Ashok Kumar Banker (7 February 1964) is an Indian author and screenwriter. His writing focuses on crime thrillers, essays, literary criticism, fiction, and mythologies.
Early Life
Ashok Kumar Banker was born on 7 February 1964, in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. His grandmother raised him most of his life. His childhood memories and angst are reflected in a lot of his writing. He grew up in a predominantly westernized environment. Several times in Banker’s life, he had to work part-time jobs to sustain his education.
Ashok worked as a freelance journalist and columnist. His writing has appeared in publications like The Times of India, The Outlook and so on. In the West, he first published crime thrillers that made him a household name before he got into Indian mythology. Also, he was a critic and commentator of contemporary Indian literature.
A Mouthful of Sky, India’s first English TV show, was written by Ashok. In addition, he’s co-written a Malaysian television show called City of the Rich. Other than that, he did some award-winning commercials. One such instance that won awards is “Whose World Is It Anyway?”. His original screenplays have been bought by big studios, but they haven’t been produced yet.
His best work is his Ramayana Series, a retelling of ancient Sanskrit epic poetry. His mythology books are booming. Known for his globally acclaimed Ramayana series, he’s the man behind bringing mythology back to the big screen. His books have sold 2 million copies. It’s sold in over 58 countries and has been translated into 16 languages. His is one of the best modern Indian writers.
He is one of the earliest Indian authors to start sharing work online. The first Indian author to publish an ebook and a serial novel online. In a way, he helped launch Indian authors into the digital age. His works are sold on AKB eBOOKS, an independent e-bookstore he founded.
In 2009, Penguin published his Gods of War.
A movie adaptation of Banker’s Mahabharata Series, for release in 2016/17, was purchased by Disney UTV in June 2013. The film will be produced by Disney India CEO Siddhartha Roy Kapur and directed by Abhishek Kapoor. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has also commissioned him to write a script.
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