Mumbai: Actress- turned entrepreneur- turned writer Twinkle Khanna revealed few secrets at the launch of her latest book, The Legends of Lakshmi Prasad.
Mrs. Funnybones said in her teens, her mother Dimple Kapadia constantly tried to put her on a diet but she failed to understand why did she have to become a certain size and was more than happy being a “plump nerd”.
She said. “My granny would always moan about the fact that I never brushed my hair and my mom would always try to put me on a diet and I would tell her I wouldn’t fit in. I would ask her why do I need to fit in a size for a dress?”
Twinkle said that she never felt the need to conform to the norms of the society and feels that all those who are “misfits” should just walk their own path without bothering about what others say.
“We grow up and we need to conform to the society, to fit in. For all the oddballs and misfits out there, if you follow your path you will reach somewhere where no one has reached because you are meant to uniquely do some things which only you can do,” she said.
The book launch was moderated by filmmaker Karan Johar, and the guests present at the event included the likes of Shabana Azmi, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt.
Twinkle’s revelation about her plump nerd came after her filmmaker friend Karan Johar asked her how she felt from being a plump nerd to becoming a talked-about author.
Twinkle shot back at Karan and asked, “So, plump nerds can’t becoming famous authors?”
Feeling at a loss of words, Karan sheepishly replied, “No… But like I was a plump nerd but I am far from being an author!”
Twinkle praised Akshay Kumar by saying he is more proud of her work than anyone ever has. “This book is dedicated to him. He is my biggest cheerleader, my greatest support. He is a man who takes more pride in my work than anyone ever has, including my mother who is all the time kind of… Like somebody came up to her and said, ‘Your daughter is a good writer’ and she shouted and said, ‘This junglee?!’ So, I am very fortunate to have this man with me,” Twinkle said.
Twinkle’s book published by Juggernaut Books, The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad is a collection of four short stories showing different fragments of society of different time and eras.
Advocating female empowerment in rural India, the first narrative follows the feisty Lakshmi Prasad who stands up against patriarchy. The second story is of Noni Appa, a strong-headed woman who dares to find love in her twilight years. Sharing the same over-arching theme of rebellion, the third story traces the life of Elisa, who looks for love over multiple marriages. The last and the longest story in the book is a fictionalised account of the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, inventor of low-cost sanitary napkin machines.