Photo: Rahul Jhangiani
“This is my story. It is as true and as authentic as it can be. There are really important characters like my family members and I come from a fractured, fragmented family, but just accepting that has been an incredible journey of growth for me. And I hope, at the end of this book, when people read it, they are able to decipher their own experiences and be able to make their own parallels. If this book gives people some hope in the end, then it is a fair win for both me and the reader,” says Kubbra Sait triumphantly of Open Book: Not Quite a Memoir. Kubbra’s journey as a highly-acclaimed actress has been one filled with struggles and successes. It is between these high and lows, that Kubbra acquaints us to herself — the many facets of who she is and the many choices she has made to be where she is today. This raw, unabashed and inspiring book is a tru testament of accepting yourself for who you really are and fighting for your own place in the world. We are in conversation with Kubbra below about the book and its creation:
Could you tell us about your relationship with writing?
When I was a kid, I used to write all of my debates. I used to write columns for Times of India as well back then, and I remember winning an award by Outlook Magazine for an article picked by the magazine. So writing is something I really really enjoyed as a child. I found it to be a very fluid way of expressing myself. I also used to win a lot of essay competitions in school and college. Anything to do with expression through the form of art excited me and writing happened to be a passion.
How were you led towards penning down Open Book?
So, writing started as a very personal journey for me and writing Open Book was never resolute — like I am going to do this eventually and it is going to be awesome. I think when you do something for the first time, there is always this nervous energy, this trepidation. You avoid embarking on something new because your own voice is so critical. So my own critical voices were rather beautifully shushed by my literary agents, who were so wonderful and kind to me. And I was constantly reassured that only what I want to be open about will come out. I was so convinced by the end of it because it was all so heartfelt and honest. It had a great power of healing in it.
This is an exclusive excerpt from our July EZ. To read the full article, and more such articles, follow the link here.
Text Nidhi Verma
Date 11-07-2022