Screenwriting

Shakuntala Devi

Nayanika has co-written the story and screenplay for a Hindi film,
Shakuntala Devi (a biopic drama), with leading Indian actor,
Vidya Balan in the titular role

About the film

South Asia Book
Award Honor Book, 2020

Across The Line

'Compelling and uplifting... lingers long after the last page is turned.'
- Vidya Balan

About the Book

About the Book

The Gory Story of
Genghis Khan

Amazon Editor’s Pick, 2017

'An irreverent look at one of history’s most feared characters.
Sure to make kids relook at one of the most dreaded
subjects in school history.’_ Sanjeev Sanyal

About the Book

Ambushed

Best Seller

"Get away from the mundane with a return to nature. This heartfelt,
captivating tale shall find many readers."
_ Ruskin Bond

Mahtani

Nayanika

Screenwriter & Author

Nayanika Mahtani once harboured dreams of becoming a stage actor, but she followed the proverbial left side of her brain to do an MBA at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore – and became an investment banker instead. A decade later, she followed her heart to live in Africa. She is now an award-winning author and screenwriter, based in London.

Nayanika’s books are published by Penguin Random House. With genres ranging from historical fiction to multi-generational family sagas, her books have received critical acclaim, ranked as bestsellers and won awards (including the prestigious South Asia Book Award).

Nayanika has also written the story and screenplay for the film, Shakuntala Devi (a biopic drama), with leading Indian actor Vidya Balan in the titular role. The film released on Amazon Prime Video and ranks amongst Amazon’s ‘Most Watched Hindi Films Worldwide’.

Nayanika Mahtani has been a regular speaker at the Jaipur Literature Festival, as well as at various other lit fests in the UK, USA, UAE, India, Pakistan and Bhutan.

Endorsements

"This evocative tale of heartache buoyed by hope, travels from 1947 towards the present, tugging at our heartstrings and sweeping us along. A compelling and uplifting story that lingers long after the last page is turned."

Vidya Balan

"Across the Line" is a heart-warming book which is a story of struggle, hope and cricket; across timelines and divided by borders. A good message on how what unites us is bigger than what divides us.

Sachin Tendulkar

"Get away from the mundane with a return to nature. This heartfelt, captivating tale shall find many readers."

Ruskin Bond

Explore My Books

Across The Line

Rooted in the Partition, this novel intercuts between 1947 and the more recent past; between Rawalpindi, New Delhi, London; between two youngsters who witnessed the events of 1947 and two youngsters in the present.

The Gory Story Of Genghis Khan

The Gory Story of Genghis Khan a.k.a. Don’t Mess with the Mongols invites youngsters in to take a closer look at one of history’s most feared characters – and to discover how history depends on who is telling the story.

Ambushed

In her debut novel Ambushed, Nayanika Mahtani tackles the glaring issue of tiger poaching, while spinning a compelling story about man versus nature, set in the Himalayan forests where the majestic Bengal tigers roam.

Shakuntala Devi

Nayanika has co-written the story and screenplay for a Hindi film, Shakuntala Devi (a biopic drama), with leading Indian actor, Vidya Balan in the titular role. This film released on Amazon Prime Video in July 2020 and ranks amongst Amazon’s ‘Most Watched Hindi Films Worldwide’.