logo
Jeffrey Archer Exclusive: "My Personal Hero Is RK Narayan, He Should Have Got The Nobel Prize"

Jeffrey Archer Exclusive: "My Personal Hero Is RK Narayan, He Should Have Got The Nobel Prize"

NDTV21-06-2025
In an exclusive tongue-in-cheek interview with NDTV, celebrated English novelist Jeffrey Archer and Indian author and ex-diplomat Amish Tripathi opened up in a rather fun way about the first ever Archer-Amish Award. Jeffrey Archer, whose latest work An Eye For An Eye took the literary world by storm, added all the 'just for laughs' moments to the interview.
Amish Tripathi, best known for the Shiva Trilogy, started off the interview saying, "First of all, what an honour to have my name associated with someone I've been a fan of since my school days." The author said he is humbled by his name being mentioned in the same breath as the iconic British novelist, who penned Kane And Abel (1979), Only Time Will Tell (2011) and The Sins of The Father (2012).
Jeffrey Archer added life to the interaction, expressing his admiration for his Indian readership. "And the Indians-they're among the biggest readers on earth. India still loves books." He further spoke about his ultimate fandom for the Malgudi Days author, "And, of course, you've produced so many giants over the years. My personal hero is R.K. Narayan. What a storyteller! (He) should've got the Nobel Prize. Should have - unquestionably," he tells NDTV.
Dr. Shalini Mullick has been named the inaugural winner of the IGF Archer Amish Award for Storytellers. The honour has been presented in partnership with The House of Abhinandan Lodha at a ceremony held of day 1of IGF London being organised at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre. U.K. Minister for Culture Lisa Nandy presented a cheque of USD 25,000 to the winner for her novel, The Way Home.
Mullick's book was selected as the standout piece for its moving and relatable exploration of grief, identity and healing. It is a story of three millennials seeking refuge in Goa as they traverse through their personal demons and discover themselves and the strength in friendship.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Brett Lee on Ravindra Jadeja's sword celebration: ‘The only way I see him getting injured is doing a rotator cuff'
Brett Lee on Ravindra Jadeja's sword celebration: ‘The only way I see him getting injured is doing a rotator cuff'

Indian Express

time29 minutes ago

  • Indian Express

Brett Lee on Ravindra Jadeja's sword celebration: ‘The only way I see him getting injured is doing a rotator cuff'

Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, after scoring his half-century, does his trademark celebration. While it is quite spectacular to the eye, former Australian cricketer Brett Lee warned about the left-arm spinner injuring his rotator cuff muscle. 'The only way I see him getting injured is doing a rotator cuff, with the way he does the sword celebration. I love it. Look after your body, don't celebrate too hard,' said Lee on his YouTube channel. 'You know, another sort of 15 Tests, it's about two years. I think he'll go past the 100 mark. I think he's one of the best all-rounders that we've seen. 36 years of age, he's still got a good couple of years left in him.' Lee showered praise on Jadeja. 'The term we like to use, factory-made cricketer. He has everything that a cricketer needs, and I think he ticks every single box. He does the basics right, he's got a simple technique, no fuss. He runs in and bowls accurately, he bowls the correct line and length when needed, and gets through his overs quickly.' Former India batter Ajay Jadeja has said that his namesake was arguably even more consistent than captain Shubman Gill, who himself broke a plethora of records by smashing a whopping 754 runs in the series. The 36-year-old's big moments started with the thrilling third Test at Lord's, according Ajay Jadeja, where Ravindra scored 72 in the first innings and an unbeaten 61 in the second. The latter of those two innings is especially noteworthy as he shepherded the Indian tail for just over 50 overs and nearly took India to an improbable victory. 'He has been more consistent than even Shubman Gill. He had four innings that didn't end, because the batting ended from the other end. In the entire series, there were only two innings where he got out early,' said Ajay Jadeja. 'If we try to remember his moments, it started with Lord's, where you couldn't win for sure, but he and (Mohammed) Siraj fought there. A change was seen there. The fortitude started from there. Then he kept standing in the next match and drew the match. Then he scored runs in this match (last Test) as well,' he observed.

Coolie Box Office Collection Day 4: Will Rajinikanth movie hit  ₹200 crore milestone today?
Coolie Box Office Collection Day 4: Will Rajinikanth movie hit  ₹200 crore milestone today?

Mint

time29 minutes ago

  • Mint

Coolie Box Office Collection Day 4: Will Rajinikanth movie hit ₹200 crore milestone today?

