A spot in the sun
One thing that may soothe the spirit, transport you down memory lane, or foster self-discovery is a well-written coming-of-age tale, in which each scene is imbued with themes of change and introspection. One example is the April 25th TV adaptation of Bengaluru-born author Andaleeb Wajid’s novel, Dil Dosti Dilemma, which promises to be an emotional journey filled with delicate moments and raw emotions while telling a tale of love, development, and perseverance.
The program, which is based on the Young Adult fiction book Asmara’s Summer (published by Penguin Random House), will follow Asmara, whose life takes a drastic change when she is forced to move in with her grandparents in a less affluent neighborhood. Although she doesn’t want to be connected to that neighborhood, she is unable to avoid it. In the month she spends there, her life and perspectives significantly alter as she starts to see the people around her for who they really are, according to Wajid.
With her choice to lie to her friends and her decision to go outside of her comfort zone, the show creates the ideal framework for an endearing tale of a girl rediscovering her origins. However, Wajid’s journey to this point was not without difficulty. Her life as a writer has seen many ups and downs, she says, “from the time I received rejections for my first novel Kite Strings to the time my novel More than Just Biryani was accepted by a publisher within a few hours of me sending the submission, which have come together to make me who I am today.”
There was excitement and suspense when it was announced that Asmara’s Summer would be adapted for television. “I was aware that it would take a long time. The concert was announced in March, so I had to wait patiently for quite some time. I’m still trying to digest everything, but it’s been exhilarating,” Wajid remarks. She has only participated in a few preliminary discussions throughout the adaptation process and is excited to see the new aspects of the narrative. “A few things that weren’t in the book have been added, but that makes sense because they want to make it as dramatic and engaging as possible. I can’t wait to see it happen for myself,” she says.
When Wajid looks back, she can see how she changed from being a nervous writer to a self-assured storyteller. Wajid has a similar experience, reminiscent to J.K. Rowling’s tale of having her first manuscript rejected by twelve different publishers. “I used to worry who would even want to read my tales when I first began writing. I’m happy that, despite my first book being rejected around thirteen times between 2006 and 2009, I persisted. However, I came very close to doing so, and self-publishing wasn’t as popular as it is today. “I’m glad I didn’t give up,” she adds.
Seeing your characters come to life is one of the most strange experiences an author can have, according to Wajid. “I spent a few hours on the set during the production and was astounded by what I saw. The characters that I had conjured up out of thin air were out and about, going by their screen identities. It made my skin tingle. Wajid replies, “Like I imagined all of this to exist.” The program will also include Kush Jotwani, Tanvi Azmi, and Shishir Sharma in addition to well-known TV performer Anushka Sen as Asmara.
