Twinkle Khanna is more careful with her words after getting into trouble: ‘I do not offend 80 per cent of people, just 20 per cent’

Twinkle Khanna. Pic/Instagram

Former actress and celebrated author Twinkle Khanna was recently felicitated at the Crossword Book Awards 2024 where her book Welcome to Paradise won in the Popular Fiction category. Twinkle, who left the movies and cemented herself in the world of words, is known to be candid with her penmanship. Earlier this year, she received a master's degree in fiction writing from the Goldsmiths, University of London. Twinkle speaks exclusively to Mid-day about returning to college, trying not to offend people with her writings, and the source of her incredible sense of humour.

Twinkle Khanna on returning to college

Twinkle Khanna, who gave a second shot at learning, says that her decision to become a student once again stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic. She states, "It was an opportunity to live a completely different life and most people don't get that, especially when they come to this stage, when you are in your late 40s. My life was going in one direction and suddenly I could leap. The only thing that bothered me was everyone else running down the stairs in the university, my knees aren't as good as they used to be (laughs)."

Twinkle took up two online courses at Oxford in writing for six months when she completely immersed herself in the literary world. "There were no distractions because I had to submit my assignments and so I thought that if I was going to do six months online and love it so much then I should give myself this opportunity and go back to university, go to class, do that for a year and do my master's," she adds.

Twinkle Khanna has become more careful with her words

Once an active Twitter (now X) user, Twinkle wouldn't shy away from speaking her mind. From current affairs to social causes, she came forth as an extremely straightforward personality sans a filter. That being said, she has limited herself from taking potshots to avoid any trouble. She explains, "I've become a little bit more careful than what I used to be. I would get into a lot of trouble. I don't know whether it's bravado or it is foolishness but I've always said things the way that they should have been said and I hope that I continue being able to put it like that. I've just gotten a little bit better at framing it so that I do not offend 80% of people, just 20%."

Twinkle Khanna on her incredible sense of humour

Fondly known as Mrs Funnybones, courtesy of her bestseller, Twinkle asserts that when it comes to humour, "You can't buy it and you can't cultivate it." She adds, "It's just the way you grow up. it was my defense mechanism when I was growing up. I had a strange name, I was a strange size so either I would make the joke about myself or then other people would so I decided that I would do it first, and then no one else would."

Twinkle believes that accolades such as the Crossword Book Awards 2024 are a way of bringing the community together. "I think it is a way of celebrating literature and writing. I'm just one little spoke in this wheel but collectively I think that it is almost sending a beacon of light up there saying that we are celebrating the world of words," she concludes.