Indo-British author Vish Dhamija speaks about penning his latest legal thriller, The Mogul

Vish Dhamija speaks about dropping out of law school for love and embracing criticism
Vish Dhamija
Vish Dhamija

This London-based writer is unabashedly honest about his works being tagged as airport fiction. Having published six books that have charted well, Vish Dhamija is aware that his seventh title, The Mogul, has released to high praise. “I write commercial fiction, and anyone who writes this type of ‘airport’ fiction and thinks s/he has written a great book is fooling themselves,” explains the author, adding, “Yes, there are bestselling books and not so successful ones, and I’m lucky to be riding this temporary wave of mainstream success.”

Books on legal fiction like The Mogul—which revolves around one of the richest men in India being dragged into court, accused of murdering his ex-wife and her current husband—are widely considered one of the toughest genres to draft. In fact, Vish, a digital marketer, is one of the few Indian writers actively tackling this publication realm.

“Legal thrillers are much harder to research, to begin with. You also need to be well-versed with the law, the intricacies, the interpretations, the dialogue, etc. Unlike mythology, you can’t just leave it hanging there for the reader to grasp, interpret or believe,” states the writer, who dropped out of law school for love over 20 years ago. “I followed my then girlfriend, now wife, and pursued a degree in marketing. However, I don’t fear research associated with law anymore. Marketing, on the contrary, helped me as it is fundamentally about understanding what the customer wants; it is about being on the opposite side of your own argument,” he adds.

Not another whodunnit

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The most refreshing facet about The Mogul is the author’s usage of perspectives. The complex narrative of this book follows most associates of the protagonist (Prem Bedi), but never him. The central character has no real voice and readers just gain a view of what the others think about him. Vish admits that he wrote the book twice to achieve this effect. “In the first draft, the entire story was from the perspective of the protagonist—the Mogul (Prem) himself, but it didn’t ring right, so I wrote it again. I consider writing as a form of art. I like not only to tell a story but to tell it in a way that’s artistic,” claims the man behind Amazon bestsellers like Bhendi Bazaar.

With a new book called Heist Artist—the story of an ageing conman who steals one of Vincent Van Gogh’s illegally acquired paintings in the hopes of retiring rich—already slated for release in 2019, the author with roots in Ajmer claims he has learned to embrace criticism over the years. But, what sets a good book apart from a great one? “There is no right or wrong way—a good story should be told in a refreshing way and should have something new for the readers,” concludes Vish.

Out on Harper Collins India.`299.

 anoop.p@newindianexpress.com
@godsonlymistake

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