the words and the stories that have left a lasting impact on his readers.

— — — — — — — — — -

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Q: Can you share how growing up in a family involved in the TV and film business, with your dad owning a production house and your mom being a scriptwriter, influenced your creative journey and overall personality?

A: It influenced my entire being immensely! After school, kids would go for cricket practice, swimming classes, arts and crafts, or whatever personal pursuits they wanted to partake in. I would go straight from school to my parents’ set. I felt very at home on a set. I spent all my days on location with my family and many nights in edit suites with them as well.

I’m actually quite thankful for the exposure I got to the business of production at such a young age. My parents always encouraged me to make my own path, but it wasn’t a decision where they were like, “This is what we want our son to do!” It was more about them wanting to spend time with me, even if it meant me shadowing them at work from a very young age. I’m extremely privileged and grateful to have had that opportunity. People would have killed for that kind of exposure.

Q: You mentioned having a brief interest in the veterinary field before deciding to pursue writing. What led to this shift, and how did your early aspirations shape your storytelling approach?

A: When I was six, I wanted to be a veterinarian. I loved dogs more than I liked humans. That remains true to this day, in fact. So, I thought I’d spend my life in a noble pursuit. Then, I realized that you have to also operate on cats, lizards, snakes, and all sorts of other animals. I was quickly put off by the idea of having to be a vet. Also, it didn’t help that Maths and Science were mandatory, and from a young age — I was never overly fond of the two.

One night, I woke up from a particularly shaky sleep. I’m not sure what time it was, but it had to have been either the wee hours of the morning or well past midnight. I walked out of my room and heard a weird clicking sound. It sounded like the pitter-patter of rain, only more metallic. Curiosity got the better of me, and I followed the sound to the living room.

When I got there, I saw my mother, who was writing the script for her next episode, sitting at the dining table with a typewriter in front of her (it was the ’90s, computers were a rarity in this flashback). There was a bulb over her head, almost as though she was deep in a carrom match with the machine, a look of quiet concentration on her face, and an unlit cigarette in her hand.

She didn’t even notice that I was standing there and taking it all in. She was in the zone. That visual just stuck with me. My first thought was, “That is so cool!”, and my immediate next thought was, “This is what I want to do when I grow up!”

Path to Writing and Inspiration

Q: You decided to write novels after watching your mom type on a typewriter with an unlit cigarette in one hand. Can you describe that moment and how it crystalized your desire to become a writer?

A: Yeah, that memory is so vivid, I can relive it at will. It’s etched into my brain. I always pictured writers like Hemingway sitting in front of a typewriter with a cigar or cigarette in an ashtray, with a glass of scotch in one hand.

To me, all writers worth their salt would be sitting in a dark room like my mother was, partaking in a vice or two, and hacking away at their instrument of choice. Obviously, my view of what a writer looks like has since changed. I haven’t written anything serious with a typewriter in my life, and I don’t partake in any vices — whether I’m writing or otherwise. I guess I’ll never be as cool as all the writers I looked up to as a kid. Sorry, mom!

Q: The death of your girlfriend had a profound impact on you and inspired you to complete your first book. How did this experience shape the themes and emotional depth of your writing in ‘Rhode To Rouen’?

A: I was in my early twenties when she passed away. For the first few months, I put on a brave face, but underneath the facade, I was actually quite a wreck. I didn’t really shower, get out at all, or have a sleeping cycle. I’d sleep when I felt sleepy, I’d eat when I felt hungry, and I’d just exist instead of live my life. I was fairly content with doing the absolute minimum. Until one night, a few months after she had passed, I woke up with a start. It was around 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning. I had this epiphany. I knew she was gone, but I still had so many people that loved and cared for me. So many people who had followed my dream of wanting to be a writer since I was a boy.

I didn’t want anyone else that cared about me to not see my name on the cover of a book. Before this epiphany, I had finished about a third of the book, and it had been parked at my desk for many months. That night, the first thing I did was write the dedication page. I dedicated the book to my girlfriend and hacked away at the keyboard. I spent all night, all day, and most of the next night at my desk just typing away. And, in one sitting — I had finished the remainder of the book. It was euphoric, cathartic, and so rejuvenating that whatever funk I was in before, I wasn’t in anymore.

Professional Experience and Breakthroughs

Q: At 16, you started as an intern at Percept Picture Company and wrote scenes for productions like ‘Hanuman’ and ‘Corporate.’ How did these early experiences in the industry influence your writing style and understanding of storytelling?

A: Honestly, I’m not even sure if the scenes I wrote made the final cut. I remember having to write the text for the jacket of the DVDs of the movies and having to do about twenty drafts each. I still don’t know if they used the ones I wrote.

What that job did do for me though, was give me the confidence I needed to make a career out of this. Writing went from a passion and a hobby to a career. Mind you, in 2006, it wasn’t a very lucrative career since writers weren’t exactly paid well. But, it did get the ball rolling in making my dream of being a writer a reality.

Q: Your first book, ‘Rhode to Rouen,’ published by Penguin in 2013, was well received and featured in publications like The Sindhian and DNA. How did this success affect your career, and what did you learn from the process?

A: When I wrote the book, it wasn’t really about fame or publicity. It was having the burning desire to tell this story. It’s one thing to tell a story, and it’s another thing to have your story actually be heard, or in this case — read. These bits of publicity and media attraction that the books garnered were incredibly helpful, as it took something that would’ve faded into obscurity and made it something that would stay in the back of people’s minds.

This sort of cascaded into more media opportunities as well, as shortly after these publications came out, I was featured on the morning show on Radio One with Hrishikesh Kannan. My biggest takeaway from this whole process was that you could write the best book ever, but if it isn’t marketed well, nobody will ever read it. There is no award or trophy for best-written books. Only the best-selling get featured. So, I’ve separated the art and passion from writing and started looking at it as a business.

