HiFi in Bollywood by Rishi Vohra (Book Review-4.25*/5)!!!

  I am just done reading Rishi Vohra's 2nd novel "HiFi in Bollywood". Unfortunately, I missed on the first one which was also a hit among masses who love reading urban stories. "HiFi in Bollywood"- the title suggests that it would be the same stuff that people write to narrate how actors sleep together to get better offers, how politics happen between stars, how movies become hits and finally the award is won and the actor senses maturity in the end. But fortunately and surprisingly, this book isn't about any of this. It describes how a boy who is been sent to Berkeley by his father to earn a degree in finance still dreams of becoming a director in Bollywood. Finally he skips his studies and moves to Mumbai without telling his father and starts struggling in Bollywood. 

         This novel is about aspiration and the amount of hurdle one goes through in a city like Mumbai which looks systematic from far away but is too messy when you actually start dealing with it. The book is also about the tensed father-son relationship which is quite common in India where parents decide almost everything for the child till his marriage at the time of his birth itself. The child has no option of choosing any damn decision for himself. The book is very well written by Rishi Vohra in a language that you'll love reading it as fast as possible to know what's next. Rishi knows how to write a page-turner and it's quite evident from this attempt of his. He surely knows how to become favorite among the pulp fiction lovers. I am surely going to have his first book in my hands as soon as possible. I loved the way he build each and every character in the book even without wasting much time in describing their background and situation. That shows the amount of talent the author has.

          Story-wise, this book has a wonderful plot which will surely surprise you at times. Specially in second half and in pre-climax sections. I liked how Rishi Vohra have written certain things about the city without fearing anyone. There are few very well written scenes in the book. Specially the first day of Rayhan on a film set where the whole scenario of how an actor wants to sleep with an actress is narrated. Another great scene is when Rayhan is himself asked to direct the movie and he enters the set. Another great scene is when Rayhan's father is discussed drinking with his friends for the very first time. Such scenes definitely urges you to read more from this author for his brilliance which is quite evident in this book. The character of Peter will remain in my mind for a long time for how he changes his personality once Anil enters the plot. Haha! In all, I give this book 4.25* and will definitely recommend it to all.

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Akshay Chitre: "Feminine mind is very interesting and straightforward" (Interview)!!!

 Akshay Chitre is one of the dynamic personalities who have achieved tremendous success at a very young age of 25. He is already running a successful restaurant in Mumbai city along with it, he has also managed to write a story that is earning everyone's appreciation. Let us know how he manages to be a multi-tasker. 

Hello Akshay! How has been your life since release of your debut novel? 

Firstly I would thank you for considering me worthy enough to be on your portal with so many successful authors. I feel delighted and humble to be a part of this creative community, hope they welcome me with open arms and warm hearts.

Life has definitely changed, people's perspective towards me has changed too and I am getting considerable good amount of affection & respect from family & friends as I tried to do something that no one in my close circle has done.

What changes are you experiencing in society’s approach towards you? 

Did you always want to write a book since school or a thought suddenly took over your mind and the book happened?

The thought of writing never occurred to me honestly, after seeing my friends and myself go through a series of unsuccessful relationships. We used to swear off women (though admittedly, temporarily) and laugh them off stating they are complicated and they don’t know what they want in life, or from their relationships. Even if it would have been the fault of the man in the relationship, we passed on the blame to women, conveniently stating that they are really difficult to communicate with but are they really THAT difficult to communicate with? After hearing the constant chiding, a thought came into my mind. If I had been a women would I have behaved differently, would I be as carefree and boyish as I am now? I don’t think so.

I could not let go of this thought. So, I then programmed my brain to start thinking like a woman to get inside their psyche. I started behaving differently in my mind, making me realize that what a woman wants is totally different from what men think she wants. There is so much social pressure on her that it makes her get drawn towards stuff that she is supposed to want and not what she really wants. As men, we feel women are obsessed with money, hanging out with the rich guys, chasing social positions, obsessed with keeping up appearances but thinking like a woman,  it made me realize all this was an illusion.  This is not what they truly want but it is what they are supposed to want and due to the pressure of getting what they are supposed to want, they try frantically to reach out for it. Thus the thought of writing occurred and I made it into reality.

Tell us something about your first book- URBAN LOVE?

Urban Love is a woman centric book with three female protagonist having radically different perspective on life and relationships. It's an interesting take through the minds of women in Urban Cities as they are on the lookout for love.

How hard was it to write in a girl’s voice and along with it, explaining the personal trauma of other two girls also? 

Personally writing as a female protagonist I felt the ideas of cross thinking might actually change society making me  write through the  heart of women very easily, feminine mind is very interesting and straightforward, it's the society outlook on females that makes them behave in a complex manner.

