May Artist of the Month – Puneet Bhandal

Our May ‘Artist of the Month’ is author Puneet Bhandal.

About Puneet Bhandal.

Puneet Bhandal is the author of the Bollywood Academy fiction series. Starlet Rivals and Melody Queen are the first two titles in the series.

Puneet is a former journalist and the owner of an occasionwear boutique where she designs dresses and gowns for weddings and pageants, including the Miss World final.

Working as a Bollywood film journalist gave her an invaluable insight into the glamorous world of Indian films and provided some of the ideas for her books.

The Bollywood Academy fiction books mark her debut into the world of MG publishing, and she is now plotting a MG historical fantasy book set in India.

Puneet also has plans to write a Bollywood-based picture book and perhaps have a go at writing a screenplay for her Bollywood books so the stories could one day make their way to stage or screen.

What a visit from Puneet Bhandal entails

Puneet can visit your school, library or literary festival with a Bollywood-themed event tailormade for your audience. Whether a small group or hundreds of people in a school hall or even virtual – anything is possible! Here is what to expect:

★ Puneet will share fun and fascinating stories about her work as a film journalist, giving young people a glimpse of Bollywood behind the scenes!

★ An introduction to Bollywood and what makes it so unique, fabulous and loved all over the world by sharing some of her favourite song clips.

★ Listen to Puneet read exciting excerpts from her books Starlet Rivals and Melody Queen. Learn all about the inspiration behind the stories and lovable characters.

★ Learn to craft your own exciting story with Puneet.

★ Ask Puneet all your burning questions about writing, world-building and of course, about Bollywood!

★ Dance with Puneet, if it's an in-person event! Enjoy a Bollywood dance workshop where she can teach you the steps to a Bollywood song and then everyone (or volunteers) dance together.

You can read more about Puneet and her school visits here

Testimonials from previous visits.

Puneet was absolutely fantastic when she came to our school! The pupils had an amazing time listening to her wealth of knowledge and could not stop talking about how much fun they had afterwards. Thank you greatly for coming to our school.

Kingsford Community School, Newham

Thank you Puneet for delivering an engaging and wonderful workshop for Northbury Primary School. We really enjoyed hearing about your life as a Bollywood journalist and your journey to becoming an author. After speaking to the children, it was clear that they enjoyed the experience, especially the Bollywood dancing. Thank you again and I hope you can visit our school again very soon.

Northbury Primary School

It was such a pleasure having you at Whitmore High School. Was really nice to meet you and hear your story, it had inspired us all. The students really enjoyed meeting you and loved your books. Thank you for attending and making our World Book Day such a fun-filled day for our students.

Whitmore High School

Interview with Puneet Bhandal

What do you love about Bollywood?

The colour, the dancing, the music, the magic… Bollywood is about escapism and while the plotlines in Bollywood films have always been quite basic, the movies allow you to go through a range of emotions and enter a world full of glamour and drama.

When did you get interested in writing?

I have always enjoyed writing but I didn't realise writing could be a career until after I had finished university with an MSc in Information Technology. At uni, I was always writing for the student magazines and I used to enter writing competitions as a child.

After graduating, I realised I wanted to write as a career and I landed a job at a London-based newspaper. That marked my entry into this exciting world.

Do you have any more titles planned in your Bollywood Academy Series?

Yes, I would like to write more books in the series. I have ideas for future titles but am currently focusing on promoting Starlet Rivals and Melody Queen. Since I visit many schools during the year with my Bollywood-themed author visits, I also speak to nursery and KS1 students so I am thinking about writing a picture book version for the younger children.

Where do you find inspiration for your characters?

I just use my imagination and I guess years of watching Bollywood films and working as a journalist - interviewing people working in the industry - has given me lots of ideas. I find it very easy to dream up and create the characters.

Do you like to dance in your spare time?

Yes! I have always loved dancing and now, I have an Instagram account for the books @thebollywoodacademy and I use it to create dance reels using trending Bollywood songs and hook steps.

What advice would you give to young people who would like to be a writer?

You really have to hone your craft by reading a lot and writing a lot. You also have to be absolutely passionate about wanting to become a writer because it’s tough to break through. Prepare yourself for umpteen rejections, knowing that you only need to find one person to believe in you.

Most importantly, believe in yourself and don’t stop until you make it. Anybody can do it - I am living proof of that.

Do you feel children’s books now have better representation of our population and reflect gender and diversity more accurately?

Yes there is more diversity in the books that are published but we still don’t see all of those titles in the big stores and on bookshelves. I feel diverse books and authors from different backgrounds have to work that much harder to push their books. There is a lot of work that still needs to be done but it is definitely great to see more diversity in books and on book covers.

Your author visits sound quite lively with lots of music and action. What can a school expect if they book you for a visit?

