The Mumbai metaphor

Mumbai has always been a backdrop for scores of films and books, serving as an inspiration for many, who still explore the city for their works.

From filmmakers in the likes of Guru Dutt, Basu Chatterjee and Sai Paranjpye to authors like Suketu Mehta, Hussain Zaidi and Murzban Shroff, the city has been the centre for the plots on drama, family saga and a slice of life tales. And not to forget thrillers that took the audience through the dark underbelly of the world of crime.

Filmmaker Piyush Jha’s debut novel Mumbaistan, that was launched in the city on Thursday, is one such tome. Set in the fast-paced city, Mumbaistan comprises three gripping crime thrillers.

The chief guest at the launch was actor Ganesh Venkatraman and the special invitee was Shylaja Chetlur.

Talking on the sidelines of the launch at Crossword book store, Jha said Mumbaistan is the love child, resulting from his love for Mumbai and thriller.

“I did my school and college in Mumbai and having been a student leader, I have had a ring-side view of every element of the city. I know the nook and cranny of the place and witnessed the good and the bad it can offer,” said Jha, whose family shifted to Mumbai when he was just eight years old.

Jha, who is the writer-director of Sikandar, King of Bollywood and Chalo America, will be releasing two more books in the same thread in 2013, while talks are already on to adapt Mumbaistan on the big screen.

An ardent fan of thrillers, Piyush Jha, however, maintains that his love for the genre and the fact that there aren’t many writers who dabbled in it, prompted him to explore the category.

“Thrillers have always been fascinating. But, in India, English writing hasn’t concentrated much on thrillers. Moreover, adaptations of English and American thrillers in the Indian context couldn’t capture much attention because it is hard for the Indian audience to relate to such adaptations,” he says, adding that he has always been inspired by the writings of Fredrick Forsyth, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Roald Dahl and the works by legendary filmmaker Alfred Hitchock.

Published by Rupa, Mumbaistan is priced at Rs 195.