Current and Future Endeavors

Q: With a book deal for your second novel and plans for more, including a dark comedy with sci-fi elements, how do you see your writing evolving? What new themes or genres are you excited to explore?

A: That dark comedy is a labor of love. It’s been drafted and redrafted half a dozen times. I was inspired to dabble in comedy after I read ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,’ and it quickly became one of my favourite books of all time. I wanted to do the genre justice, and I promise that when I do finally publish this one, it’ll be a riot! What kind of riot depends on the reception of it.

I love pushing boundaries and limits, sometimes even my own. What is art if you’re not provoking some kind of emotion out of it? The first book, ‘Rhode to Rouen,’ was a Romance/Drama Novella, the second one, ‘Ollie’s Lost,’ was a suspense thriller. I’ve got a few chapters of a murder mystery penned out, a couple of fantasy ideas I’m toying with. I can’t be restricted to one genre. I love reading them all, so I need to write them all.

Q: You also mentioned plans to write screenplays and scripts for movies. How do you balance these different forms of writing, and what excites you most about the transition from novels to screenplays?

A: I was fortunate enough to befriend Jonathan Augustin. He’s the dictionary definition of the word cinephile. He’s as passionate about film as I am about literature. We bonded a lot over creativity, and he told me about his passion project titled The Lift Boy.

He came to me with a million pages of scenes and just plopped them on my desk and asked me to help make sense of it, and make its runtime a decent length. He sat back and watched me work on it for a whole night, and then treated me to breakfast at 6 AM. The movie was a great success though, and it’s now on Netflix.

And, yes, I did work on a screenplay for the price of one plate of kheema pav. It is what it is.

As for novel versus screenplay, I don’t see it as a different art form. I just see it as a different medium of storytelling. The objective is still the same. You’ve got this idea, and now it has germinated into a story — and you cannot, for the life of you, keep it to yourself. You have to share this story with the whole world. Some people use cinema as an outlet for this, some books. I’m in it for the stories.

Personal Insights and Reflections

Q: What does your typical writing process look like? Do you have any specific rituals or routines that help you get into the creative flow?

A: I try to stay away from routines and rituals when it comes to writing. I’ve tried, and I’ve heard that it really helps a few people to write a few pages every day. It just never works for me. I’ve been blessed to be able to do this for a living for over a decade and a half, and it still doesn’t feel like work to me. If I make it feel like a job or something that I need to do, I’m worried that it’ll suck the fun out of it for me.

I have learned how to be able to write on command, without needing to feel the “inspiration” or without “waiting for the words to come to me.” You have to do that as a writer if you don’t want to starve to death. There’s no set way to do this. Different things will work for different people. For me, it’s usually metal or rock music on my headphones with a hot cup, or six, of chai by my side.

Q: Having been a creative professional for 17 years, what advice would you give to aspiring writers looking to break into the industry? How can they navigate the challenges and make a name for themselves?

A: I’m going to sound like a fossil when I say this, but I’ve had a lot of young writers report to me, and a lot of aspiring writers ask me for advice, and I’ve told them all the same thing. You might not get that dream project, or even be able to write the kind of stuff that you want to write right off the bat. Some people will luck out, but others will have to make do. Take it in stride, start wherever you are given the opportunity to, and build from there. You may want to write full-length feature films, but are only being given the opportunity to write copy for radio stations. Do it. Get your foot in the door. Establish yourself as a writer, and then spread your wings.

With any kind of writing my number one piece of advice would be to just be patient. Good writing takes time. Good opportunities take time. In general, good things take time. Don’t rush it. Savour it. Even the bad stuff. It’s all part of the ongoing story of you.

— — — — — — — — — -

As we conclude this engaging conversation with Shrey Sahjwani, it’s clear that his journey as a writer is marked by a profound blend of personal experiences and creative evolution. From the formative influences of a vibrant, creative household to the poignant moments that have shaped his narratives, Shrey’s story is one of resilience, passion, and an unwavering commitment to storytelling.

His ability to traverse genres, from heartfelt romances to dark comedies, and his exploration of different storytelling mediums, underscores his versatility and dedication to the craft. Shrey’s insights into the realities of the writing industry, coupled with his advice for aspiring authors, offer a candid and inspiring perspective on what it takes to succeed in this ever-evolving field.

As he continues to carve out his unique path in the literary and cinematic worlds, we eagerly anticipate the new stories and projects that will emerge from his imaginative mind.

We urge all to check out his book : Rhode To Rouen
Link to buy : https://amzn.in/d/0inepfAI

— — — — — — — — — -

Media Coverage:

Media praises and coverage of Shrey’s book.

DNA : Not everyone will like your story: Mumbai’s own Shrey Sahjwani on his journey to becoming a best-selling author.
If you enjoy writing and have a story to tell, give it time and effort, 23-year-old Shrey Sahjwani, who has authored two books, tells Andre Borges

Link : https://shorturl.at/ZvWPo

Radio one Interview : Shrey’s interview on and abourt his first book ‘Rhode to Rouen’ by RJ Hrishi K.

Link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMpXDunRzN8

— — — — — — — — — -

Contact Shrey Sahjwani:

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/shreysahjwani
LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/shrey-sahjwani-04639715
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/ShreySahjwaniAuthor/

— — — — — — — — -

Want to get interviewed by us?

If you are an author, and would like the Blessink mag team to get in touch and set-up an interview, then please drop us a mail at : blessinkmag@gmail.com
OR
Drop us a DM on our Instagram page :
https://t.ly/ZxJN0

— — — — — — — — — — — — — END OF INTERVIEW — — — — — — — — — —