Friday, Mar 29, 2024 | Last Update : 12:23 PM IST

  Books   I am not a victim of writer’s block: Mayank Shekhar

I am not a victim of writer’s block: Mayank Shekhar

AGE CORRESPONDENT
Published : Jun 14, 2016, 10:34 pm IST
Updated : Jun 14, 2016, 10:34 pm IST

After Bombay Talkies in 2006, film critic and journalist Mayank Shekhar took a decade’s time to come out with his second book.

MAYANK1.jpg
 MAYANK1.jpg

After Bombay Talkies in 2006, film critic and journalist Mayank Shekhar took a decade’s time to come out with his second book. And no, it was not a case of writer’s block, clarifies Mayank, whose second book Name Place Animal Thing recently hit the shelves. According to him, part of the reason behind the delay was because he had to revisit his previous work to pen this one. Mayank says, “Most of us cringe looking at our past — it’s no different with my past writings! I’m not a victim of writer’s block. What I do get is fits of anxiety, when I’m not sure if I am able to put my point across in a way that somebody will find it exciting enough to engage with.”

His new book is a collection of writings on India and pop-culture. Broken into four sections, the book focuses on topics such as religion, happiness, snobbery, language and the media. “The choice of pieces in the book were made simply based on relevance, and what isn’t journalism — in the sense that I’m not merely reacting to the story of the day/week/year, but issues and observations that continue to hold true in the life of urban, young India. These are stories that continue to make me, ‘You’ve gotta be kidding me’!” Mayank says.

The book also includes a chapter on the Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC), for which Mayank is an advisory member. He says, “I mainly agreed to be part of the CBFC to be able to write an insider’s account on exactly how it functions, what happens behind closed doors, and who are these people and what are their motivations anyway.”

The author says that he has made a conscious effort to do away with “self-censorship” for his books. “According to me, good non-fiction writing happens only when the distance between what you think and write is zero. It’s no different for this book, which simultaneously aims to inform, amuse and irritate the reader. There is no question of self-censorship, otherwise what’s the point I may as well join a political party.”