Vinayak Sasikumar on Roslin: If you can invest your time in the story, the climax will surely pay off

We know him through his songs. Be it Aavesham's 'Illuminati' or 'Ninakku Nizhalayi Enne Njan Othukkivechathum' from June, Vinayak Sasikumar has been ruling our playlists lately with his words.

But, did you know, he has shifted gears with his pen lately? Yes, he became a storyteller, and his debut was the recent web series 'Secret Stories: Roslin.' In a candid chat with ETimes, Vinayak spoke about his new role and the Vineeth-Meena-starrer psychological thriller."Getting great responses for the series, grateful, it is making me hungry for more. I wish more people would watch the series and enjoy it," Vinayak, overwhelmed with the responses, gushes.Talking about his entry into the world of story writing, Vinayak shared that it was a long-term wish for him."Writing stories was always in my mind. I love to try many things, write stories, direct a movie, and there are many more. Coincidentally, songwriting came out first, and I could happily continue it for 13 years with more than 300 songs. But then I thought, it's time for something else, and this story happened," he said.

Vinayak teamed up with director Sumesh Nandakumar, yet another debutant for Roslin, and the duo has indeed presented a psychological thriller that is sure to take you to the edge of your seat."Many people in the industry knew that I wrote stories. Though many approached me, it was Sumesh who could push me to get it into paper. He even went to the extent of saying that he would do his debut direction only with me. I loved the chemistry we had; he was someone I could trust with my story.

We went to Jeethu Joseph with the script; for me, he is the master of thrillers here. When he liked the story and even said to back the project, what else do we need?" he added.When asked about the thrill of writing a story, even for the first time, Vinayak shared that he started off the writing with the climax."Yes, I started with the climax. What if the story ends like this? This was my first thought, and gave me a kick. Then, it was easy to go in reverse and frame the story," he spilled the beans.Though the series is receiving much praise for the gripping storyline and the exceptional performance of the actors, it is receiving mixed responses on the pace of the storytelling."Accepting the healthy criticism well, but I feel the story needs a bit of lag. The audience gets to feel the same frustration as the protagonist because of this slow pace. It is this time that they stay in the story that gives them the last kick with the climax," the writer says.

If you haven't watched the series yet, Vinayak has got something to tell you."If you are watching the series, please watch it fully; if you do that, you will definitely get a good payoff," he said.So, what's next for the lyricist-turned-script writer?"More songs and more stories," he concluded with his signature flair in words.