Dan Brown enthralls Mumbai

Who said only filmstars are crowd pullers in India. In popularity stakes, celebrated international author Dan Brown who is in town could easily given a top Bollywood star a run for his money. The serpentine queue that gathered outside NCPA to listen to the author gave ample evidence of this best selling author's fame in India. And the man himself walked on to the podium to a reception that is usually reserved for a Bollywood biggie in India. Surrounded by half a dozen burly bodyguards, a dapper looking Dan Brown was ushered onto the stage following an introduction by popular Indian author, Ravi Subramanium. Dan's mere sight made the packed auditorium erupt into a rapturous applause and the majorly 20-something crowd gave him a standing ovation even before he haf uttered a single word! Well, that's a telling statement of the reverential status the cerebral Dan holds in India. For the next hour and half, words, symbols and anecdotes kept the audience glued to their seats. Punctuating his speech with wit, stories from his childhood, films and the fictitious Robert Langdon of course, Dan kept the audience thoroughly interested all throughout. Born to a mathematician father and church organist mother, Dan's inclination towards science and religion started early in life due to the profound influence his parents' respective professions had on him. Blessed with a prodigal mind, Dan published his first book when he was just five with the help of his mother who wrote and transcribes what toddler Dan then spoke. Dan even brought the hand bound book to show it off to his Indian audience. The session also saw Dan revealing how, why and when he writes. The man gets as early as 4 in the morning to pen down his thoughts, continues doing so till 10 after which he breaks for lunch and continues writing again. To exercise his mind he indulges in a quirky exercise that of hanging upside down. Dan was all praise for director Ron Howard and actor Tom Hanks for having kept the soul and heart of the book through the movie, The Da Vinci Code. "Every movie adapted from a book should be able to keep the heart, soul and message of the book alive," said Dan. Personally, the author said that he prefers reading books rather than watching the celluloid adaption of books. And for someone who loves writing fiction, Dan himself doesn't read much fiction. "It's more of non-fiction for me," said Dan. The session ended on a lighter note when Dan revealed that although he does have the Mickey Mouse that Tom Hanks wore in the film, he only wears it at home and hardly outside for the fear of misplacing it.