Roshni Rajaram

Confidence is the Key To Success : Roshni Rajaram

Once a reputed public school denied admission to her because no one in her family knew English or had much education.

It was her mother’s fervor and confidence that one day the girl will stand out in a crowd of all those who had so called better education support at home. And here she is. Roshni Rajaram is probably the first female Bloomsbury author from the state of Rajasthan. She grabbed millions of eyeballs with her solo debut from Bloomsbury, The Cold Truth, but her fame skyrocketed with Bollywood recognizing her talent.

Roshni represents a new and upcoming genre of female writers who fiddle boldly with the darker side of affairs which do exist in reality but are less spoken of. Not only language, her writing style is a perfect blend of substance, thrill and balanced feminism. Her narrative is gripping with a relatable protagonist. The Cold Truth has been described by readers as ‘a breadth of fresh air in the field of women representation in Indian Literature. A rare combination of inspiration and thriller, the book is hell of a ride!’

While speaking about her own journey through her creation Roshni says, “The Cold Truth is not just any crime thriller. My characters and plot are as real as they can get. A lot of people who initially read the plot discouraged me to take it to any publisher. I was told no publisher would risk printing a book which says – not all soldiers are heroes. The book rivets around the misdemeanors of highly respected men in uniform whom we have been taught to look as heroes ever since. People betted that if the book gets printed, it will land in legal trouble and will be banned. Thankfully, the readers and censors today are more receptive and sensitive. Violence against women, marital rapes, fake operations, cover ups etc. are for real. We are accepting it.”

Roshni knew she was taking too big a risk for a debutant. Her dream journey of becoming a celebrated author could have ended at a very nascent stage. But her credence paid. Immediately after the soft launch of the book, she was contacted by one of the leading producers of Bollywood. Sugandh Production which has delivered mega hits like Lagaan, Rangeela, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam etc. contacted her and acquired the book rights for their upcoming film. What more, her next book which she is in the process of writing has already been vetted by another celebrated Bollywood director for a film.

While reviewing Roshni’s book Madhavi Jha, Chief Communication officer at Boeing India, says, “Roshni’s writing goes for the jugular – raw, and even shocking in its straightforwardness. From the start, the writing and plot keeps you riveted and certainly, there can be no pussyfooting around the reality of casual, and sadly, hyper normalized domestic aggression.
Roshni’s writing is honest, unlike many other – perhaps more established Indian writers who write in English – who I find often have a colonial hangover and romantic affinity for flowery prose that seems to belong to the 18th century. I read the book cover to cover and it was refreshingly tight.”

(By AP Gaur)