Growing up we all have had that dream about meeting someone special in life, get married and live happily ever after. But life isn’t all about happily ever afters. There is more to the new age love stories than we see in movies. This book would put forward a side of love that we all know exists, but do not want to see.
Kunal Marathe, a book publicist and an author, has more than five years of experience in book marketing and promotions. At the age of 27, he is the CEO of Legendary Books India and has more than twenty titles including fiction, non-fiction and poetry being published under his company’s aegis. He holds the world record for Largest Congregation of Book Trailer Launching for having launched a book trailer in the presence of a 2000+ audience.
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| Kunal Marathe |
Infibeam caught up with Kunal Marathe for a chat about his book and the amazing response it has received. Let’s find out what he has to say about the experience with writing about this unconventional story-
Kunal Marathe: THARKI is a book without any particular genre. It’s basically about love, but it cannot be said to be a love story. It is more about the other side of love that is not usually portrayed in movies or books. While we, especially in India, have grown up watching those movies and reading those books where people are ready to die for love—the true picture is totally different, at least for most of us. THARKI would keep that dark picture in front of you.
The story of THARKI revolves around a man who has that heavenly picture of love in his mind. He considers love to be eternal. He believes in ONE WOMAN WHOLE LIFE theory. But when the reality hits him hard, he literally goes insane.
2. Why the title THARKI?
Kunal Marathe:THARKI, which actually means a ‘womanizer’ in Hindi, was the only word that was on my mind while writing this story. This is the first book of a series, and after you are done reading the last page of the novel, you will wonder—why this book is titled THARKI, because the protagonist is totally opposite to a womanizer! And as expected, many readers asked me the same question.
This, however, would be answered in the second part that is scheduled to release in 2018.3. According to your book’s tagline, ‘In the game of love you either play or get played’, do you believe in this statement yourself?
Kunal Marathe: It’s a tough question. Frankly speaking, I don’t have an answer.
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| THARKI |
I guess LOVE is a strange phenomenon, and when it comes about ‘the game of love’, nothing is certain. We see people playing in love. We see people being played in love. But then, we also see couples—the lucky ones—who are madly in love with each other till the very end.
4. What inspires you to keep going every day? And, what is next for Kunal Marathe?
Kunal Marathe:I have a strange life—crazy, uncertain, unsettled and unpredictable. I have taken huge risks for my dream to be an author, risks that often backfired. The only thing that inspired me to keep going is my dream. I know what I want. And I work on it, putting everything at stake. Nothing matters more than my dream to me.
Next is a web series on THARKI. We are in talks with many producers and filmmakers for the same. Also, I am working on the second installment of the THARKI Series.
5. At the age of 27, you have achieved a lot. Tell us about your journey in brief.
Kunal Marathe:To be honest, I have not achieved anything significant yet. In fact, I lost everything I had when I faced a major loss in publishing business few years ago. The loss was so big that I had to sell everything—from my MacBook to my gold, and ultimately, my car—the money from which I am using for the promotion of THARKI.
I started my career as a waiter in Mumbai. Of course, years after that, I made a business, a small reputation for myself, a world record, and now this book.
“But I dream to achieve more than this—the tag of a bestselling author, to say the least.”
