An Accidental Author

When you read his books and think about underworld crimes and serial blasts, you are bound to expect a stern-looking, intimidating and unpredictable character staring right at you. But the moment you meet author Hussain Zaidi, all these preconceived notions are washed away. What you have is a warm smile and an approachable personality. Speaking to dna during his visit to Pune’s first-ever literary fest, Zaidi discusses his journey from a journalist to an author and insists that he is fun-loving and enjoys humour.

Similar parameters
Zaidi covered crime beat as an journalist in Mumbai right from the time when he was a rookie. He finds reporting and being an author equally exciting and weigh them on similar parameters. “As a reporter or an author one has to be accurate, precise and not miss the fine details/news. The pressure of delivering is present in both the professions. The factors that differentiate as an author are — you can’t follow up a story on the next day, so what you write has to be the final angle. You can’t print an apology after publishing a book. So, you have to be extremely particular while writing it,” said Zaidi. His books have been adapted into films with the latest being Shootout at Wadala directed by Sanjay Gupta and John Abraham as the lead.

As the film did not fair well at the box office, we ask him if he is happy with the way the story shaped up on screen. “As an author I am very passionate about my works. So I won’t be able to give an objective answer to your question. All I will say is that the director tried to say too much in very little time,” he said.

Accident-driven
“My life is accident-driven. I started working as a crime reporter by accident and the books too happened similarly. My mentor Vikram Chandra needed help to write a book and he introduced me to publisher David Davidar, which eventually led to my first book, Black Friday. I thought I’ll be able to write the book in a couple of days but it took me four years to complete it,” Zaidi said.

A writer, he said, cannot set goals or terms when it comes to writing a book. “There are days when you can’t even manage to write 200 words. It took me two and a half years to write 2,000 words for a chapter in Black Friday. I just could not get the scene right when the dons decide to take revenge for Babri Masjid.” He believes that first you write the book and then the book writes you. On the best thing about being an author he shares, “Well, freedom from despotic editors and daily deadlines. I am a man of my own terms now. My son thinks I am a super hero!”

Zaidi’s advice to everyone is to try their hand at writing a book — There is no joy like telling a story. It is a satisfying and cathartic experience.

What’s next?
He is working on a sequel to Dongri to Dubai as he feels a lot more is left to be said. “I took seven years for that. The publishers were getting impatient and it was like Draupadi’s saree, which was never ending. So, now I want to complete the story. I am writing about the local boys in Maharashtra who played an important role in those days. It should be done in the next six months.”