Sourav Ganguly and Tollywood royalty launch Gautam Bhattacharya's novel "Wiki"

Besides Ganguly, Tollywood celebrities like Prosenjit Chatterjee, Abir Chatterjee, Rituparna Sengupta, Mimi Chakraborty and director Srijit Mukherjee glammed up the event.

The venue for the launch was East Bengal Club, Kolkata, as Bhattacharya said, “For the longest time I have spent my life being a sports journalist, so it is only appropriate that my first book is launched in East Bengal Club.”

He also called it a “historic” moment as both the secretaries of East Bengal Club and Mohonbagan Club came together for the launch since both these football clubs are known for their long standing on-field rivalry.

About the book, Bhattacharya said it is “about a cricketer who is an underdog all his life and how he struggles to rise to the top and fulfill his dreams.”

He added, “As a young aspiring cricketer I remember waiting for my chance to play, the clubs would not let  all the players play, coming from a middle class family, my parents would always ask whether I got a chance to play today and my answer would always be no."

"I remember the day I decided to give up this profession, the pain I felt. I carried that pain with me and this book  also reflects my experiences.”

Bhattacharya also talked about the pressure that coaching centres and parents put on their children and the devastating effect it has on the kid.

Former Indian cricketer Sourav Ganguly spoke about facing hurdles, which is a major theme of the book.

“I believe every profession has its ups and downs, the higher you rise in your career the greater problems you have to deal with but if you are hard working, willing to put in the effort you will come out successful, the book also celebrates this spirit and I congratulate Gautam for writing it.”

The book is available on all stores across the city.

Tollywood actor Prosenjit Chatterjee who is also a long time friend of the author commenting on the book said, “Gautam has always been an accomplished writer, his career as a journalist shows the quality of his work. For 35 years he has written about sports and this is the first time he  is writing a fiction, I have read the book, I loved it and I am sure the people would love it too.”

(Reporting by Tirna Chatterjee)