Love, Actually

British novelist and scriptwriter David Nicholls is the author of six novels, including the global bestseller One Day (2009).

- Vineetha Mokkil

Praised by critics and embraced by readers, the book has been translated into 40 languages. Commenting on British readers' response to the bittersweet romance, The Observer called Nicholls "the man who made a nation cry". A film adaptation was released in 2011 and in 2024, the novel was adapted into a Netflix series, which became a worldwide hit. Nicholls' other novels include Us, Sweet Sorrow and his latest, You Are Here (2024). Starting out as an actor, Nicholls moved on to scriptwriting for TV and films. He has penned the scripts for his own novels, Starter for Ten, Us and One Day, and adapted classics such as Charles Dickens' Great Expectations and Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd for the big screen. Nicholls was awarded a BAFTA for his TV screenplay of Patrick Melrose and his novel, Us, was longlisted for the Booker Prize for fiction. During his first visit to India to attend the Jaipur Literature Festival 2025, Nicholls spoke to Vineetha Mokkil about connections and loneliness in the digital age and the art of writing memorable romantic comedies.

Technology gives us endless ways to stay connected, but does that make it any easier to find love or genuine connections?

I’m in a thirty-year-old relationship and the father of two teenagers. Actually, I’m glad to be out of the ‘love circuit’. When I look around, I see that romance and the etiquette of love have changed so much. Earlier, finding love was a matter of chance. A lot depended on your luck. You’d go to a party hoping you’d find someone to talk to, someone you’d like to spend time with. You dreamt of getting to know a person and falling in love. There was no clear intention. Today, the approach is very direct. And there seems to be a great deal of rejection and humiliation involved, all out in the open.