Durjoy Datta is back with his 11th fiction book and he is still busy in launching it in all the cities of India. I am glad to have read it even before people must have actually received it. "World's Best Boyfriend" is the name of his newest flick and to my surprise, it's his thickest book with 288 pages. The title of the book is quite cheesy and I wasn't expecting much out of it and therefore, I am not quite disappointed with this tale. I am at least happy that Durjoy is trying such stories from which he kept himself away for first 6 books. I am also liking the fact that he is writing solo books rather than with a co-author as he used to do initially.
Durjoy Datta's new book tells us a story about a girl Aranya who has a disease named vitiligo since birth because of which her parents always hated her and never a moment came in life when they treated her nicely. Her brother was always considered more superior to her even when she was very studious and always scored in top ranks. She meets a boy named Dhruv who is disturbed because his parents have separated as his mother leaves home with his school principal. This leads Dhruv to be very rough and unemotional all his life. Somehow, both-Aranya and Dhruv falls in love in school. After getting caught, they are separated and they only meet after couple of years to hate each other as much as possible. They try almost everything to ruin each other's peace but is the hatred only thing that they share between each other? Hatred for someone comes only when you consider them someone important in your mind. That's the plot on which World's Best Boyfriend is based upon.
The language of Durjoy Datta remains the same- quite urban and cool. He has stopped writing sex but begun writing "Fucks" in his book like its just another word in English without which the sentence couldn't be completed. The way he has characterized each of his protagonists is worth applauding like always. It isn't easy to base a book on a victim of a disease about whom we don't even give a second thought in our life. And then carrying it so appropriately whenever discussed about it is another greatness in his writing. But I felt that the story is quite stretched in few chapters where it could have been easily ended in a page or two keeping the impact intact. Description of each emotion for almost 20-25 sentences have only led in thickness of this book but doesn't make you feel anything stronger than you felt after reading the first sentence itself. Because of this, when you are done reading the climax, the predictability even after 288 pages of tale disappoints you.
There are wonderful moments in the book. How both the characters lie in front of their school committee immediately after getting caught. How Aranya's father comes in college after getting complaint about her after many years. How Aranya becomes the star of the college. How Raghuvir and Aranya starts conversing and falling in love. Such few scenes have been wonderfully written. Also, the humour between the lines by Durjoy is unavoidable and that's something which holds you for 7-8 hours in which you can easily complete reading this one. I liked the anti-climax where both Dhruv and Aranya are wanting to tell how they love each other but couldn't express because of their egos and historical record of hating each other and competing in almost every thing.
But still, the book carries many flaws and it's the biggest turn-off. Before Durjoy could have actually started to tell about a girl's whole life story on being a victim to a disease, he just stops discussing about it and the thing is forgotten somewhere. It comes only in few sentences where Dhruv calls her ugly repeatedly otherwise no discussion about the disease part and her current fight against it is spotted. Similarly, her father takes away her phone and how and when she gets it back is another sub-plot which Durjoy doesn't care to include in the book. Apart from all these drawbacks, the best and interesting part of this book is character of Sanchit. That keeps you alive and fresh. I give this 3.5 stars out of 5. Little better than Half Girlfriend. Haha! Yes! Now waiting for Durjoy Datta's 12th book.
Thanks.
ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!! 
Nice written review and very intriguing title indeed. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteCheers, Archana - www.drishti.co