Actor, musician and writer Moinak Dutta recently finished and published his first book Courier Service on Amazon Kindle platform. The story, according to Moinak, was initially conceptualised as a film script. Later Moinak decided to upload the same as a book. He says that it is a story with typical Bollywood masala elements and plot twists and turns. This is his first attempt at writing a novelette and, as he puts it, an experiment to see if scripts that are meant for screens, and are converted into written materials and published as a book, appeals to the readers as well.
Born in a Bengali family, Moinak grew up in Kolkata with his elder brother, pursuing studies like an average student would. According to Moinak, even though he did enjoy writing, he never imagined that he would be giving it a serious go and start writing professionally. Things took a turn when, after completing his plus twos from The Future Foundation School, Kolkata, he pursued Journalism and Mass Communication as his major for Graduation under the University of Calcutta, to everyone’s surprise. But that career path was left behind as right after he graduated, he got an offer to act in a regional television series under Ravi Ojha Productions.
But his love of writing, made him keep writing for short films and projects as a hobby. When asked, why he chose to convert a script into a book, he said “The lockdown imposed a lot of insecurities in everyone’s minds. I am also a human, who suffered the same. Moreover, this effort of converting the script to a book helped me somehow, to deal with all the negativity that the lockdown had presented us with. It was kind of my escape. My zone where I could for a while forget the reality and help my mind to rejuvenate.”
Moinak also added that he planned to write even more now, as he had enjoyed the journey of writing a book and that he is considering taking it up as a side hustle penning down and publishing his stories for readers whenever he would get a chance to do so. “And if, by god’s grace, I one day become someone like Ruskin Bond, I promise my future readers that I will pen down the story of my life, I am sure they will love it. It has everything that goes into making a good Bollywood masala movie.” Moinak adds jokingly.