Coolie Box Office Collection Day 4: Rajinikanth's Coolie, which marks the superstar's 50th year in the industry, enjoyed a long weekend at the Indian box office. However, after a record-breaking opening day collection on Thursday, August 14, the movie has hit a slowdown. By day 2, the movie had already hit the ₹ 100 crore milestone. Despite the drop in ticket sales, Coolie crossed the ₹ 150 crore milestone on Saturday, Day 3. On Sunday, however, the figures were slightly lower than on the previous days, and thus, it remains to be seen if Coolie will be able to pull to the ₹ 200 crore milestone today. According to early estimates of industry tracker Sacnilk, Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, has earned ₹ 15.59 crore on Sunday till 5 PM. With this, Coolie's 4-day total stands at ₹ 174.84 crore. The total earnings will be revised later in the evening, once the figures for the evening and night show are declared. It remains to be seen if the Rajinikanth movie will be able to hit yet another milestone by entering the ₹ 200 crore club by the end of the day today, or if it'll be a sad miss. If the movie achieves this feat, Coolie's opening weekend collection will be a massive ₹ 200+ crore. The movie has been released in five languages: Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada, boosting a pan-India appeal. Coolie, the biggest Indian opener of 2025 at the worldwide box office, earned a gross of ₹ 320 crore globally on Day 3. Of this, the movie minted ₹ 131.5 crore overseas, while its India gross was ₹ 188.5 crore. Sacnilk said Coolie became the first Tamil movie to cross the ₹ 150 crore worldwide mark on its opening day, cementing its place in cinematic history. Coolie's Day 4 global earnings will be published tomorrow, Monday. Rajinikanth's Coolie stars Nagarjuna, Upendra, Soubin Shahir, Sathyaraj, Shruti Haasan, Reba Monica John, Junior MGR, and Monisha Blessy. Bollywood actor Aamir Khan is also a part of the film in a cameo role as Daaha. Coolie was released as Rajinikanth celebrated 50 years in cinema. The censor board gave the movie an A (Adults-only) certificate.

From selling marijuana to shaping Tamil cinema: Everything you should know about the incredible journey of director Shankar
From selling marijuana to shaping Tamil cinema: Everything you should know about the incredible journey of director Shankar

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

From selling marijuana to shaping Tamil cinema: Everything you should know about the incredible journey of director Shankar

Popular filmmaker Shankar celebrates his 62nd birthday today (Aug 17). Although there are criticisms that he has regressed a bit in his creativity, he cannot be denied as one of the pioneers who took Tamil cinema to world standards. He was the one who pioneered the term "grandeur" by using technology in an innovative way. After working as an assistant director to S.A. Chandrasekhar and Pavithran, he made his directorial debut with the film 'Gentleman.' The film was a success and also caused social criticism. A director who blended technology, social issues, and visuals After that, Shankar gave hit after hit with films like 'Kadhalan,' 'Jeans,' and 'Indian.' The way he used graphics in Jeans amazed the Indian film industry. He presented seven wonders and entertained Tamil cinema and the world. Shankar was a man who made great use of even the minimal technology available at the time. The fact that he planned a film like Robot as early as the 90s is a testament to his imagination and pioneering thinking. During that period, everyone from leading actors to newcomers looked forward to working with him at least once. His struggles before films But Shankar did not come to this height easily. After studying engineering, he planned to work in America. But that did not happen. According to Filmibeat, he failed in many small jobs, started a business and lost it, and became very frustrated in life. He also got caught up in the dangerous path of selling marijuana and lost all his money. In that environment, he shaved his head in Tirupati and returned to Chennai, joined a drama group, and showcased his mimicry and comedy talents. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Secure Your Child's Future with Strong English Fluency Planet Spark Learn More Undo It was there that S.A. Chandrasekhar discovered him. Turning point: joining drama, spotted by S.A. Chandrasekhar While working with SAC, Shankar, who wanted to be an actor, got a room from him by mistake. But it was that room that brought out the true director in him. He then worked with Pavithran and forged a path of his own with Gentleman. Combining social issues and grand visuals, he gave Tamil audiences a new kind of cinema. Despite setbacks, Shankar remains a visionary with an awaited comeback Today, even though the last few films he directed failed, criticism and ridicule cannot push him away. Because failure is no stranger to him. Fans and critics are confident that Shankar, who has always tried new things, will soon make a strong comeback. Shankar's name will forever be remembered in history as the first director who planted the seeds of excellence through his films. "Get the latest news updates on Times of India, including reviews of the movie Coolie and War 2 ."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store