Manjeet Hirani on debut novel 'How To Be Human - Life Lessons by Buddy Hirani'

Manjeet Hirani with the dog

Days ahead of the release of her debut novel, Manjeet Hirani has her dog to credit for the acclaim she's been receiving. "There was a writer within me, and Buddy brought it out," says the wife of filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani of her furry pet, also the muse of her book.

Rajkumar Hirani

How To Be Human - Life Lessons by Buddy Hirani is an illustrated tale on how the pet altered the life of this family. Although Manjeet was not initially keen to welcome him home, he soon worked his charm with her. "I would write articles for my blog, and eventually began capturing Buddy's shenanigans through words. I'd write as many as 10 posts a week, but would publish three, saving the rest for later," says Manjeet. A chance interaction with a salesman at a Delhi airport library enabled her to procure details of publishers, she says.

"I connected with Penguin [publishers] and sent them the links to my blogs. Next morning, I got a call from them with a request to write 20 chapters. And here we are! Every chapter takes inspiration from Buddy, and what he teaches me about life." Interestingly, Buddy was the puppy who played suicidal dog Niku in Hirani's last directorial venture, PK (2014). The filmmaker admired the dog so much that despite his wife's reluctance, he decided to bring him home. A source tells mid-day that the book is certain to "make one look at life in a way that's less cynical".

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