Kanika's big catch

She came to Mumbai to work with SRK. Five years later, Kanika Dhillon has not only realised her dream but also lived to tell the tale with her debut novel Bombay Duck Is A Fish. A student of what she calls the Farah Khan Film University, the content head of Shah Rukh Khan's production house and one of the script writers of Ra One, Kanika talks about aamchi Mumbai and saying yes boss to SRK:

Xtreme city
When I first came to Mumbai from Amritsar, it took me some time to understand its language and cultural nuances. Back then, I'd think of this city as a jungle. But the more time I spent here, I realised that it helps you fulfil your desires, where where you can witness your ideas shape into reality. This city doesn't discriminate; it embraces you. And this is what, and much more, my book's protagonist Neki Brar realises. It is a story of her interaction with the city; how every outsider has to go through a ritual when they first land here, her hopes of becoming a filmmaker and the pull of the legendary Shah Rukh Khan. It's a hilarious as well as a painful fictional plot, loosely based on my own interactions with Bollywood.

At sea
Once I went to a restaurant and ordered Bombay Duck for the first time. I was surprised tou00a0 find a fish on my plate! When I posted this incident on Facebook, I actually got 10 messages from friends who had the same experience. Such is the way of life here, you commit blunders, learn from them and move on. Today however, I love the seafood here, especially prawns. But what really draws me to the city and keeps me grounded here is the sea. I come from Amritsar, where there's no sea for miles and miles; Punjab only has rivers. But the moment I clasped my eyes on the sea here, I knew I had to stay close to it. The sea has a very calming effect on me. Whenever I face problems at work and think that things are getting out of hand, I come to the seaface. Just gazing out at the vastness of the ocean makes me realise how trivial some issues are; it helps bring things back in perspective.

SRK's spell
I first met and started working with Farah Khan on some ads and later on Om Shanti Om. She was and is my mentor and inspiration; actually she's a film university by herself. That's how I met Bollywood's badshah, SRK. He's ruling the roost here and I'd think to myself, 'if he comes from a simple background and makes it big, why can't I?' I remember the first day on the sets of OSO. Even though he was more clued into the script and the shot for the day, he came up to me and asked me to explain the scene to him; he's that kind of a person. After I started working with him, I became an even bigger fan than I was. He's a walking-talking encyclopaedia and his creativity and energy keeps everyone on their toes.