Shobhaa De in conversation with Shunali Khullar Shroff

Shobhaa De has held centre stage from when she first broke into the world of journalism in 1970, quickly going on to edit three enormously popular magazines: Stardust, Society and Celebrity. Equally successful as a novelist, her hallmark has been the candour with which she depicts life in the upper echelons of Mumbai society. Of late, she has made her mark as a columnist with various publications, always outspoken in giving her opinions of the politics and social happenings of the day. In conversation with author Shunali Khullar Shroff, she discusses her new book Srilaaji in which the eponymous heroine is drawn with humour, earthiness and complete fidelity. De's career as a novelist started with Socialite Evenings, published in 1989, and the immediate success of her fiction has never flagged. What ties De's fiction to her columns and opinion pieces is the complete veracity and frankness with which she draws her world and the underlying humour which is found throughout.