An FTII alumnus who has produced films and held writing workshops, Salil Desai’s first and most abiding love is narrative fiction writing. His debut novel The Body in the Back Seat (2011), later republished as Killing Ashish Karve (2014), was termed the ‘best murder mystery by an Indian author’. 
Egged on by its success, Desai plunged full-fledged into fiction novel writing and has produced six such books so far, his 3 and a Half Murders (2017) being a bestseller. Published last month, The Sane Psychopath is his sixth murder mystery. Excerpts from an interview: 

When did the idea of The Sane Psychopath germinate?
The Sane Psychopath is inspired by a real life incident in which a bus driver went berserk on the streets of Pune, killing and maiming people. As soon as the incident occurred in 2012, I immediately wrote a two page synopsis and my publishers, Fingerprint, commissioned it right away. But then I got stuck. I had this wonderful plot outline, but simply couldn’t turn it into the kind of powerful narrative I wanted it to be. So I let it marinate. 

Tell us something about the basic plot.
This is a fictional exploration of the volcanic violence ticking away underneath the normal life that can erupt 
suddenly, given the socio-psychological landscape of our times. Individuals are constantly subjected to terrible stress — social, economic, psychological, existential — and not everyone has safety valves. 

Who influenced you to become a writer?
I am a writer today because my parents passed on to me their love of books, films, Hindi film songs, travelling and independent thinking. Every writer I have read has influenced me hugely. 

With so many authors around, how difficult is it to make a mark for yourself?
Very difficult, but I think this deluge is both good and bad. Good because so many more writers are getting opportunities and bad because a lot of stuff out there is pure bilge. Fiction writing as a craft has got devalued. Yet, on the whole I can’t complain and I’m happy to have made my mark.

Ever struggled with a writer’s block?
Not really. That’s because if I get stuck in fiction, I turn to writing a film script, or other forms of creative writing. 

Anything you would want to share with our readers...
Well, all I can say is that writers are hungry for appreciation and feedback about their books. Please give them that through reviews and ratings.