Author Interview + Giveaway (IN Only)- Mohini by Ramendra Kumar

Hello, lovely readers! Like we do practically every fortnight nowadays, we have another author interview clubbed with a giveaway for our Indian followers/ readers. We're featuring another latest release by the great publishing house, Bluejay Books, Mohini by Ramendra Kumar. Ramendra has done an enjoable interview with us and has generously offered to give away not one, not two, not three, not four, but five copies of his book! So let's take a look at some basic details about the book after which you can read the interview and take part in the giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter. 

BOOK BLURB: 

 A beautiful and charismatic actress, a sensitive and immensely gifted director, a scheming, wily but brilliant manager - Mohini is the pulsating  saga of  three individuals - each driven by an  obsession. Set in the backdrop of the bold and brazen world  of  Bollywood,   it is a tale of passion, intrigue and suspense.  The narrative moves at a roller coaster speed and captures love in its myriad shades: infatuation, romance, commitment, lust and obsession.....

A young girl growing up in the backwaters of Bollywood nurses a burning desire to become the number one star in the industry.  In her ruthless, and sometimes reckless, pursuit she uses and is used by many individuals. However, there are two men in her life who love her to absolute distraction. Each in his own way helps her reach the zenith of fame and success. One she betrays and the other she rejects. Both unleash vengeance  and in a strange quirk of  serendipity are pitted against each other  as the novel hurtles to a throbbing,  thrilling climax…..

Mohini is not merely a saga of romance - the tale offers  an insight  into the biggest film industry on Planet Earth - the  murky manipulations, the dirty deals,  the shameless shenanigans,  the  tears behind the glycerin, the pain behind the paint and  the suffering  beyond the celluloid.  

BOOK LINKS: 

AMAZON / HOMESHOP18 / EBAY / SAPNAONLINE / YOUTUBE TRAILER

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Ramendra Kumar (Ramen) is ‘A Writer by Passion’.  An award winning author with 23 books to his credit, he spins yarns mainly for the young and the young at heart. He also dabbles in satire, poetry, fiction and travelogues.  His work has been published by some of the best names in the business and translated into several Indian and foreign languages. His stories have found a place in text books and anthologies published across the world.  Ramen, an inspirational speaker and storyteller, is a regular at leading seminars and literary festivals both in India and abroad.  To know more about the writer you can visit his website or his page on Wikipedia. 

Ramen is working as Chief of Communications, Rourkela Steel Plant, Odisha. 

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: 

Hi, Ramendra! Welcome to The Readdicts. It’s a pleasure to have you on our blog and we hope you enjoy answering our questions.

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Well, I am a writer by passion and a communicator by profession.

2) Tell us about your writing career so far.

24 books for the young and the young at heart, 26 awards and loads of unbridled, pure and pristine fun.

3) Tell us about the whole change that went from being a children’s   writer to a mainstream author.

While writing mainly for children, I have  also been dabbling in satire, poetry and adult fiction. Thus the transition from a children’s author to a mainstream writer was, I think, quite seamless.

4) Could you give us a glimpse of  you latest book, Mohini.

Mohini, my first novel for adults, is my most ambitious work till date. It is an eponymous  novel based on the brash  and brazen world of Bollywood. It  looks  beyond the glamour, gloss and glitter to reveal   the  ‘murky manipulations, the dirty deals,  the shameless shenanigans,  the  tears behind the glycerine, the pain behind the paint and  the suffering  beyond the celluloid’.  I have put   my  everything into it and am delighted that the book has been received so well. My publishers have informed that they had to go in for the second impression of Mohini, because of the demand based on pre-orders, almost immediately after its first edition.

Ever since its release on 1^st January, Mohini has been  maintaining its position close to the top on Amazon's 'Hot New Releases' list.

5) What inspired you to write Mohini?

I have always been hugely fascinated by Bollywood. My parents too were film buffs   and films and film making were  the few of  the favourite topics of discussion.  I loved watching  movies, reading about films  and collecting trivia. I regularly participated in  Movie Quizzes and  in my college days, at one point of time, my team was the best in Hyderabad.

Thus it was quite natural  that  whenever I would decide to write a novel for adults it would be on films and film stars.

6) What sort of research went into Mohini?

I really didn’t have to do any elaborate research. Like I mentioned, I grew up in an ambience in which  movies were an integral part of  day to day conversation. I absorbed bits and pieces and  retained these morsels  which later helped in embellishing the story line. Ever since I can remember, I was watching films, first with my parents and then with friends. Movies became almost an intrinsic  part of my consciousness.

7) Have any real life incidents found a place in Mohini?

Good question. Yes, I have used a few instances which   took place  in the real world of the reel stars. Raj Kapoor’s brilliant marketing of the film Bobby and a wannabe superstar’s attempt at manipulating the jury of a major award, the blatant interference of a heroine’s dominating mother  are a couple of actual happenings which have found a place in the book.

8) If Mohini were to be made into a Bollywood movie, which female actor would you like to see play the role of the protagonist? And the other important characters as well?

Deepika Padukone as Mohini, Ajay Devgun as Sam and  Sushant Singh Rajput as Vicky.

9) You are  a great fan of  Bollywood? What are some of your favourite movies?

Pyaasa, Jagte Raho, Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, Anand, Jaane bhi do yaaron, 3 Idiots….

10) Give us a glimpse into any normal day of your life!

My basic professional responsibility is helping the management fine tune its relationship with the external and internal stakeholders. This includes  enhancing the synergy with the media which is  the most challenging facet of my profession. In all this chaos, my creativity is what keeps me sane. So any normal day of my life has chunks of chaos with  ripples  of creativity.

Thank you so much for spending some time with us, Ramendra, and for answering our questions. We hope you had a great time and we wish you all the very best for everything ahead!

GIVEAWAY:

So, like I said before, five copies of the book are up grabs in the giveaway! 

The giveaway rules are simple- 

*The giveaway is open for residents of INDIA only. 

*Enter by filling out the Rafflecopter form the giveaway. 

*Once winners are picked, they will be emailed and announced here on the blog as well and will have 48 hours to respond or else we'll be compelled to pick new winners. 

*The book will be sent by the author/ publisher. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

May the odds be ever in your favour! 

I'd like to thank Bluejay and Ramendra for hosting the giveaway and thank you readers, for stopping by!