Crime reporters should not work as stenographers, says crime novelist and former journalist S. Hussain Zaidi

Hussain Zaidi
| Photo Credit: Pradeep Chandra

I was initiated into writing novels by author Vikram Chandra, who met me during his visit to Mumbai in late 90s while researching on his novel Sacred Games. Vikram’s sister had recommended my name to him. I was then covering crime for Indian Express and was sceptical of Vikram touring places like Dagdi Chowl or meeting underworld gangsters like Karim Lala. He was surprisingly a good sport, for a US-based NRI. During one such meeting, Vikram suggested that I write a book. Now, as a journalist, who had been initiated into crime reporting for a couple of years, writing a book was a tall order, but Vikram advised that I write 25 chapters, each like a 2,000-word centre spread. He introduced me to David Davidar, former head of Penguin India. After elaborate deliberations on the subject of the book, David zeroed in on Mumbai Serial Blasts 1993. That’s how Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blast came to be my first novel.

I dabble in non-fiction and fiction writing and will be in conversation with writer Ashwin Sanghi at The Hindu Lit for Life to explore the topic, writing about crime fiction and non-fiction. Recently, Penguin Random House India published the sequel to Black Friday, titled Dubai to Karachi. Though the book has not been launched officially yet, it is available in stores.

While writing Black Friday, I realised that there was no exhaustive, comprehensive profile on Mumbai gangsters. That prompted me to write a book (Dongri to Dubai) on Dawood’s profile, tracing the history of Mumbai mafia. While penning that book, I got to know about Sapna didi, who wanted to avenge her husband’s murder by killing Dawood, and it opened a whole new world of Mumbai’s mafia queens for me. So another book followed, where I profiled 13 women gangsters in Mumbai. I approach my books as a feature article. I never thought of myself as a great writer, though I did consider myself as a journalist who obsesses over details. I think I tried to make up for my lack of talent in writing with elaborate information that more like an on-spot reportage of an event.

I have always maintained that crime reporters should not work as stenographers. They should explore all sides and versions in their stories. I said that even in the case of Jigna Vora, where police claimed to have 38 transcripts against the journalist. No one even questioned the police; strangely, not even a single transcript was filed in the charge sheet. My crime fiction too has its roots in reality. When I do not have basic documents to support the plot, I resort to telling a story as facts narrated as fiction. I call it ‘faction’. For example, The Black Orphan is based on a story where nuclear scientists were found dead under mysterious circumstances. It was called a suicide or an accident, but the book tries to pick up from that event to explore what could have really happened.

Crime has been one of the most-accepted genre of books, liked by readers and publishers alike. Many of my books have been adapted into films, but I like the renditions of Black Friday and Gangubai Kathiawadi the most. Black Friday, my first book, continues to be the most favourite book I have written so far. I feel for it like one feels for their first love.

Hussain Zaidi and Ashwin Sanghi will be in conversation with K.C. Vijaya Kumar at The Hindu Lit for Life to explore the topic, Crime and Punishment, and writing crime fiction and non-fiction at 6.50pm on January 19.

Rapid-fire round