Do you think people not from urban and metro cities will accept your book as it’s purely based in a city like Mumbai which has quite a modern approach as also visible in your book?

Mumbai has always lead the nation, people want to know what's happening in Mumbai, though this book has a modern outlook on love and relationships which is evident in metros, I don't see anything wrong with the smaller tier cities will object to it, in fact I feel it's very liberating and a delightful read for all, they take away for smaller tier cities would definitely be that world is changing and thus be yourself and don't ever doubt your ability, we make the society, it should not make us, thus a good reads for all of us which the youth can relate easily.

How has been your experience with Notion Press till now?

Notion Press is being very kind with me, nourting and supporting me all throughout.

How easy or hard it is for you to run a restaurant and also write books at this young age of 25?

To be honest, restaurants has long working hours, it's very tedious & monotonous business, I wrote the entire first draft of story on my mobile phone at restaurant, it was not easy but I was adamant to complete the book and present my thoughts vis a story to the Indian audience.

What is the next story you are working upon?

Till now no thought has come to me but definitely I would love to write another story, just waiting for a good though.

Any words for your fans who have picked Urban Love and played a part in your success?

I would love to thank all those you picked up a copy of the book and found it worthwhile to spend their money and time on a new author, thanks for your support and I wish they spread the word about Urban Love to their friends and family.

The Notebook of Romance by Gargi Sarkhel Bagchi (Book Review- 2.5*/5)!!!

      After reading an intense anthology by Gargi Publication, I went on to read a light and romantic anthology named "The Notebook of Romance..." published by the same publication house. This anthology has been compiled by Harshita Srivastava whose latest full-fledged novel, Bad Romance, is one of my favorite novels this year. And the stories are edited by Gargi Sarkhel Bagchi about whom I do not know anything as of now. This anthology is the 3rd part in the series of Moonlit Matinee which publishes short stories. The cover page is quite wonderful considering the theme of the novel. It's enough to catch a reader's eye.      

             The stories are written in a very easy and understandable English which will be the key for its selling in market. The writers are vivid and of different age groups which gives different perspective to the stories. Some stories are very passionate while few are mediocre in fashion while some are purely a rewrite-kind of stuff. Few stories have amazing characters and situations which will remain in your mind once the book completes. For the readers of age-group 15-22, this book will work for sure as that's the age when you newly dive into this sea called love and thus every story will let you connect with this amazing feeling. 

            Unfortunately, there is nothing very new in the book. All the stories are of similar fashion as we have kept on reading in all the anthologies that are getting published since last 3 years. After Crumpled Voices, I was expecting something new from The Notebook of Romance but I didn't get it. Yes, it's a fine book to take with you while traveling as it's a light read which will make you smile many a times. But it does not have any such moments which can act as an USP to it. Also, I felt 25 stories are too much for an anthology based on one topic. I give the book an average 2.5* out of 5. I hope Gargi Publication think of some artistic topics to base their anthologies upon like they have already proven rather than publishing series of short love stories. We have had enough of it. 

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Crumpled Voices by Pulkit Gupta/Ila Garg (Book Review-3.25*/5)!!!

      Since last 3 years, the number of anthologies that have published by both- small and big publishers have bored almost every reader who were interested in reading short stories. Almost 99% of them have been based on love and romance- a topic that has been grilled more than needed. Now, any synopsis that carries the word- LOVE irritates the reader and it's the first one to be rejected by him. In this phase of monotony, I got my hands on an anthology named "Crumpled Voices". It has the tagline "Shades of Suffering". The stories are compiled by the publisher, Pulkit Gupta, himself and edited by Ila Garg. The cover page of the book in itself is distinct and something that your eye will catch easily and it would become difficult to ignore it. Though I have one complain that why only woman is being shown and not all sorts of human who are facing crimes. 

         The novel consists of 23 short stories that signifies how badly our society treats few human being for no mistake committed by them. It is trying to tell us that there are crimes every where around us which we see, read and hear but never raise our opinion or voice against them. This novel in itself is a voice against all such crimes. The concept of the novel is in itself unique and yes, as said on the cover page, the need of the hour. I should compliment and applaud Pulkit Gupta for introducing this as no new publisher could have challenged to move out of the comfort-zone and publish something that's unheard in the market. Writing a full-fledged novel on such a topic is easy as you have time to portray the characters and situation but short stories should have depth to impress the readers.

         Coming to the stories, I would like to clear it that I am not mentioning any favorite stories in particular as I have stopped meriting few authors out of many because everyone is a reason because of which one anthology gets picked up in the market. Every story tries to signify a point in a very easy language which almost every one can understand. No story is written in a very literary language that is hard to understand. Few writers have written some stories that can surely terrify you imagining the condition of women, gays and poor in our country. It's sickening to even read some passages due to the condition that they describe. I am glad that an anthology is able to speak such stories as not many youngsters are into newspaper these days. 

