Leading publishing house Rupa Publications announced on Thursday that it will publish the debut novel of critically acclaimed filmmaker Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari. In an official tweet, Rupa said the book, titled ‘Mapping Love’, will release on May 21, 2021. They added that the book is about enthralling intertwining tales set in the jungles of India.
We are thrilled to share that we will be publishing award-winning, critically acclaimed director #AshwinyIyerTiwari’s debut novel, ‘Mapping Love’, in May 2021. Set in the breathtaking jungles of India, this enthralling story with intertwining tales will tug your heart. pic.twitter.com/tCKsOCDKZd
— Rupa Publications (@Rupa_Books) February 11, 2021
Ashwiny is an award-winning film director of critical and commercial successes like Bareilly ki Barfi (2017) and Nil Battey Sannata (2016). Hailing from the advertising industry, also serving as the Executive Creative Director at American advertising company Leo Burnett, Ashwiny made her debut in 2016. Apart from Hindi, she has also directed the Tamil remake of her debut, titled Amma Kanakku (2016).
All her films have a trademark – they all have strong and influential female characters, rather than using the ‘heroine’ simply as a prop. While her first three films were also commercial successes, her last one, Panga, which came out a month before the countrywide lockdown, didn’t do well at the box office.
However, considering her prowess of storytelling, it is given that her debut novel, ‘Mapping Love’ will be an amazing read, with potentially strong female characters. The book has already started to make headlines, as several movie analysts took to Twitter to express their views on the news of Ashwiny’s first fiction book. Following are a few examples:
Donning the hat of an author, #AshwinyIyerTiwari widens horizons with #MappingLove @Rupa_Books, teaser of the fiction novel is OUT NOW! pic.twitter.com/d4OukblJxA
— Atul Mohan (@atulmohanhere) February 11, 2021
Indian filmmaker and writer #AshwinyIyerTiwari who directed #Panga #BareilyKiBarfi #NilBatteySannata has now come out with her first fiction novel #MappingLove @Rupa_Books pic.twitter.com/gcXWLhEFZl
— Komal Nahta (@KomalNahta) February 11, 2021
Rare! Filmmaker turns fictional author, #AshwinyIyerTiwari turns into fiction novel writer with @Rupa_Books #MappingLove, watch the teaser video 👇 pic.twitter.com/vNgWlnMiFN
— Sreedhar Pillai (@sri50) February 11, 2021
The celebrated director #AshwinyIyerTiwari debuts as an fictional author with #MappingLove @Rupa_Books watch the teaser! pic.twitter.com/kacGre1NUO
— Ramesh Bala (@rameshlaus) February 11, 2021
Rupa also released the trailer along with the announcement on Twitter, and if it is even remotely indicative, the books will take the reader through rivers, jungles, and an enticing story. The book will release on May 21 and will be one of the biggest releases of 2021. Interestingly, Rupa has already had some of the biggest releases this year, including India’s former Vice President M. Hamid Ansari’s autobiography ‘By Many a Happy Accident’, and Late Pranab Mukherjee’s posthumously published presidential memoir ‘The Presidential Years: 2012-2017”.
Noman Shaikh is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Bombay Reads. He grew up in Mumbai, a city he loves more than any other, and currently works as a content consultant. His expertise lies in creating high-quality academic and marketing content in the form of blogs, articles, op-eds, etc. Noman has worked with reputed brands, including Economic Times (through Spiral Media), Coinbase (through MattsenKumar), AdEngage, Della Group, GBIM Technologies, VAP Group, etc. For his published portfolio, click here. Contact Noman on noman@bombayreads for engagement.