Goodness gracious! Meera Syal returns with a book

The multifaceted Meera Syal is in the midst of a busy week. Goodness Gracious Me, the wildly popular sitcom about Indians in London, is back this week on TV with its India special season. And her new book The House of the Hidden Mothers, that follows a 50-year-old British woman of Indian origin to India as she hires a surrogate mother to have a child with her much-younger partner, will be out soon too. Syal, who's donned several hats — actor, producer, comedian, playwright, singer and journalist —in a career spanning more than 25 years, talks about surrogacy, nostalgia for the the old India and why she's put off Bollywood and "buddhee hai hai-ing" roles. Edited excerpts.

What inspired you to write on surrogacy?
I thought it was a perfect metaphor for exploring the complex and ever-changing relationship between India, and specifically Britain. And, for exploring many of the areas which currently interest me — how women feel about ageing, the relationship between mothers and daughters, "blended" families and how they work, the exploitation and ownership of women's bodies, the politics of fertility and the huge industry surrounding it and how the longing for a child can turn your life literally upside down. But ultimately what really gripped me was that central relationship between two women from different worlds who, for those nine months of pregnancy, depend on each other to fulfil their dreams. What is that like, that intense life-changing connection and the delicate power balance between them?

Are there any personal stories that you delved into to write The House of the Hidden Mothers?
The story of what happens to Shyama's parents, Prem and Sita, is very much inspired by real life. Like many of the first generation of NRIs Prem and Sita sent money back to India to build their intended retirement home. However, thanks to unscrupulous relatives moving into the property and refusing to vacate, these two sweet old people find themselves embroiled in a decades long property dispute in the Indian courts. This was inspired by events in my own father's family around an apartment in Delhi and I think it truly broke my father's heart. The pain he felt was much less about the money, much more about the betrayal from his own blood.

Did you look up stories on Indian surrogacy for the book? Mala's story is very sordid. Were there similar stories?
The research took about six months in all and although I didn't visit any clinics in India, I did talk to professionals in Britain who have worked in Indian clinics, and the most invaluable insights came from a couple I found through mutual friends. They have had two children through Indian surrogates, and had copious knowledge and experience of the system. It is amazing how much you can find out online… Many foreign couples do not visit India at all until the time comes to pick up their baby. I wouldn't say Mala's story was sordid, she is typical of most Indian surrogates as far as my research showed —poor, rural and disenfranchised. But for me it was very important that Mala, the surrogate from a small rural community, is not seen as a victim but I hope that she comes across as a strong, vivid, intelligent woman who is only too aware of the limitations of her life and longs for something better.

"The mall and Gurgaon itself made her think of those post-apocalyptic disaster films where the Earth's population end up having to resettle underground or in space, entire cities recreated, reconceived, having the chance to do things better, bigger, cleaner." What do you have to say about the new India?
Well, of course, those lines are Shyama's reactions to encountering an India that she cannot reconcile to her childhood memories and like most NRIs, we can be ridiculously nostalgic about the India we remember from our childhoods. That's why it's important to keep a connection going, I am always energized by each visit and always have my preconceptions challenged. And in the novel, it is Shyama's 19-year-old daughter Tara, who is the voice of the next generation. Tara, who is much more removed from her Indian heritage than her mother and obviously her Indian-born grandparents. But I am fascinated by how many of Tara's generation are actually choosing to return to India to work and live, seeing opportunities and growth in India that they no longer find in Britain.
Do you plan to act in a Bollywood movie ever? Have such offers come your way?
I did play one small role in a Bollywood movie some years back, where I had to grey up to play the wailing mataji of an actor only a few years younger than myself, so that put me off a bit! But if anyone is writing roles for a woman of my age, which are strong, funny and not old buddhees hai hai-ing on a sofa, then I'm interested.

Goodness Gracious Me is coming up with a new episode in September. Can we expect a new season? What's next?
Our next GGM special is part of the BBC India Season, so our brief was a little different this time. They asked for sketches more about the Brit's relationship with India rather than Brit-Asian material. But we have managed to do our usual blend of silly and satirical with spoofs of Downton Abbey, Blackadder, a sketch set in an Indian TV studio, where they are discussing their upcoming 'English Season'.
We would love to do something else together as there is still so much affection for the show, talks are ongoing as ever. Someone needs to start a Twitter campaign, maybe that would make them hurry up!