Mushtaq Bilal in News Laundry:
Mushtaq Bilal (MB): You work as a journalist, a job that involves a lot of writing, and you have written plays for both the stage and the screen. Why did you feel the need to shift to fiction?
Mohammed Hanif (MH): I was always interested in telling stories and so I tried various formats. All these things, including journalism, the stage, and the film, are collaborative in nature. You have to work with other people. And that is great if it works well. There is no better feeling than having your own little theatre play being performed. And that is great if it works well. There is no better feeling than having your own little theatre play being performed. But when it doesn’t work, it is quite heartbreaking and everybody starts to accuse each other. The director says the actors did not perform well; the actors say their lines were not well written. What drew me into fiction writing was that you were on your own completely and you would do it all by yourself. Whether it is good or bad, it is solely yours and it doesn’t require any budget or investment either. All you need is some paper and a ball pen and you are good anywhere. I think this was the reason.
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