Sohrab Khandelwal is a storyteller and has been indulging the flights of imagination ever since a child. Que Sera Sera is his debut book and has been adapted into a film with him as a director. The film has won BAFTA Qualification. He presently lives in Mumbai works as a full-time actor. He started his theatre production in Chandigarh while pursuing a Bachelor degree in Computer Science Engineering. He continued to act, write and direct several plays and completed his degree. He worked with Infosys in Pune, balanced his job and theatre, and completed a course in scriptwriting. He then started working as a full-time actor.

I chat with him about his book Que Sera Sera, what inspired him to write this book, the book-to-screen adaptation of the book, and much more.

Hello, Sohrab! Tell us a bit about yourself!

I like to describe myself as an Imaginator, a person who imagines and creates. I once used to work as a software engineer and now I practice as a full-time actor, writer and filmmaker. But it was a not a sudden move. Since a very tender age, I loved storytelling in its various forms. My mother who is a doctor really helped bring out my creative side by encouraging in me the habit of reading books. I loved to read books and they became my constant companions, and I loved to tell stories as I enjoyed entertaining people.

I had a very interesting childhood studying in 16 different schools in different parts of the country. My father was a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force and due to the transferable nature of his job, my family was always on the move. I got to interact with people from different cultures and that helped me become more observant as well as inquisitive. And that curiosity in me has always allowed me to learn new things.

I used to love Maths and English literature. And perhaps that is the reason why I studied Computer Science engineering from one of the top institutes of India, because I was good in logic. But alongside, I continued to perform theater as I loved acting, writing and directing plays. I worked in Infosys for a few years before I plunged into full-time acting, writing and directing for films. I made my debut film ‘Que Sera Sera’ based on this book. I have also played the lead role in the film and the film has won several awards at the festival circuit, including a BAFTA qualification.

If you could only describe your book Que Sera Sera in five words, what would they be?

Love, Travel, Heal, Dream, Flow.

Now tell us a little more about the book! What can readers expect?

Que Sera Sera is a book about love. And that love begins when the dust of lust and desire to possess settles down. It’s a story about going with the flow. Kabir and Lucia are two strangers who have a chance encounter. Even though they come from different backgrounds, something binds them together and perhaps it is the fact that not all is well in their lives. I feel a lot of readers will relate to this story as we all have been in such situations in our lives when good things happen to us when we least expect it. Sometimes strangers come as a blessing into our lives and forever transform us. And whenever this happens I feel it’s the universe telling us that it loves us and is watching over us.

I believe that in each and every one of us, there is an artist. This artist is the sensitive part of us that makes life so interesting because it is the part that feels and is truly alive. Some people are fortunate enough to see it early and for some, it takes more time. Perhaps this book will help the readers discover that artist in them. Maybe for some, it would be a healing process. And for some, it would be just reminiscing a beautiful encounter of their lives through the eyes of Kabir and Lucia.

What was the moment when the idea of the book first came to be? What made you pursue it?

Frankly, this idea came to me when I was thinking of making a film. I wanted to make a film, a sort of tribute to old school romance which is becoming a bit rare in this fast paced life. I wanted to create a story that gives people a break from their fast paced life, to think and dream about love.

Can you tell us your creative process behind the characterizations of Kabir and Lucia?

I like to write stories that inspire or add some sort of value to the reader. And that was my intention when I sat down to write this story. A lot of people in India want to pursue creative arts as a profession but are sometimes too afraid to take the plunge. And the majority of times, it’s because of family pressures. So many photographers, singers, musicians, actors, painters, poets and dancers have not done what they love the most and instead taken up some 9 to 5 job which only sucks the life out of them. And you can’t blame them because they have been conditioned in a certain way since childhood. And to do something out of ordinary takes a lot of courage. I had seen many examples like this around me. That became the inspiration for my character Kabir who goes against his family to pursue a career in singing and music. I consider myself lucky in some ways to be doing what I love, but not everyone is lucky. I hope Kabir acts as an inspiration for those people who are struggling to do what they love.

With Lucia, it was a different process. I wanted to create a strong woman character who lives life by her own rules, and makes her own choices and stands by them. It’s not always easy being a woman. And Lucia is an example of someone, who goes on a journey involving risks and coming out of their comfort zone, which is very challenging whether you are a man or a woman. I hope she inspires both women and men.

Is there a scene, element, or character you really enjoyed creating and writing?

I loved the whole process of writing this book. For me, every character and every scene is equally interesting. Some scenes made me laugh and some scenes made me cry. But if I have to talk about one scene right now, then it would be the way Kabir and Lucia meet. It’s always a very interesting moment when two strangers meet and talk for the first time. That initial attraction and word play I feel is a magical moment, when there is this excitement and nervous energy. It’s amusing and adorable at the same time. I hope the readers enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

The book has been adapted into a multiple award-winning film, and you have directed the movie too. Tell us more about the book-to-screen adaptation of this book.

I’m a visual thinker and the stories form in my head as images. In fact, the movie was already playing in my head and I was describing the visuals in my head when I was writing the book. So, the screenplay was not much of a task really. The only thing was to shoot the movie the way it was in my head. I knew I wanted to play Kabir and luckily I convinced my friend Nira Suarez who is a trained classical dancer to play the role of Lucia. She has trained in Kathak and Odissi and is a very talented dancer. Even though she had never acted before, I knew she was the one who could really play it well. My co-director Samar Pratap and cinematographer Anirudh were also very brave in trying to tell the story in a unique way. The film has been well accepted by the international audiences, and one reason for this is the story and its characters, but the other reason is the way it has been shot. It’s like getting a sneak peek into the lives of some friends you know.

Lastly, are you currently reading anything and do you have any book recommendations for our readers?

Oh yes, I’m one of those people who reads a lot of books. And I’m always reading more than one book at a time. The last book I finished reading was 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson. I would highly recommend it to readers who like to read self help books. For avid readers, I’d recommend The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky and Salman Rushdie’s The Midnight’s Children, if they haven’t read it already. For beginners, I‘d suggest they pick The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho or Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom.

The book ‘Que Sera Sera’ is available online and at your nearest bookstore.