Mumbai-based filmmaker, screenwriter and author Nidhie Sharma is an adrenaline junkie, ever excited by the prospect of action and adventure. It is a trait that traces back to her childhood, and finds its way to her writing. In Invictus (Pan Macmillan), she recounts an inspiring and adventurous episode from the past when she, along with five others, was stranded in a jungle in Tawang at the Indo-China border, struggling to find a way out before dusk settled. After having graduated with honours in English Literature, Sharma studied filmmaking and screenwriting at New York University and New York Film Academy. She was raised in an Army family and has travelled extensively around the world. 

‘Sometimes the jungle that is designed to kill you decides to make you instead’ is how the first chapter of my book ends. 

Invictus is an ode to the magnificent Jungles of Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh). I believe there is a lot to learn from nature and the very act of survival in the wild. Personally, I have also learnt how powerful one’s choices can be and the importance of never giving up. On the whole, resilience and humility are invaluable lessons that would hold anyone in good stead. 

I’ve been enchanted by the mystical landscape of Tawang and have attempted to describe it as visually as possible and I’m really happy that the terrain and the jungle have come alive in the book.

My childhood habit of maintaining journals came in handy while penning this account. It was my endeavour to share even the minutest of details in the book, including our conversations, my inner monologues, introspections and the events of the day itself, so that readers would feel as though they were part of this adventure along with the six of us.

In the book, I have described how that day felt like a freefall from the top of a coniferous tree, that we kept hitting pine needle after needle on our way down but never hit the ground and as the oldest, I took the brunt of this excruciating endlessness.

Being lost in one of the most inhospitable terrains near our borders with China, without food, water or any means to communicate did evoke a whole host of emotions including despair but I was tunnel focussed on getting us all out after that first terrifying brush with the elements.

In the wilderness, fear can kill because it impedes a person’s ability to think and act rationally but thankfully fear was quickly displaced by the need to save and survive. 

In Invictus, I’ve shared the entire gamut of emotions which I had experienced that day. In the book, I’ve also written about how we sang the iconic ‘Badluram’ song to stay sane, to survive the punishing events of the day.

The jungle turned everything on its head and it also took away our means to survive. The one thing that saved us from tragedy that day was an understanding of the terrain and weather, having previously spent two summers there. Also as an Army kid, one is naturally programmed to be resilient even in the face of a daunting challenge, to keep one’s head together and stay calm.

I am drawn to inner battles more because they are harder to fight. As a storyteller, I have always been fascinated by the complex inner life of characters and how battling with demons and vanquishing them or making peace with them is the way to move forward in life. 

Dancing with Demons, is a boxing drama novel — believed to be India’s first — that revolves around love loss and resurrection. Its protagonists, Karan Pratap Singh and Sonia Kapoor, both harbour a secret that they are tormented, and can’t come to terms with. It’s only when they defeat their inner demons that they become what they had been destined to. Were you interested in exploring how it’s difficult to escape one’s past and that redemption is possible only through forgiveness?  

Dancing with Demons, at its heart, is about hope; it is about playing the hand you’re dealt the best you can. It is about passions that propel us forward and demons that hold us back. In this novel, I was interested in exploring how two complex and damaged individuals battle their demons and find light and their respective paths at the end of the dark tunnel. 

The upcoming season of Inside Edge’ is different from the previous ones and the writing process involved a lot of research and related character work. While web series are a collaborative effort between writers, the makers sometimes leverage the unique storytelling strength of a writer and to that end I am fortunate that they recognised my strength with characters. Overall, the process was very enjoyable.

For sports and action genres, one needs a real understanding of these universes, an eye for detail, a love for precision and the vision for scale. Both these genres are extremely specialised and visual and my fascination for them can be traced back to my own interest in sports and my background. I’ve extensively worked in both and enjoy them equally.

Sudhir Mishra is a master storyteller and his understanding of life and the contradictions and duality that are present within people is matchless. I also think he is able to extract the best performances from his actors which is no mean feat.

When your wings are your roots, you inadvertently become adaptable, dynamic and a learner for life. Growing up in the Armed Forces also helps develop a well-rounded personality. It enables you to take on whatever life throws at you.

In both mediums, I’ve been drawn to pioneers and masters alike. In literature, I have voraciously read Samuel Beckett, William Shakespeare, T.S. Elliot, John Keats, William Wordsworth, Rohinton Mistry and, more recently, Marlon James. In cinema, my favourite directors are Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Wong Kar-wai, Quentin Tarantino, Orson Welles, Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuaron.