Before relocating to London to work for The Guardian for 25 years, Timeri N. Murari started his career as a correspondent for a Canadian daily. In addition, he contributed to various publications and magazines, including The Sunday Times, The New York Times, The Observer, and The Hindu. He has authored stage plays, screenplays, a young adult trilogy, two children’s books, five nonfiction books, and fifteen novels.

Time magazine named his film, Daayra (The Square Circle), one of the year’s top ten films. He also directed the stage play, which starred Rahul Bose and Parminder Nagra, at the Leicester Haymarket Theatre. The Taliban Cricket Club and TAJ: A Story of Mughal India have been translated into eight and twenty-five languages, respectively.

The Kolkata Mail correspondent Priyanka Dutta caught up with the author on his new book Chicanery. Excerpts..

What motivated you to write this story?

Timeri N. Murari- Years ago, I read a short report in the New York Times that an activist, after 20 years in exile, returned to his homeland knowing the State would execute him.  I waited for a follow-up story but nothing more. The mystery of what happened to him haunted me. Why did he return? Was it for the love of a woman that drew him into danger? Was he caught and executed? Did he survive? Did he plan to overthrow the regime that condemned him to death?

Can you tell us a little bit about the story in Chicanery?

Timeri N. Murari- In my dystopian thriller, the AI cameras at the border recognize him as the ex-Prime Minister of this once-democratic country. He is imprisoned and the interrogating Minister has one question: ‘Why did you return knowing you will die?’   The man replies that he returned for the woman he loves and has a secret that will save his life. That does not convince the Minister. He believes that the man is plotting with the oppressed people to overthrow the despotic government in the Elections a few days away. It becomes a cat-and-mouse game between them. The Minister cannot execute the man until he knows the true reason for his return.

Do you think that your story has similarities with what is happening around us?

Timeri N. Murari- Though it is set in a fictional country that could be any country in our present times. The novel mirrors what is happening in our present world. From the dystopian dreams of Donald Trump to the rise of right-wing parties in France, Germany, and other countries. This country in my novel could be Mexico, Belorussia, North Korea, or Russia. Yet Democracy can fight back against autocratic rule as we saw in the recent UK and Indian elections. Change is a constant in human history, dictators and democracies rise and fall.

You mentioned AI cameras in the story. Do you think AI can overpower human beings?

Timeri N. Murari- Yes, as we know now AI is a double-edged sword for good and evil. It is already taking over our lives by blurring reality with fantasy, and fact with fiction, nothing is real anymore depending on how through AI, States and Corporations re-create our reality to suit their needs. In my novel, the State uses AI to watch its citizens 24x7x365 and uses it to rewrite history, create false news, and shape their thoughts and feelings. Publishers now triple-check whether a new book or thesis is AI-generated. In the film, already make-believe, soon even the actors and scripts will be AI-generated, despite the Hollywood writer’s strike on AI taking over their jobs. Science fiction of AI androids ruling humans is closer to the coming reality.

What kind of story do you find interesting to write? Is there any specific genre?

Timeri N. Murari- Any story on human conflict, passion, and adventure with strong characters. It must have tension, complications, and unexpected twists to hold the reader’s attention from page one to the end. Sometimes I prefer writing for a narrator to tell the story through his or her own eyes and not through a distant third person. I have used the third-person narrative also, when I need to explore the thoughts of other characters too. I do like to see some humor in my characters. I like to cross genres in my work through love stories, family stories, historical novels, crime, young adults, and even political ones that reflect our world. Writing in just one genre does limit the writer to a narrower perception of the world around us.

Do you think your stint as a reporter has helped you to get great ideas for your writing?

Timeri N. Murari- A news report motivated me to write Chicanery and The Taliban Cricket Club. My first novel, The Marriage, came out of the experience of investigating extortion among Indian immigrants in the UK; another novel, The Shooter, from spending months shooting a documentary on homicide detectives in New York. For other novels, I draw from my personal life on real people, family, friends, and enemies around me. Well disguised, I hope.

What will be your advice for young writers?

Timeri N. Murari- Before you write a word, you must read great books, and bad books too as they will teach you how to write better. Once you decide to be a writer you have to understand that writing demands the discipline of working every day, even for an hour or two, as books do not write themselves. It is both a mental and physical labour.  And always expect rejections – remember J K Rowling’s first Harry Potter was rejected by 12 publishers. My novel Taj by 10 and then translated into 25 languages.

Have you thought about your next book? What will it be on?

Timeri N. Murari- As a writer, I am always thinking about the next book. I have completed the first draft of my new one – a Memoir.