Excerpts:
What books have you been reading recently?
I recently finished reading This Isn't the Sort of Thing That Happens to Someone Like You by Jon McGregor, which is a collection of short stories. I can't read a long novel or work of fiction when I'm writing a script, so I tend to read short stories that I can finish immediately and jump into the next one. So even if you missed something and wanted to reread, you could easily do so. I'm planning to read The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano and Natasha Wimmer as soon as I finish writing the first draft of my next project.
What kind of books do you read?
I don't have a specific genre that I keep going back to. Actually, I read all sorts of books. But whenever I'm writing, I have a habit of reading crime thrillers in breaks. I usually revolve around social dramas in my writings, so when I'm not writing, I like reading books of a completely different genre. I even keep a lot of reference books on filmmaking around me, even if I only read bits and pieces of it. The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler is one that is my constant companion.
Could you name one book that has inspired you?
I wouldn't be able to choose one particular book. I like books by Marquez, Murakami, but I think that all kinds of books inspire you at one level or another. I think The Islamist by Ed Husain and The King's Harvest by Chetan Raj Shrestha are extremely good reads as well.
What do you have to say about the culture of adapting movies from the books?
It's a good thing. If there is a good book and a possibility of transforming it onto the big screen, then why not? It's a set formula for the film to be popular, especially if the book has gained wide acclamation and is a crowd favorite. I've heard of filmmakers buying the movie rights from recent Nepali releases like Summer Love and Loo. However, in Nepal, literature like Basai, Muna Madan, and Jhola have already been presented visually, it's not really that new.
Personally, I think adapting a book is a very risky business. I believe that the filmmaker's version should be better than the readers' imaginations and should also be able to encompass the feelings and essence of the book. There are only a few directors who are capable of doing that, so I have a lot of respect for, let's say, a filmmaker like Stanley Kubrick, who directed films like Lolita and A Clockwork Orange, both of which are based on books.
Is there a book that you'd like to adapt for the big screen?
If that ever happens, I'd like it to be Haruki Murakami's book. I like his way of storytelling. If I could actually adapt it to films, it would be brilliant. His way of writing and language is introspective and to translate it into visual language would be nothing short of genius.
Do you have any books that you're embarrassed to have in your collection?
I bought the entire Maze Runner series by James Dashner thinking that it would be somewhat like The Hunger Games series, which I really liked. I finished reading the latter in a matter of three days and was excited to devour The Maze Runner books as well. 15 pages into it, I stopped. I regretted buying it and wanted nothing to do with it because it was that bad. The movie was equally horrible, and I think this is one series that I'm not proud of having in my collection.
Okay then, take a pick: Books or movies?
I have to say books. Life is not long enough to have all kinds of experiences. Books give a better insight into the human emotions. They're timeless. Movies are made to appease the audience of that certain era and cannot always be relevant. I admit that there are some ageless movies, but if you want to understand things better, then you have to make books your best friend.
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