           Talking about few drawbacks:- I felt that the stories became repetitive after a point of time. A feminist will surely love it but I felt that Pulkit should have compiled lesser stories but only the ones speaking on unique topics. Crimes against women is given more preference which I thought became biased as there are many more crimes which could have been easily a part of this book. Editing is almost 90% perfect if compared to the quality of editing we see these days. Kudos to Ila Garg. Hope she can better the rest 10% too. The long introduction of authors didn't work for me. A paragraph should have been enough. No one is interested in knowing much about author but about what they are speaking. It only added to the book's thickness. In all, I would give this good attempt 3.25* out of 5 from my side. 

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Ashwati Menon: "I knew it was not a usual book" (Interview)!!!

   

 Ashwati Menon has proved it with her first full-fledged novel that she is not going to chose ordinary stories to create her reader-base. She is ready to face challenges by writing on topics that aren't easy to discuss about. Do read the interview to know how she manages to pick up such topics for her writings.

1. How has been life after releasing your first story- DRENCHED SOULS?

A:  It has been real fast. I was on the verge of completion of Scarred and that was the time when I contacted Gargi Publishers regarding the same. Then everything was decided and fixed and Scarred came into existence from a raw manuscript to a book.  It all happened – juggling book and office is real roller-coaster but enjoyable. Drenched Souls had my one story : Hale & Heartily, Yours Forever which even surprises me because Romance is just not my genre and Scarred for Life, Healed Forever is more inclined towards science.

2. Tell us something about your latest novel- Scarred for life, healed forever?

A:  Scarred for Life, Healed Forever is extraordinary story about an ordinary girl. There are various aspects of Medical Science in it. But the main point that I wish to get across is that one’s mind is the biggest enemy that one has.  There is no problem on the outside; it’s all inside and it’s the inner demons that you need to fight with. That is what the protagonist fights all the time. The struggle is all about controlling one’s mind, thoughts and actions and once you can do it – you are the happiest person.

3. How hard was it to finally decide to pen an unusual story like this? Didn’t you feel nervous or doubtful that readers won’t accept a story based on this plot?

A:  When I started writing Scarred, I knew it was not a usual book and I also knew it was not ordinary. I was nervous that I might not get enough backing with the theory I was working on.  That’s why a lot of research and discussions went into formulating what I was trying to create. Of course there were doubts whether people would accept or not but you can’t limit yourself due to these inhibitions.

4. Have you seen a real case in your life like Nishtha’s (protagonist)?

A: Oh Yes!  Not to the extreme end as in the book. That situation comes at a later stage. But yes, I know many people who have had such experiences and that gave me the confidence on the subject matter. I knew this was not just a fantasy tale I was weaving and the research and the live cases helped me to gain my confidence regarding the story.

5. How has been your association working with Gargi Publishers and Pulkit Gupta?

A:  Might I say Fantastic! Pulkit and the team at Gargi Publishers are professional and the work that they have done is exemplary.  Here is where I don’t have enough words but all I can say is that as an upcoming Publishing House, they are brilliant on what they are doing and Pulkit is a great human. The experience has been really good working with them.

6. How was your experience at World Book Fair?

A:  It was the first time that I ever attended New Delhi World Book Fair and I was really surprised that we do have people who really love to read and it’s a reader’s paradise. Every kind of book that is there to read is there in the World Book Fair and crowd from different countries too throng here. I am glad that I made it to the World Book Fair and I’m really happy that I could interact with people. Author’s Corner was amazing and gave a broader platform to meet new people and make new friends. 

7. Is being on Social Networking helping you get in touch with your readers and knowing their expectations from you?

A: Very much. I also came to know of many people who faced similar situations as in the book and I am super happy to know that they could relate to Nishtha’s story. Social Media definitely helped to get across to many readers and friends from the same fraternity. It was a real boon for interaction.

8. What is your next work based upon?

A:  Right now I am working on a story based on Honor Killing. It is a big problem that our society still faces and it’s an open secret. It is there in the society but nobody speaks of. I don’t know why again I picked a different theme but this one I am enjoying scripting down. Let us see how it turns out.

9. Any words for your readers who have picked both of your works?

A: Of course their opinion matters the most.  I really hope that they like the books and they get the flavour of difference. In Drenched Souls, it is ethereal love story and more child-like and Scarred for Life, Healed Forever is little serious, scientific and romantic – all clubbed in one. I would ask them to keep reading and have lots of books in life; they are the best friends you can have. 

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Urban Love by Akshay Chitre (Book Review- 3.5*/5)!!!

