Author Ritu Soni Bhagat: Without stories, language lacks flavour

The minute someone goofs up in pronunciation or spelling, the phrase ‘English is a funny language’ is blurted out almost involuntarily! And while many agree with this, Delhi-based teacher-turned-author Ritu Soni Bhagat takes a step further to simplify it, through her first book, English Hinglish. But since it’s aimed at youngsters wanting to learn the language or those prepping for competitive exams, I wanted there to be a lesson too,” says Bhagat, adding that the part about actor Nimrat Kaur appearing for 82 auditions before getting to play her first role, or Janhvi Kapoor rising from the despair after her mother’s demise are all aimed at encouraging the reader to reach for the stars. She adds: “Stories are what people remember, without them, language lacks a certain flavour.” Calling it her magnum opus, Bhagat weaves in personal stories, along with anecdotes about Bollywood celebs. Be it Ranveer Singh’s role of an unscrupulous cop in Simmba or Rajkummar Rao’s depiction of a teacher with a devil-may-care attitude in Chhalaang, Bhagat explores it all while working on the book that combines her passion for teaching the English language with her “prolific reading of entertainment news and film reviews over eight years”.