Karl, aaj aur kal by Cyrus Broacha!!!

             If you remember, I reviewed Cyrus Broacha's The Average Indian Male few weeks ago. I was so excited about reading this guy's books that I ordered both of them together. And after reading the first one, I was too disappointed. That made me read some other novels before jumping on the second one by him. And finally I have completed his 2nd novel- a Fiction funny story- "Karl, aaj aur kal" published by Random House publication. The book hasn't done even mediocre business in the market. And why would it do? Who wants to read a fiction story by a man like Cyrus Broacha. A non-fiction humour-full book is expected and can be read. But a fiction by him seems to be the biggest mistake of Random House Publication. Though the book is not that boring too. But it is not even interesting. Some parts of the book, or I must say 40% of the book did make me laugh out loud. The imaginations that Cyrus has scripted in this book is seriously funny. Not everyone can think the way he did while writing this kind of a story. But as the humour part keeps on continuing in the same temperament throughout the book, it turns out to be monotonous after a while. I had the same complaint from Cyrus with his first non-fiction too. 

              Initially, the book has some very difficult English. It is hard to understand some of the sentences. Later, he has used many words that goes above head. It is not possible to open dictionary for each word while reading a 230 page fiction. It would be better to pick a true literature-oriented writer if that's the purpose of reading a book- LEARNING NEW WORDS. But that is just for creating an impression initially. Later, Cyrus hasn't used any such words that can make you feel terrible about having the book in your hand. I can say it with all the audacity that it would be no surprise to me if some of you may say after this review that we were unable to complete it. Yes, the book frustrates. Though the story keeps on traveling among different environments but still the interest keeps on declining with each page. And I would also blame Random House for that. Who publishes a book in such a traditional manner? It's just that the words are printed on a paper without any design, watermark or anything of that sort. It's printing, font and everything is such that you might feel after a while that you are reading about the History of India or Russian Revolution. At least, for such genres, a publication should prefer fonts like Comic Sans etc that can generate interest. 

              I would say- SKIP THE BOOK. I would rate it just 2.5. Some of you may ask why even 2.5- for the only reason that 40% of the book did make me laugh out loud. YES!!!

Synopsis:

‘God once told me life is absurd. How else can two boys land up in America and not find any girls?’ Karl and Kunal are just two ordinary Mumbai boys who like ordinary things: bunking class, films, food and pornography. Intent on attaining stardom they fly off to the legendary Lee Strasburg Acting Studio to sharpen their craft in acting and in chasing girls. They fail on both counts but come back with a jackpot: their maiden movie role. In Bollywood, they meet Yusuf Khan, who at forty-six is still the undisputed king of college romance. Being losers doesn’t get in their way and soon the trio become a hit team, churning out blockbuster after blockbuster. Before they know it, Karl and Kunal get their own spot boys, the defining moment in every Bollywood actor’s life, feature in an TV commercial with Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, and are even invited to meet Bill Clinton on his visit to India. But all this is not enough for Karl, who knows that it’s really politics which is the ultimate destination for all ‘great’ actors. As Pajama Party’s nominee from south Mumbai, Karl makes his debut as a politician. Will he hit the boxoffice again? A novel about celebrities, Bollywood and politics, Karl, aaj aur kal is a hilarious novel from India’s best known funny man.

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU