‘I DON’T WANT TO DIRECT MY HUSBAND IN REEL LIFE’
Twinkle Khanna, who currently has her plate full, feels directing Akshay Kumar in real life is a mammoth task in itself
After penning best-selling titles like The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad and Pyjamas Are Forgiving, Twinkle Khanna has now come up with her latest venture. The author is launching her website, Tweak, that will not only address various topics dealing with women, but also provide a platform for them to share and voice their opinions. Excerpts from an interview:
Other than your new venture, are you simultaneously planning your next book?
It’s hard to plan these things, because at this point, I need to immerse myself in everything that is essential in formulating my website within the right parameters. I might think of working on my next book as and when I get a little break. What was the inspiration behind your website?
When I started writing my columns and books, my movie Padman (2018) came along, and my work struck a chord with people. Women reached out to me, and I realised that there were many women like me, who’re looking for ways to make their lives easier. They wanted to find a way to be able to hold their own. I thought it was time that we had a platform like this for both obtaining knowledge as well as being heard. I want it to be more of a voice for women to express themselves. I wanted to generate these progressive narratives.
How different is it than writing a book? Do you enjoy digital medium just as much?
It’s different in structure and skill set requirements. I have to grapple with multiple people, technology, funding etc. But the writing process is the same in both aspects.
Any plans of penning a script? No plans so far, but who knows. Has writing rubbed off on your son, Aarav, too, or is he inclined towards acting?
My son’s studying right now, and that’s what I want him to focus on. The future will map itself. And he is still discovering aspects of himself. It changes every year, so let’s see when he is all grown up.
You’ve spoken about how most of your films, make you cringe because you think you weren’t a very good actor. However, which of your performances would you rate as good?
I have amnesia. Bollywood bludgeoned my brain to the size of a bean so I can legitimately claim that I can no longer remember that period of my life.
After all these years, what has kept you going?
I think practising yoga and meditation really helps. It took seven years to work but it changed me from being a pessimist to an enthusiastic optimist.
Women reached out to me, and I realised that there were many women like me, who’re looking for ways to make their lives easier. They wanted to find a way to be able to hold their own. TWINKLE KHANNA,
AUTHOR