Q  U  E  S  T  I  O  N  S

(where i take your interview because i'm curious)

[ please make inline comments against the question you're answering ]

 1. Who do you feel was the real main lead in the story?

2. Which character do you like or dislike the most?

3. One scene from the book that you might remember for ever.

4. The character whose story hit you the hardest.

 5. The character you wish to play if you ever get a chance to.

6. A lesson that you learned from Dil Jaanta Hai.

7. Advice you'd like to give to the characters.

8. Characters you wish to read about in the sequel.

9. Was the transition in the characters realistic and visible?

 10. One scene that you wish to change (suggest the change).

 11. On a scale of 1 to 10, what would you rate Dil Jaanta Hai?

A   C   K   N   O   W   L   E   D  G   E   M   E   N   T   S

Now onto my rant session, which by the way, I have been procrastinating because I needed two weeks to gather my thoughts and register the fact that OMG DIL JAANTA HAI IS ACTUALLY OVER!

Let's start off with the fun facts first.

1. RV_Rose  is one of those people whom I can rant to about anything, and have been doing so since I was in sixth and she was in eighth grade. We're online friends, and we met on this virtual world called Stardoll, and she is the first person who knew the entire base plot, even before I named and drafted the first chapter. In fact, Arvika is the ship name of her and her boyfriend. Ruchika and Arvind. Ruchind sounded like tinda, and that's what I tease her, but I remember when she told me about her boyfriend and I was making a ship name, Arvika sounded so good, and that's when I decided that I am going to personify this name. Ruchika Didi even helped me arrange names for the rest of the characters, and Ishita got her name because at that point in time, the both of us were not big fans of the Ishitas that we'd encountered in our personal lives.

2. I might have told this before, but I'll say it again here. The ending of the book was planned way before the beginning. And the each time I thought about the ending scene (and I'm talking about when I didn't even know that I wanted to write a story on it) I realised there is a feeling that is inexplicable when it comes to friendship. There is a wicked side of friendship, a manipulative side, and yet it binds us together. Alizeh's dialogue in ADHM 'dosti mein sukoon hai' had got me falling for the entire concept.

3. No offence to anybody, because I am saying this out of personal opinion here, and because I've been on Wattpad for more four-five years now. I was bored of the Wattpad cliches, the Good Girls and Bad Boys cliches, the rich kid cliches. I mean at first, it is addictive and cool, you know. But then it sort of becomes repetitive. More often than not, the good girls are portrayed to be unpopular and sarcastic, and that my friend, is not realistic. And I say this from personal experience. A goody-two-shoes is not a sarcasm queen. I was a goody-two-shoes until I turned a teenager, when I just gave up trying to be a good girl, and focused more on evolving as a person rather than trying to woo people with my sweetness. My almanac had been squeaky clean until tenth grade, when I actually enjoyed being a student. And by enjoyed, I mean getting remarks in my almanac for not completing my Physics homework. The new version of me ninth grade onwards was not a good girl.

Yes, a good girl might have bad thoughts, but she never becomes vocal about it until something slaps her in the face, metaphorically. Again, I am not aiming this at any particular person, this is just my opinion. I wanted to read something realistic too.

4. Alex Russo from WOWP, and Sharon Raiprakash from D3 have somewhat been the spirits behind Arvika Deewan.

5. Arnav Deewan was planned to be the way he was, and the ending wherein he leaves had been planned. However, I did not know how to execute his exit. I procrastinated thinking about it because my brain just won't work, until one day during my Physics Practical examination for Midsems. I was fixing the connections, trying to make a voltmeter out of the galvanometer, rheostat, and those resistance boxes. Shubhi (guptashubhi ) was on the other side of the marble table, and we were trying to make sense of the reading we were getting on our voltmeters, when I gasped out of a sudden epiphany, making Shubhi think that I figured out what the hell had gone wrong in our connections, but of course, that was not the case. Out of no where, I had realised that Oberoi could be the reason and the sponsor of Arnav's aspirations. Of course I am weird.

6. RV_Rose often says in her stories that a story writes itself, and I realised how true that line is when I was writing Dil Jaanta Hai. The character of Mickey was not that important in the beginning, but somehow, he crept his way into the story. If you're a reader who has read the story from the time the first Dil Janna Chahega was published, you must know that there was a scene wherein Arvika learns that Vansh's hidden talent in painting during the inauguration. While I was writing it, I did feel that that trait doesn't suit Vansh's character. As the story progressed more and more, and started focusing on Arnav's character, I realised why. The solution to the problem was natural too, I mean for some reason, it felt like there was a reason why Vansh was presenting that piece. W, a South-Korean show featuring Lee Jong Suk as the main lead, made me actually think that maybe there is some alternate Universe where Dil Jaanta Hai is a real story and that's what making the story somehow get the realistic appeal.

7. Speaking of South Korean shows, YES, DJH has been inspired from The Heirs. I am still in absolute awe as to how every character had a story in the show, and how the whole story was not just about Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye. And the story was not just emotional, it hit you right where it needed to. Rachel Yoo, and Choi Young Do were more of a reason than the main leads that kept me so invested in the show.

