THE WIZARD OF TRUE CRIME: ANIRBAN BHATTACHARYYA

After writing about India's Most Notorious Serial Killers in his book The Deadly Dozen, Anirban Bhattacharyya is back with another true story behind one of India's biggest and most sensational bank heists in his latest, India's Money Heist. In conversation with the Storizen team, he tells us about his journey so far.

-  Pria

It is indeed an honor to have a conversation with you. The first and foremost question is are you not afraid of crime and the terrors?

The honor is all mine to be featured by your esteemed magazine for the second time... I am completely stoked. The world of true crime fascinates me and when I research these stories I feel like an investigator who is slowly digging up the clues and solving the case again, albeit on paper. Like anybody else I too would not want to be mired in criminal activity, or be confronted by or be at the mercy of a criminal. But as a writer I am writing about solved cases.

When did you first find interest in this topic? What was the first book or article on the crime you read?

You will be surprised perhaps when I tell you that most of us start reading crime books at the age of 8. The Secret Seven, Famous 5, Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew are actually crime stories, aren't they? Softer crimes no doubt, but crime stories nonetheless! And later I moved on to Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Feluda, and Byomkesh Bakshi.

Savdhaan India is one of the most watched and talked about shows. Did any particular case haunt you?

How did you compose yourself? Daniel Wallace in his epic novel Big Fish says – 'when a man's stories are remembered, then he is immortal.' Or as Shakespeare wrote in his sonnet 'Do thy worst old Time: despite thy wrong, My love shall in my verse ever live young.' As authors and content creators we are unconsciously leaving behind our creations for future generations.We will be gone in a few years... but our books, paintings, TV shows, music, movies, corporations, and companies all live beyond our human years thus making the artist or the creator immortal, in a vain sort of way.

When did you want to write a novel? How did the genesis happen?