“Saying ‘I Love You’ Is the Biggest Lie in the World” – Author Divya Prakash Dubey Opens Up About Love, Life, and Romance

Renowned author Divya Prakash Dubey, celebrated for his romantic stories and novels, believes that saying “I love you” is the biggest lie in the world. In a candid conversation during the ongoing Valentine’s Week, Dubey shared his unique perspective on love, romance, and how his own life shaped his writings in the popular “Maine Ishq Likha” series.

After completing engineering and an MBA, Dubey spent a decade in the corporate world before pursuing writing full-time. His seven books – Sharten Lagu, Masala Chai, Musafir Cafe, October Junction, Ibn-e-Batooti, Ako-Bako, and Yaar Papa – have resonated strongly with young readers. Despite being counted among romantic writers, Dubey asserts that those who write about romance often don’t experience it in real life; they channel their romantic emotions into their writing.

Arranged Marriage and Missed Love
“My marriage was arranged. Because of my father, I never got the chance to truly fall in love,” Dubey said. He explains that his father, a government officer with transferable postings, frequently relocated the family during Dubey’s school and college years. By the time he liked a girl, they would move to another city, preventing him from experiencing a proper romantic relationship. “I only felt attraction, the fluttering of emotions, but it never reached the depth of true love,” he adds.

Love as a Fantasy, Not Reality
For Dubey, love is more of a fantasy than a real emotion. “Saying ‘I love you’ doesn’t equal love. In fact, I think it’s the biggest lie people tell,” he says. In his novel Musafir Cafe, one character tells another, “People who say ‘I love you’ all day long aren’t in love—they’re showing off.” He believes that real love lies in the emptiness within us—the longing, the anticipation, and the desire to fill that void. “Love is hope, waiting, and imagining what it would be like when someone special comes into your life,” he explains.

Writing Romance More Than Living It
Dubey admits that he has written more about love than lived it. His first novel, Musafir Cafe, features a modern love story in which the female protagonist is a career-focused family court lawyer. The couple meets through parental arrangements, not passion, and yet chooses to live together before marriage. Young readers often tell him, “You wrote exactly what we feel.” Even veteran screenwriter Rekha Nigam praised his work, saying, “Divya, you’ve freed the heroines of Hindi literature.”

Parents’ Love Stories and Life Lessons
Dubey’s book Ibn-e-Batooti explores the relationships between parents and children, revealing that many parents have untold love stories from their youth. Reading his book, several parents shared their pre-marriage love stories with their children, bridging generational gaps.

Stories That Travel With You
Dubey enjoys writing stories that accompany readers in daily life, during travel, or in idle moments. His engaging “storytelling on stage” draws young audiences who see themselves reflected in his characters. Many young readers express a desire to meet his characters, especially Chandar from Musafir Cafe, though Dubey clarifies he is not that person—they are fantasy incarnations of feelings and emotions.

Through his work, Divya Prakash Dubey continues to redefine modern romance in literature—capturing the subtleties of longing, fantasy, and the quiet, unspoken truths about love that real life rarely allows.