8. Villains. For some strange reason, ever since I was a kid, I have been obsessed with the villains. The way every TV Serial villain arched their eyebrows was soooo attractive OMG. I remember standing in front of the mirror, and pulling up my left eyebrow with my finger. Later I realised that my right eyebrow was a natural at that eyebrow arch thing, and do you know how happy I was? I'm jealous of my father in the arch thing because he can arch both his eyebrows, but well, let's practice gratitude here that I can do at least the one eyebrow arch thing. Also, do you realise that villains are often more intelligent? It takes brains to devise a plan to undermine the hero. The hero just solves the puzzle. Villains are smarties, take Dr. Doofenshmertz for example lol.

And that is exactly why I wanted the protagonist to be a character who is shrewd, cunning, bad, yada yada. I mean they have a story behind why they are the way they are. Everyone deserves a chance right?

9. I discovered that Arvika stands for the main leads way too late. I think I was drafting the chapter where Karan decides to forgive Arvika and Vansh, the chapter before the infamous deal dinner, when I realised this:

Arnav

Ritwik

Vansh

Ishita

Karan

Armaan

10. I don't know how or why, but some readers have often told me that Dil Jaanta Hai felt like a web-series. -peacefulness- and bake_the_cake_drake are the two people I vividly remember telling this, and honestly thank you SO MUCH. I have no idea how you guys knew it, but yes, while visualising the entire plot, I wanted to make it into a web-series. I've always wanted to get into the movie-making business, and I don't know I just felt giddy when people said something like that. 

11. Kimayaa has been such a motivation, support, and my rant buddy. I don't know how, but we've been friends since September I think, and the person I often ranted to November through February. Her works are like peheli baarish ke baad mitti ki sugandh. There are a few Indian authors on Wattpad whom I swear by, and Ruchi (aka Ankita) is one of them. superstar806 , ekktaara  and tulikarma are a few to name. I am not kidding, I reread their works, and I am a person who doesn't prefer rereading anything.

12. Sanya_Goel is hands down, the best friend I've been gifted here. She's been the rock for me, and doesn't hesitate to point out when I am wrong. Even though she is one of the oldest readers, our friendship is very recent, but the intensity is strong, touchwood. We have actually been through thick and thin within the span of six months. DelhiBelly has been another pillar of support for me. You must already know her, she's our Wattpad Star, and I am really so proud of her. khushisarwa is another fellow twelfthie friend that I picked up throughout this journey. Her comments always managed to made me laugh. Speaking of comments, I always anticipated TripuWrites reaction, because the way she actually spoke to the characters was comical, and trust me when I say that if ever in future I become a YouTuber and make a reaction video, I am going to try and feature her there.

13. N-infamous is my go-to person for everything aesthetically pleasing. Still cannot believe that she actually read Dil Jaanta Hai tbh. All the best for Boards, Naira. cuteasducks  , I love this girl's honesty. nainatripathi_88  is another awesome-sauce personality whom I have grown to adore.

14. guptashubhi and sejalshail are my real life best friends, who had to endure hours and hours of me ranting to them about Dil Jaanta Hai and the amazing reaction it had been receiving. During Physics, during Math, behind my Chemistry note books, while we were running laps during P.E., god was I annoying. rutvikasture23 is another one of my close friends who supported me and actually kept track of the votes and reads. She used to estimate the time it would take to reach 1K votes, the time it would take to reach 10K reads, OMG she is such an amazing person. These three people installed Wattpad for me, and I cannot thank them enough.

15. Funny story, but quackika20 is another one of my school mate did not know that I wrote Dil Jaanta Hai and I did not know that she was on Wattpad, because she's one of the Scholars, and I was under the impression that they didn't spend time on Wattpad. It was actually mokshdagangrade who introduced us, and trust me when I say that these two people are just oh so amazing. My PE theory classes were entertaining because of these gals.

16. PrakritiPushp and TW_aditi were the first ones who read Dil Jaanta Hai and were vocal about it, so thank you guys! TheConceitedPeacock is another major support system. 

17. Metro25 skinnedjeans and carminesoul are the real-life friends and friends of friends whom I cannot thank enough for giving my book a chance. They are so talented that no words of mine can do justice. 

 Of course the list of acknowledgements is incomplete, because gratitude is something that grows day by day. To all the silent readers, and to all the vocal readers. To all my friends and to all my friends of friends. Shukhriya. I was able to write this entire book because you were the driving forces. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to move past the ten chapters (Ten because that's the lead I usually tend to have when I publish a story). This whole journey has been just so amazing. I've made new friends, some like-minded, some not, and with each chapter and comment, I learned new things. Though the timeline of this book (my 11th and 12th grade) was not exactly admirable, I know I wouldn't have it any other way. I still have so much to learn as a writer, as content creator, and as  a person over all, but you guys have helped me evolve so much here that a simple Thank You does no justice. But I'm at the end of my rant here, and if you've made it this far, buddy, you and I, are still in for a long ride.

~chaashnee