Vismaya Mohanlal has been making a regular appearance on celebrity social media timelines these days. Daughter of Malayalam cinema’s superstar Mohanlal, who is currently being lauded for his performance in Drishyam 2, Vismaya has just released her new book, Grains of Stardust (Penguin Random House), a “synesthetic stream of consciousness” work, comprising poetry and art. And the film industry is all praise. Where Amitabh Bachchan gave a shout out, tweeting that “talent is hereditary,” Dulquer Salmaan described the work as a “wonderful insight into her mind, her growing up and life experiences”. Mohanlal, proud father that he is, even penned a warm foreword for the book. “I was reminded of [traditional Japanese haiku exponent Matsuo] Basho, while reading some of Vismaya’s poems. I found in them a strange expression of thought reflecting feeling more than meaning…” he wrote. “My dad did write a beautiful foreword,” admits Vismaya in an email interview. “At first, I was reluctant to have a foreword, but after reading what he wrote, I think it made the book complete. My father does read a lot and he writes well, mostly in Malayalam,” the 26-year-old shares.

Art, movies and literature were, in fact, a mainstay at home. “I think art inspires art. If you come home, you’ll see artworks all around. Dad loves collecting paintings and engaging with all art forms and my brother writes a lot of poetry and music too,” she says. Her mother Suchitra, on the other hand, encouraged them to read, giving them books instead of toys. “I also went to a boarding school for most of my school life and as we didn’t have phones or gadgets for entertainment, we’d use our imagination. I think all of it subconsciously influenced me,” she adds.