Saira Khaishagi, one of the youngest authors in the country, was just 10 when she wrote an English-language novel named 'Butterfly' (available on Amazon). That was three years back. Today, at 13, Saira has participated in the recent Hyderabad Literary festival as a panelist to speak about what made her write the novel. She also revealed that the novel would be adapted into a feature film soon.
"The novel is not a fairytale one or a feel-good one. It talks about the hardships of Saira's classmates who were depressed due to the failed marriages of their parents," a source says.
Domestic strife and broken parentage affect kids at a tender age with consequences ranging from moderate to severe. "I was in Class 2 when I first spoke to a sad friend whose parents had gone separate ways. I tried to console her. I was motivated by a desire to write about the psychological and real problems faced by such children at a formative age," says Saira, who completed 'Butterfly' in just nine days.
Of late, Saira, who has authored eight other books, has taken to singing and scriptwriting for advertisements. Her mom Rubina Parveen, herself a national-award-winning social entrepreneur and Ad filmmaker, says that 'Butterfly' will be adapted into a film. "Some production houses are showing interest in it. This is a high-demand subject. Hence, both regional and national production houses have approached us eliciting interest in turning the novel into a feature film. We are expecting this to materialize before 2025," she says. Saira's father Dr. MK Khaishagi works in the Irrigation Department as a Deputy Superintendent of Engineer in the Telangana government.
