Cyrus, Ayesha Broacha dive into their new book, inspired by dogs and their lives

Mary the streetie is wagging her tail signalling that we are welcome into her world Peter the rescued Saluki is a bit wary and plays Customs Officer Sniff Sniff Woof We pass the testldquoIs this part of the taxi mafia that I hear you runrdquo Cyrus Broacha greets us with his unmistakable brand of humour when we alight from a kaalipeeli that drops us at his Malabar Hill residence The sun is out finally and Peter and Mary are ready for their photo shoot But the family frame is incomplete ldquoMadame is late and we must waitrdquo Cyrus attempts a rhymeAyesha Broacharsquos illustrations vividly showcase Francorsquos life with his family the Treasurywallas Homi Roxy and Perry ILLUSTRATIONS COURTESYAYESHA BROACHA HARPERCOLLINS INDIAThe doggies arenrsquot complaining and our crew is having a blast capturing the happygolucky duo prancing on the lawn that fronts the apartment Soon Ayesha arrives and is aghast at Cyrusrsquos choice of wardrobe for the interview ldquoCouldnrsquot you find anything betterrdquo she exclaims referring to his bright red tee and blue shorts combination ldquoI think itrsquos finerdquo Cyrus smiles I intervene ldquoHe is sporting middayrsquos coloursrdquoShoot done we move indoors to friend and lsquosecond wifersquo in Ayesharsquos words Kunal Vijayakarrsquos ground floor home in the same building to chat about Doggie Day Out HarperCollins a book that heroes Franco a talking German Shepherd who plays neighbourhood detective Excerpts from the interviewMiddayMD How did Franco Faredoon Treasurywalla become the protagonistAyesha Broacha AB Francos are a constant in the household ever since Irsquove known Cyrus with various names of courseCyrus Broacha CB This erudite writer that you speak of whose name is Cyrushellipstreams of consciousness is his style as was with any of the greats you read growing up I am not a prepared writer I just let it rip Sit at the deskhellipwrite I get boredhellipwrite later Irsquom not someone who writes a plot and tries to go there I donrsquot have that craft or skillCB Wersquove had German Shepherd Dogs GSD all our life until Ayesha put her foot down and said only rescued dogs As you can see the power structure is clearhellipAB GSDs are bought and bred and itrsquos very unhealthy One needs to stop indulging in this breeding fixation We have plenty of streeties who are hardy dogsCB She wants to promote Swadeshi in every way she ensures we buy only Indian productsComing back to Franco all our German Shepherds have Italian names like Luciano Giovanni and so on My dad was a big Italian opera lover so these names are inspired from great Italian artistesMD to both How did you develop the supporting characters mdash The Treasurywallas Francorsquos friends and the othersCB The story is derived from the people and the dogs around us Dogs are at the heart of our lives the heart of India Since my childhood and wherever Irsquove lived and travelled Irsquove always come across dogs and theyrsquove left pleasant memories How could I not include themMD to both Tell us about your love affair with dogsCB I had returned from the US as a freelance copywriter I was searching for a visualiser to work on a product Ayesha was studying at Sophiarsquos After speaking on the phone we decided to meet at Cafeacute Naaz There were no mobiles this was 1994 So I told her that I would be in shorts a tee and with a German Shepherd Then she asked lsquoHow would I know itrsquos yoursquo As if there would be 15 of us with German Shepherds waiting at NaazhellipAB hellipThis is all fiction there was no dog connect to this storyCB She didnrsquot turn up but called later to say she was held up I should have left her alone then because I canrsquot bear people who are not punctualAB I have another Cafeacute Naaz story with a dog Cyrus at the time had a fourmonthold GSD so he asked me to check with Naazrsquos proprietor if I could bring him to the cafeacute He was this cantankerous Parsi fellow at the counter who agreed assuming it was a puppy Cyrus picked up the armfull of dog and that man threw a fit seeing the nearlyfull grown canine He wanted us to leave immediatelyCB We reached a compromise Ayesha had to leave and the dog stayed onAB Not again CyrusMD to Ayesha How did you collaborate with Cyrus on this bookAB I made it clear with our publisher that she was going to be the point of contact because dealing with our friend here is next to impossible We donrsquot discuss work Cyrus thinks his work is all important and mine is never factored inCB I gave her a full published manuscript to work withhellipAB hellipAnd yes I really enjoyed the story Because a lot of it is our lives and my experiences which made it easily relatable to put into picturesCB May I interrupt this allfemale conferencehellip This was the first time in years that she said nice things to me after she read my manuscript I was stunned that she complimented my writing in fact I had to quickly check lsquoIs this Ayesharsquo so I called two friends to take a look if it was actually herMD to Ayesha There is an inherent city vibe in the illustrationshellipAB Absolutely Itrsquos about our lane All the characters here are familiar to us they are people who Cyrus has commented about So it was easy to transfer that into my illustrationsCB She loves to draw from life At the airport if a flight is delayed while my heart beats faster she uses it as an opportunity to observe people and objects and sketch their reactionsMD How did you feel when you saw the first copyAB I was very pleased with the end product I was given a free rein by the publisher to illustrate in my style this is the way I draw in my sketchbook The cover was challenging because it is part of a fivebook series and there had to be a synergy as per the template I finally cracked it while on a flight I had drawn countless versions and then it suddenly struck me to illustrate this character as Cyrus would walk the dog which I see all the time It was a huge reliefMD Will Franco returnCB I really like Franco German Shepherds are not the smartest not the fastest not the healthiest not the most loyal They are always second best In many ways he referring to Franco is the dog he is always there There could be a sequel because he is a charismatic personality You notice how he attracts the whole community of dogs in Doggie Day OutAs a child Dog Detective Ranjha with Pratap Sharma was one of my favourite books When they visited my school I was fascinated by the synergy that they sharedMD Your advice to those who want to bring a dog homehellipCB Learn to do things for the dog The dog is often forgotten because it is looked after by the home staff Even children donrsquot seem to careAB We have dogs in our Alibaug home and they are free range Even Peter and Mary are a bit caged though Cyrus ensures they donrsquot feel so I strongly believe dogs shouldnrsquot be kept captive in the guise of loving them where we want them to fit into our routinesMD What are Mumbairsquos favourite places to walk dogsCB Oval Maidan But humans shouldnrsquot be around Just leave the dogs there and return to pick them upAB Chowpatty is great for happy dogs Marine Drive is also dogfriendlyMD If this book were to be made into a movie who would play the TreasurywallasCB The cast will have to be slightly elderly in their early 50s I will take some calls because actors have to be ready to act their age I want John Abraham to play the lead role because he is halfParsi Do you have any suggestions for Mrs Treasurywalla looking at AyeshaAB Yoursquove based it on your friend Shenaz Treasury She has the voice the way she talks itrsquos perfect mdashCyrus is quite fond of herhellipMD If you were a dog for a day in MumbaiAB Irsquom a beach bum I would love to have a day out at Chowpatty enjoying the sea breeze and sun with my indie friendsCB If I had this power I would round up an army of dogs across the world and we would start attacking dog haters The violence in my head is unbearable it cannot be divulged with your readers But justice will be servedAvailableLeading bookstores and estores