An Exclusive Interview with Anirban Bhattacharyya; Bestselling Author & Renowned Indian Television Producer-Director

Anirban Bhattacharyya; is a name that neither needs any introduction in the Indian television industry nor the literary world. Mr. Bhattacharyya has produced one of India’s most popular crime show on television called Savdhaan India and is also the  Series Producer of the longest-running crime show on Indian television Crime Patrol. Mr. Bhattacharyya has also co-created and produced Ishq Kills which aired on Star Plus. He was the Head of Non-Fiction Content at The Walt Disney Company where he directed the popular flagship show Studio Disney. He has also written and produced the third season of Fear Files: Darr Ki Sacchi Tasvirein. He has also directed two music videos. Apart from being a  renowned television producer; Mr. Bhattacharyya released his debut masterpiece; “The Deadly Dozen: India’s Most Notorious Serial Killers” published by Penguin India. The book was launched by the renowned director, Anurag Kashyap and has been endorsed by popular actors like  John Abraham, Ayushmann Khurrana, Ronit Roy, and film directors Kiran Rao, Shashanka Ghosh, and writer Jayant Kripalani. The book is a true-crime non-fiction account about 12 of the deadliest serial killers of India. His second work Mumblings & Musings is a collection of modern poetry and photographs. The book published by Petals Publishers & Distributors has received rave reviews from celebrities like actor Sushant Singh, actor and supermodel Dipannita Sharma, actor and author Jayant Kripalani, bestselling author Vish Dhamija and poet Dr. Santosh Bakaya. Mr. Bhattacharyya is also an avid actor and a Stand-Up Comedian. His latest book, The Adventurous 6: The Sinister Summer Holiday published by Om Books International is going to be released very soon.

In an exclusive interview with Nitish Raj; Editor-in-Chief, The Literary Mirror the bestselling author talks about his various literary works along with the challenges of donning multiple hats as a Producer and an actor.

Q.1 Your book ‘Mumblings & Musings’ is a collection of modern poems. How do you set the tone and theme of your poems?

AB: Poetry is the inner voice of a person; the deepest thoughts that we have. And we react to things/incidents differently than others and that is our subjective reaction which is unique and organic. That’s the genesis of the theme of a poem for me. You may see a bid in flight and think of beauty… I might see the same visual and correlate the flight of the bird to freedom, someone else might interpret it as a journey… one visual so many different meanings and interpretations… I don’t sit down and tell myself that today I will write a poem on war. I sit down and I let the words flow in a stream of consciousness method – it is a very organic process. The first words have to emanate from my instincts with no censorship or judgment. Once the words pour out the theme and tone get decided on its own. The words tell me that the poem is about war, poverty, or loneliness… I then examine it and then tweak it, correct it, and edit it to improve the quality, and the craft and to make it engrossing for the readers.

Q.2 You have been a theatre actor, and you have been in the commercial Bollywood. Do you believe in the consensus that art films have philosophically more depth and meaning than their commercial counterparts?

AB: In the ’70s and 80’s the divide between commercial and art-house cinema was huge. Now it has evolved into a hybrid avatar where commercial cinema (some of the films) has movies with messages. Pink, Article 15, Anek… the bourgeois no longer are the people dictating what is right and wrong, good or bad… Look at Malayalam movies or Bangla movies – they are the best examples of the hybrid model. They no longer need to forcibly be an art-house type movie but they can be commercial movies that have an art-house message… Cinema has become less elitist as the changing times with social media, technology has given everybody the power to be a critic or a film-maker or a content creator. There is not one group of people who are deciding does this film have depth or not.

Q.3 How has the prolific nature of your work sharpened you as an actor?

Life’s a stage – and at every point in time, I think I am part of the invisible screenplay that is playing out… right now I am playing the role of an author and actor who is answering questions. In my head, there is a serene soundtrack playing. The sun is not out… the day looks gloomy… I am reminded of my childhood days in Kalimpong where the sun did not emerge for days…

I have taken you on a journey – and that is what an author or a director or a creator’s job is – and the actor’s job is to make that journey believable for the reader or viewer. I allow myself to have various experiences in life and that is what helps me to bring that on-screen and in my books.

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Q.4 Your crime-show Savdhaan India is popular. What was your biggest takeaway while creating and producing such a successful show?

AB: As a creator, one always wants the work to be seen or appreciated by as many people as possible. I feel blessed that the show has now entered into the consciousness of the people – it has become a part of the culture. I bet 75% of India knows about Savdhaan India. And that is a huge blessing. The biggest takeaway for me as a creator and producer was to take these stories to the people and make them aware so that they don’t fall victims to crime. There is always some lesson to be learned from the stories. We cannot know who is a criminal just by looking at someone… but we can from their intentions and actions… the show has definitely made the viewer ‘sharper’ in terms of awareness and what to look out for.

Q.5 Being an author of the No.1 true crime bestseller and being a celebrated producer of crime thrillers like Savdhaan India and Crime Patrol, which of the two roles is more challenging?

AB: Both are challenging in its way. As an author the journey is a solo one – I am there night after night researching, writing… while the journey of the producer is more collaborative with the team – But that doesn’t make it easy as it comes with the same challenges – am I telling the story in the right way, am I doing justice to the story, how do I engross the viewers…

Q.6 Would you like to tell us about your latest book, ‘The Adventurous 6: The Sinister Summer Holiday’?

AB: I wrote this story in 1985 when I was in class 6 influenced by the books of Enid Blyton. I dreamt of becoming an author as a young boy… and then I lost the manuscript. It was only later in 2014 I found it amongst my school stuff and started cleaning it up and making it into a proper manuscript. My son who was 11 then loved it and insisted that it gets published… and then again I forgot about it. In 2019 I became a published author thanks to The Book Bakers and Suhail Mathur my literary agent – so unknowingly the little boy who had the dream of becoming an author had fulfilled his dream with another book. And I found the manuscript again and this time it is getting published thanks to my lit agent and of course Om Books International who loved the book. I am so glad that I will be able to take this story into the world.

Set in Bijnor in 1985, it is a story of 5 siblings who solve their best friend’s kidnapping. No technology, Internet, or mobile phones – it is old-school detective work and I hope the readers will enjoy this trip back in time…

Instead of celebrities giving quotes and blurbs for the cover of the book we sent out the book to young adults across the world as they are real readers and critics of the book and this genre… and they have loved it. We have kids from New Jersey, London, Guwahati, Darjeeling, Mumbai, Jaipur, and Kolkata all of whom have read the book and reviewed it – and thankfully they have all loved it!