I like to make the event as entertaining as possible because it should feel like a ‘treat’ for the children rather than another lesson. We do talk about character-building and tips on plotting good stories, but I want them to get a flavour of Bollywood and understand that if you have a good idea, you can also make it as an author. I also encourage children to read as much of whatever they like. It’s not just about promoting fiction. Promoting literacy in any form is important.

What is your favourite thing about visiting schools?

Seeing happy faces as the children learn about the fascinating world of Bollywood and also take part in some dancing. They are usually buzzing for some time afterwards!

I also love the Q&A segments. It’s interesting to interact with the different year groups and hear the questions they want answered.

What is your main aim when visiting a school?

Inspiring children to believe that they can make it as a writer, illustrator or anything they want to be. They just need the ideas and the self-belief.

I always tell them that I never set out to become an author. Nothing is impossible and there are no limits on what you can achieve at any age.

Do you prefer writing for young people or your film journalism? What made you try another genre?

I never set out to be an author but when I became aware that Bollywood books for children don’t exist, I wanted to change that. When I was growing up, I loved Bollywood and hated reading fiction books. Books like Starlet Rivals or Melody Queen would have made me look into reading more fiction books.

I wanted children to be able to immerse themselves in this magical world, and imagine what it’s like to be a famous personality.

I loved the film journalism and the books now feel like a natural extension of that.

You are very creative, designing dresses as well as writing and dancing, do you have any hobbies, or do you have enough on your plate?

I really do have enough on my plate after turning all of my hobbies into mini businesses! I also have 4 children and a part-time job so am kept very busy.

How long does a book take to create from writing to publishing on average?

I write very quickly - I wrote the first draft of Melody Queen in 3 months and it is 50,000 words. How quickly it is published after that usually depends on the publisher’s schedule but a 12-month cycle is realistic.

How involved are you in the cover design for your books?

If I am asked to contribute ideas, I do. I mocked up the cover of Melody Queen by asking my children to pose - complete with a guitar! It’s nice that my publisher asked for my input but there is no obligation for a publisher to do so.

What advice would you give to parents who want to encourage a reluctant reader to pick up a book?

They should find a book related to a hobby the child has. It doesn’t have to be fiction, it could be a book about anything that is of interest to the child. You can’t force a child to want to read something that they find boring or uninspiring. Try different books and genres and take your kids to browse libraries and bookshops.

What do you think the future holds for publishing?

I think AI is going to change the industry massively - whether in a good way or bad. Computers can do in seconds what it takes a human months to do. However, you will still need human input.

Currently, I don’t think AI is great at generating text for fiction books but I do think it can churn out good illustrations very quickly.

It’s quite worrying for the livelihoods of authors and illustrators.

Mobile phones have also made it very challenging to keep young people interested in reading and we really have to do as much as we can to change that.

More essential reading in schools is important.

Which children’s author do you admire?

I neve really used to read fiction books as a child beyond Roald Dahl. I did really enjoy his books. I went through quite a few Jacqueline Wilson books when my eldest daughter was growing up and I found those quite moving.

What do you do to get yourself motivated?

I have to admit, it’s very difficult to motivate yourself to write a book unless you have a contract with a deadline. I work very quickly when I have a contract, but because the publishing process is so tough, it is difficult to keep willing yourself to write another book that may never see the light of day.

The main thing is, trying to write a story that you want to tell so that you want to finish it.

What are your future goals?

I am currently part-way through a children’s MG historical fantasy book that spans the era of the Sikh empire and goes through the 1947 partition of India into India and Pakistan.

I do hope to finish the book this year and then we will see if there is a market for it.

I am also planning a Bollywood-inspired picture book for the younger year groups when I visit schools.

A YA psychological thriller is also on the cards… I have started it but not managed to get very far due to time constraints.

I don’t have publishing contracts for any of these ideas yet so we will see what happens!

Quick Fire

Prefer to be able to teleport or pause time?

Pause time - so I can take a deep breath to think!

Explore the ocean or space?

Space - the ocean is pretty terrifying and feels too cold.

Early bird or night owl?

Night owl - when the kids are asleep, I write or think about what I will write.

What is scarier: a rabbit with laser vision or a chihuahua sized lion?

A chihuahua-sized lion might be scary but could also be cute? Hmmm…

Favourite musical?

My Fair Lady… until Starlet Rivals becomes a musical itself and then that will be my fave!

If you were Prime Minister for the day, what law would you introduce?

Two things (sorry I couldn’t choose)

Firstly, put a lot more compulsory reading into the curriculum because too many kids, especially once they leave primary school, are choosing phones and tablets over books. It’s quite worrying to think what long-term impact these devices and apps will have on literacy.

Secondly, free extra-curricular sports clubs for children across all sports so we would have a fitter, healthier population and more international sports stars. Sport is really expensive and I feel talented pupils miss out on opportunities because of the investment needed.