      In the straight 6 hours, I completed reading the debut book of Akshay Chitre named "Urban Love". It's 228-pages novel published by Notion Press. Considering the name and cover page, I wasn't expecting book to be any more than ordinary but now it seems as if the book has made this weekend of mine. It's that cheerful and delighting. The book is based in Mumbai and being a Mumbaikar myself, I enjoyed reading the story of 3 girls fighting with life, friendship, emotions and struggle right from the first page to last. All the characters made up by Akshay seems to be real and therefore, the connect with the story happens in the initial stage itself. That's where Akshay already wins his readers. Except the climax, you can relate with almost everything that's written in this book in the form of story.

   

           Urban Love is a beautiful story based on 3 girl friends. Though not all of them having their base in Mumbai but still they get friends with each other quite comfortably. Then one of them reveals a secret about her past which shocks other two. Later on, the same friend becomes one who keeps changing men for sex every night. Then, another friend knows about a boy liking her but still keeps urging for arranged marriage as she is scared she will disappoint her father if she goes against his concepts. And the main protagonist of this book falls in love and gets in a messed up situation as she was already dating someone since few weeks. What happens with them is what excites a reader to know and therefore this book turns out to be a perfect page turner.

          Akshay Chitre has used a wonderful language and narration to tell his story in the form of a full-fledged novel. Being a male and writing in voice of a girl and not only about that one girl but about other two also is one of the toughest job which he made very very easy to look in the eyes of reader. The way he began speaking the story in first few pages and how he took it to climax without making the plot look directionless is another good thing about this book. The characters that he used in the book- regulars, special appearances and even the cameos justified their role properly. Even the pace of the book never slows down at any point of time which keeps the story interesting throughout.

           Talking about drawbacks I would say that the only low point in the book comes when distance occurs between all three of them. The relationship between Meghna and Jay becomes boring after a point of time as nothing new happens and author keeps repeating the same scene again and again. Similarly, I didn't like the flashback parts written in italic as it is discussed more than required. Also, Vikram's sudden exit and no appearance until climax is another disappointment. Some cliche dialogues like "You made me fall in love with love" also turns off some times. Author tries to maintain a balance in climax by making it look realistic still dramatic but fails. I wished if Anusha's revelation to her father could have been written little more beautifully.  But summarily, the book is definitely a good read. The urban audience will definitely connect with it whereas small town guys might get drunk in shock of what happens in cities like Mumbai. Haha! The book ends with a perfect epilogue. It was 3.75* material in first half but the little drop in 2nd half brings it to 3.5* out of 5 from my side. You can surely grab it!

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That Man in the Mirror by Rajeev Ranjan (Book Review- 3.75*/5) !!!

       I am done reading "That Man in the Mirror" written by Rajeev Ranjan in a single sitting. This is his 3rd book and I am happy to say that I have read the first two books by him. The first one was rated 3.5 by me and the 2nd one, 2.5. I am feeling better claiming that his 3rd book is better than both his attempts and his best book till date. The synopsis itself represents that the book is an intense attempt and I wanted to see if author has justified the promise or not. But right from the first page to last, whatever emotion Rajeev wanted to depict reached perfectly to the readers. The language used by Rajeev is very easy-going and his command over English has just improved vastly since his last book. 

         The narration used for this story is perfect. I liked the author's approach of telling a story purely without inserting and sharing useless conversations every now and then. Every chapter begins with a philosophical tune which adds more substance in the story. I liked the way author questions us about certain situations that we face in our life and then goes on showing what the protagonist did against the given situation. There are times when you want to hit the protagonist for his decision but the way author narrates the whole thing asks you to believe in his decision even when you know its purely wrong. That's the greatness in the writing style of Rajeev Ranjan in this book.

           Book starts with mainly discussing about the mentally-challenged brother of the protagonist and what happens with him later on is one of the best part. Then the lust part comes in and I started doubting the book but the way author gives it a dynamic turn and makes it the base of the intense story that runs later on only makes you love the book more than before. Another great part is the discussion of Suman's life even when she does not play any direct part in protagonist's plot. It gives a mature quotient to the story. Every emotion and situation is described as if author has written his autobiography. You do not find any falseness anywhere. Everything is so real that you would want to meet the main characters.

            The pre-climax and climax is so well-handled that it raises the book to yet another level. In the end, when the book gets over, you will yourself go, stand in front of the mirror and cry like hell remembering all the hidden wrongs you did against your closed ones but never confessed. When I found myself in THAT MAN IN THE MIRROR after finishing the book, I felt so proud of the author that I have already started waiting for his next book. I give this one 3.75* out of 5. The few drawbacks are:- I found book 30-40 pages more lengthy. Author repeats the same sentences many a times to give a scene more intense which becomes boring sometimes. The repetitiveness is the biggest flaw in this book which also resulted in this book's thickness. That's all!

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