Sujoy Ghosh

Writing Fog Of Opium was a cathartic experience for me.

In Neeraj Ghaywan’s debut film Masaan, there is a scene where Deepak (played by Vicky Kaushal) finds the corpse of his beloved Shaalu (played by Shweta Tripathi) in the same cremation ground where he worked. The moment left an indelible imprint on my mind, probably as strong as Shyam Benegal’s Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda. A story emerged in my mind, and I presented it in an Open Mic in Bangalore in Hindi. Then in London, I retold the story in English. Mulk Raj Anand’s Untouchable became a strong source of inspiration, and after probably the second read of the book, I decided to write Fog Of Opium.

The story came to me in visuals, like many stories do. There was a cremation ground and an old man talking to a young impressionable teenager. There was a dead body on the pyre, which moved just before being lit. So many vivid images which became a part of the story, guiding me at every step. Every time I told this story to someone, the images became sharper, and the character’s pain became more real to me. When I was telling the story to a rather diverse group of Brits in a club in London, there was a point at which I felt a choking sensation in my throat. There were eyes on me who understood me because they had some shared trauma, some shared emotions, because they were different in some way. A story about classism and casteism went beyond those isms, reaching out for a universality.

Writing it down was the organic progression. A story about a young custodian of the cremation ground and his quest for dignity in a society which lacks kindness for people like him.

Read Fog of Opium here

Best

~Sujoy