‘In a country where rule of law has struggled so much, there should be a lot of stories to tell’

Mohammad Nazim Uddin is primarily known as an author of intriguing thriller stories. He has also played a vital role in publishing books by new authors from his own publication. 

Recently, Indian director Srijit Mukherjee adapted Nazim Uddin's popular novel 'Rabindranath Ekhane Kwakhono Khete Aashenni' for a web series. Another of his books 'Contract' has been transformed into a web series for OTT platform Zee5.

The popular writer talked to The Business Standard about various aspects of his writing, publishing and interest in thriller stories. 

The Business Standard (TBS): As far as I know, you were a fine arts student at the University of Dhaka. After studying there for a year, you started studying mass communication and journalism at the same university. Why did you become interested in studying journalism instead of fine arts and how did you become a writer?

Mohammad Nazim Uddin: I actually wanted to be an artist or a musician. Writing was the fourth goal of my life. I started studying fine arts to become an artist. But in 1993, when I went to take the viva admission test, my experience was unpleasant. The teachers treated me very poorly. I don't want to mention their names but they are all very famous artists. However, their behaviour seemed very condescending to me.

I am a very sensitive person. So, I could not take that insult. Despite that, they granted me admission. But my problem started when I went to class and those who insulted me came to take the class. I could not take it anymore. I didn't attend any class for a long time because of them.

I used to spend hour after hour at 'Chobi Ghar' and Molla's shop situated opposite the Fine Arts Department. The following year I enrolled with the school of journalism. I left journalism, but there was a good reason for leaving it. 

Early in my university days, I was involved with journalism for a while. I have worked for several newspapers, including The Daily Ittefaq. But doing that I realised the freedom I wanted to work with was not to be found in the world of journalism and in the coming days, it may get even worse. As a result, I lost my interest.

Also, I decided that I won't be someone's employee even before this. Instead, I will provide jobs to help people. Like any other person of that age, there were many random thoughts going on in my mind.

In 2003, you launched 'Baatighar' publications. What did you do in the interim period? 

MNU: The day I graduated from University of Dhaka in Mass Communication and Journalism, I decided that I would not pursue journalism.  Instead, I wanted to become a writer. So, I contacted many publishers from Bangla Bazar and other parts of the country.  But none of them showed any interest in a new writer like me. They simply ignored me. In short, I tried and failed to publish a book during the interim period. 

Thankfully, there wasn't much pressure from the family. I had the freedom to pursue my dreams. My father passed away very early in my childhood. I had four siblings and we all grew up together in Old Dhaka in a joint family. So, what I did separately as an individual wasn't much of a concern for them.

Many say that you are the first original thriller writer in Bangladesh. What do you think about that? 

There was a time when foreign-language translated novels were very popular among Bangladeshi readers. I also used to read them as well. I also used to watch a lot of movies. While reading, I realised that I already knew the stories of a lot of thriller novels. When I looked it up, I came to know that these movies had been made a long time ago. 

I wondered why we do not write original stories. In a country where rule of law has struggled so much since independence, there should be a lot of stories to be told. You can find a lot of such stories simply by following the newspapers. So, when I started writing, I decided to work on original thrillers to bridge the gap in extant literature. Whether I was the first one or not didn't matter.

Mohammad Nazim Uddin. Photo: Saqlain Rizve

Your first novel was 'Nemesis.' How did you come up with the story?

It's difficult to say. You sometimes just have an epiphany. After Nemesis, I wrote sequels and prequels to the original. When Nemesis was first published, other publishers and authors received it rather negatively. They were claiming that it was merely a translation. Later, they changed their mind. The novel was well-received by the readers as well.

How many novels have you published?

So far, 11 of my thriller novels have been published. Three other novels have been published in Eid magazines. Sadly, readers from Kolkata knew about me before readers of Bangladesh. People from this country first heard about me in 2018, when Director Srijit Mukherjee announced that he would direct a series based on my novel.

Do you remember the first conversation you had with Srijit?

Yes. I had seen one of his interviews where he expressed his interest in making a series about 'Rabindranath Ekhane Kwakhono Khete Aashenni'. Shortly afterwards, on 4 February 4, 2019, he called me and said that he would develop a series based on my novel. 

Just a few days before that, I gave up the rights to another producer in Kolkata. After knowing this, Srijit wanted to know his name and said "he would manage". That's exactly what he did and finally created the series himself.

There have been two series based on your two novels. Share your first impression of both of them.

MNU: It seemed to me that Srijit was devoted to his work. I'm very happy to see his creativity in action. Actually, the problem with making a series or a movie from a book is that after reading the novel, the characters are imagined by each reader individually, which is why many people like it and many don't. However, I did not like 'Contract' as a series. I was very disappointed and couldn't finish the whole series.

Do directors from Kolkata and Bangladesh contact you often?

Yes, many do. Those who contact me from Kolkata talk about specific novels. Sadly, the directors from our country do not have a proper sense of communication. They ask me to choose the novel the audiences will like as a series.

But that's not my job. The directors and producers will finalise it and communicate with the author. For this reason, I think the directors of Kolkata study first and then they decide. But most of the directors in our country do not study at all. Whatever you do, studying is very important.

What is your opinion on the honorarium of writers?

I have both positive and negative experiences about honorarium. In our country, the tendency to provide appropriate rewards is low. They live in a bubble where they think that they are taking your story and hence you should feel blessed; why do you need an honorarium?

You will notice that most of the directors write the stories themselves. Writing stories or screenplays is primarily not their job. This is the reason for the poor condition of our country's media. As long as writers are not given due respect and reward, this industry will not stand out. 

The amount of honorarium I have been offered in this country is one-sixth of what I have received from Kolkata. However, every producer claims that they have given you the highest honorarium.

What is your opinion on new writers? 

I am always on their side. I understand their struggles. I went through that contempt. Hence, I welcome any new writer in my publication because they are doing great so far. Sadly, most of our publishers here do not even read the manuscripts by new writers. Maybe they don't understand. Thus, they don't want to take risks with newcomers.

What do your family members say about your writing?

They do not say anything at all. I also don't say anything about my writing. Everyone in my family is involved in business. Not too many people in my surroundings know I write. Everyone knows I'm in the book publication business. Just a few days ago, my mother died. Gladly, she knew I was a writer.