Keeping It Real

Twinkle Khanna has discovered that fiction can be the best way to talk about the truth.

- Butool Jamal

In person, Twinkle Khanna is much like what one might expect from reading her work—she’s concise, doesn’t mince words, and quick to make a joke, usually about herself. That same sharp sense of humour, which has made her newspaper column, Mrs Funny bones, for The Times of India and DNA, such a success, is also evident in her first fiction, a collection of short stories titled The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad. Each of its four short stories is about a journey of self-discovery—the titular Lakshmi Prasad is a young girl who dreams of liberating the women in her village, Bablu Kewat is a man who is obsessed with sanitary pads, while Elsa checks the weather before she plans each of her five weddings. Here, the author talks to Bazaar about her latest work, hiding behind Mrs Funny bones, tweeting, and why she can’t be a stand-up comedian.

Is there a common thread that ties all the stories together? 

It’s about women’s lives and belonging. More than anything else, it’s about women finding their place in life and the search for equality in a way. 

Were those themes at the top of your mind when you started writing?