Manjiri Prabhu is an Indian author, TV producer, and filmmaker. Dubbed as the 'Desi Agatha Christie' by the media, she is recognised as India's pioneering female writer of mystery fiction. Additionally, she serves as the founder-director of the Pune International Literary Festival and the International Festival of Spiritual India.
In an interview with Asian voice, she discusses her passion for writing, the connection with the mystery genre and the impact of her work.
As a pioneer among women writers of mystery fiction in India, what inspired you to venture into this genre?
As a child, I was a voracious reader and a bookworm, reading all kinds of books. It was around age 7 that I knew I wanted to be a writer. Words on paper became the perfect answer to what I was seeking, an outlet for what I needed to express and a reason to share the different worlds that moved in the orbit of my wild imagination. The mystery genre represented my craving – a genre which could be moulded, refined, challenged and re-invented in innumerable ways as per need and desire. A genre which served not only to entertain but to pose questions and nudge deeper thinking without being preachy.
How do you approach crafting compelling mysteries that resonate with readers?
I believe that if you want your work to resonate with readers, it first has to resonate with the reader within you. Which is why, I write first for myself. I believe that the relationship I have with my novel is extremely important. The novel has to excite me, I should want to be with it, live it and sleep with it during its tumultuous birth and the entire journey of its creation. And when it is done, if the novel leaves me feeling desolate, I sort of know that the synergy between the work and me, the bond between the characters and me, and the emotions that arise will resonate with the reader, long after the book is over.
Being labelled as the 'Desi Agatha Christie' and compared to authors like Dan Brown must be incredibly gratifying. How do you navigate such high praise and maintain the authenticity of your voice as a writer amidst such comparisons?
I guess I got compared to Agatha Christie because there wasn’t an earlier Indian female equivalent at that point (90s and early 2000s), hence the label. It was indeed gratifying and flattering but I looked at it as an acknowledgement of my own small contribution to literature and as an acknowledgement of my presence, place and acceptance on the international literary stage. For me, it became a huge responsibility because it meant retaining and enforcing my voice, stories, style, execution and individuality. And so, while, I loved the praise, I held on staunchly to different genres from thrillers, cosy mystery, and psychological noir to science fiction, and challenged myself to difficult and intriguing plots and themes, ensuring that I held my own and maintained the authenticity of my voice and took my own literature across the world.
How do literature festivals help shape one's perspective on literature and what is its role in fostering cross-cultural dialogue?
Being a founder of a literary festival myself and running it successfully for over a decade, I understand the importance of literature festivals – at the least, they bring writers and readers together and encourage an atmosphere of literary enthusiasm. Every festival has its unique style and energy and it is wonderful to be a part of their literary community. My main goal however is to represent my genre, my culture and my country and introduce it to different readers across the world. Popular mainstream Indian writing has yet to find a hold in international literature and I aim to help give Indian mystery writing its due, respect and position in world literature.
Having said that, I also write destination thrillers – where the destination is a character and takes the story forward. These destination thrillers are mostly based in other countries. Hence, I regard myself not only as a cultural diplomat, representing India but also as a converse cultural diplomat, bridging the gaps between countries through these thrillers. And these festivals help me do that.
How do you work towards shining a light on women’s perspectives through your character, especially in the genre of mystery?
Barring a few respectable examples like Agatha Christie's character like Miss Marple, the mystery arena seems to be dominated largely by male lead characters. Strong, definitive female characters that would stand out are countable on fingers. In my novels, therefore, I make a conscious effort to do away with women as victims. I always define my lead female character in the minutest details and then weave the plot around her personality. They obviously bring a woman’s perspective as well as the famous ‘sixth sense’ attributed to women, with them, which is of great help in solving a mystery. My female characters are strong, independent, ‘opinionated’ and capable of handling any situation without the need for a man around. For example, Sonia Samarth, my Astro-Detective who solves cases with the help of Vedic horoscopes is a strong woman, with a unique modus operandi, rooted in tradition and culture, yet modern in approach. She is truly aspirational. Or my latest detective Sassy, for the Library thrillers, is erudite and a scholar, who is wise enough to learn from her elders but smart enough to find her own way about.
