In conversation with R.D. Tailang, Script Writer

My growing up years
I was born and brought up in Mandla which is in Madhya Pradesh. A small village from where we had to walk 20 kms to reach the main road. Since, my father was in the service class we led a very simple life. So, basically, half of my life was spent in a place which did not bear roads, and the second half, in a place like Mumbai, among rushing vehicles, intelligent lights and sets of KBC. It's been 13 years since I've been in this city of dreams.

My big break with KBC
I used to make sketches during my childhood. So, once when I had come to Mumbai for a seven day vacation for the first time and got my sketches along. I decided to try my luck at a newspaper office. I went to an afternoon paper called Dopeher, just entered the editor's cabin to show my artistic work. Within no time he offered me a job, and I willingly took up the proposal. I joined them as a cartoonist and later shifted to hard core journalism. I worked on various beats like crime, sports, film reviewing and even interviewing celebrities.

Later, I joined Plus Channel with Mahesh Bhatt and Amit Khanna. And from then on, there was no looking back. I soon realized that writing was a good field and maybe I could carve a niche in it. My first big assignment came with Farida Jalal's Star Yaar Kalakar and then Shekhar Suman's Movers and Shakers happened.

The big break came with KBC. Writing for Bachchanji has been an awesome experience. I've worked for him for two years and have written 350 episodes for him. Writing for Bachchanji at the beginning of his career is the biggest award a writer can get. It gives me the same feeling an actor would get on receiving an Oscar.

I begin my day
Sleep is a must for me. It's like; if possible, I can sleep for 12 hours at a stretch. Normally I get up at around 10 or sometimes even 11. Then, I literally lick the newspaper for say 3 odd hours. It is a must for me. Now there is no time for breakfast so I land up eating my lunch. I am very lazy at times so I prefer to rest for a while after that.

Exercise mantra
Sleeping is really my passion. Even if I try I just cannot get up early in the morning.. Some of my friends do try to influence me to stick to a regime, but then after a few days it's back to square one. So, it's me and my dear bed again.

Diet Mantra
I am a strict vegetarian; no eggs, no onion and in fact at my mother's place, we are not even allowed to bring garlic. I am not a real foodie. I don't follow any kind of diet mantra, at any point in time. It's just not my cup of tea. Instead, whenever am upset or annoyed, my wife knows which string to pull. It's rice with tomato sabzi.

To dine out we love going to Yokos, or grab a pizza at Pizza Hut. And though I am not a Gujarati , I love the Gujarati thali at Rajdhani.

Shopping
I hate shopping but my wife loves it. It's like if I have to purchase a shirt and if I happen to like a belt too, I will return home with the shirt and go for the belt the next time. I hate window shopping. I am not at all brand conscious but I am definitely quality conscious. We normally shop at Inorbit, as it is very close to our place or else from Infinity in Andheri (W).

Gizmos and Gadgets
I won't call myself a gizmo freak, but yes, I can call myself as an extremely advanced writer.I am technically very sound. I have a blue tooth attached to my computer, my printer and my mobile phone. I do all my editing work on my advanced computer; right from editing clips to making my own ring tones.

I possess a Nokia 6062 and an Ipod, and very shortly I plan to buy a plasma for myself. My car is fully equipped with a DVD player and a monitor.

Religion
I have been very lucky in my life. It's like, if my life is a journey by car then I am sure that God is on the driving seat. I believe in the almighty. He has always been on my side right from the very beginning. Everything happened in my life rather unexpectedly. I thank God for all this..

Favourite car
I drive a Scorpio. I just love my car. It's spacious and we love going for long drives in it.

Reading
To be very frank, I hate reading thick books and novels. Just a look at them makes me perspire. I am happy being a script writer and I don't think I have any qualities of a writer. But I make it a point to religiously read all regional newspapers. It's an essential part of my schedule and helps me connect things better while I am scripting.