Kochi, Nov 16 (IANS): Want to be a successful writer? Learn the art of telling lies, says writer-director K.V. Vijayendra Prasad, known for penning two of India's biggest blockbusters "Baahubali" and "Bajrangi Bhaijaan".

On Sunday, Prasad was honoured with Iconic Trade Achiever award for 2015 at the first edition of Indywood Film Market.

Speaking on the occasion, he said: "I was once addressing a gathering and a gentleman asked me, 'What's the secret to be a successful writer?' I told him to practice telling lies. When he asked why, I explained most stories are fictional and everything in it is not true, which means they're lies".

"Fictional stories are sequences of lies, which do not necessarily have any bad connotation. Anything that's not true becomes lies," Prasad said.

Quoting the example of "Bajrangi Bhaaijaan", he said: "Take a look at the story of this film. It portrayed two rival countries in such a positive and friendly light. If it was not a fictional story, it wouldn't have created so much impact."