Book ReviewReviews

Book Review – JFK by Jhangir Kerawala

by Tina Basu
written by Tina Basu

When you have a thriller or a murder mystery with you, you know you can never get bored. This is definitely my favorite genre because they keep you engrossed most of the time. And when you have two back to back murders in the first 5 minutes then I am really happy. JFK (and no it’s not related to John F Kennedy) opens up with two murders happening at two different places in the City of Joy – Kolkata (yeah that’s even another candy for me). 

Superficially looks like two different murders but it’s the same gun’s bullet that killed both.


Jatin F. Karunamoi best friend of the murdered person Manish finds himself in a fix when he realizes the last work of Manish were to him which were ‘Jatin JKF’… Aided with Montu, their long-time friend Jatin seeks to decode JFK and find out why his friend had to lose his life. With the city under the dark clouds of serial murders the pressure is mounting on them to even out the complexity. I will not spoil the thriller by telling you how he found or what he found

Analysis – Manish the unusual hero – is a well etched character. The different characters show different shades of white, black and grey. Friendship, complexities of relation, and complexities of society are what you are up for in JFK. Though I believe some characters could have been just done with.

I absolutely enjoyed the descriptions of places in the book, helps you to visualize with ease, and for me almost as if revisiting streets of Kolkata.

You figure out it’s not just murders that you are dealing with there are deeper layers of society that holds mystery.

As for the debutante author, it isn’t a bad start. Though the twists are turns are good at some point of time you feel you know what might happen next. Again it will be unfair if you try to compare JFK with a classic thriller book. So I will also treat it as a debut work. Thus, as a quick read it suffices. You can finish the book on the go – and i really like these kinds of books when you don’t have to wait to long. You can read one of Jhangir Kerawala’s interview here.

My Thoughts – It is a nice and easy read, with good descriptions. As a debutante author Kerawala has done a decent job.

My Rating – 3.5/5
Book – JFK
Author – Jhangir Kerawala
Genre – Fiction, Thriller
Publisher – Grey Oak Westland
Published in – 2012
ISBN-13: 9789381626733
Pages – 225
Format – Paperback

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com . Participate now to get free books!


   
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Movie Review – Student of the Year

by Tina Basu
written by Tina Basu
Yesterday I was smitten with the Radha song from this film so I couldn’t resist but watched the movie.  And yes when you are watching a Karan Johar movie you need to keep a lot of things in your mind – no questioning the logic or rationale, and not relating anything closer to earth.  Alert: If you can’t shut off your mind and its questions then avoid.

Presenting a high school musical in true Karan Johar style. It has K Jo elements from the word go. Generous sprinklings of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai moments and Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham feel are something which you cannot miss. Or even some skin show of the boys ala John Abraham in Dostana.


The Story – Set in a picturesque locale of Dehradun St. Teresa’s or ‘St. Teez’ is a posh upmarket residential school (big question if it’s a school/college or something else) and the students find themselves in the peer groups of the ‘filthy rich Tatas’ or the ‘bechara gareeb Batas’. Rohan Nanda (Varun Dhawan) & Sahanaya Singhania (Alia Bhatt) pioneers of the spoilt brat group faces the ultra-cool Abhimanyu (Siddhart Malhotra) a free thinking scholarship student who oozes confidence and wants to reach the pinnacle.

‘The Competition’ of life starts under high drama when the happy & ‘gay’Dean Yogendra Vashisht (Rishi Kapoor) announces the annual trophy of Student of the Year. [In our times it was topping the exams that made a pupil student of the year – here however it is all judged by an IQ test, a treasure hunt, a dance competition and some sports events!!!] Who wins the trophy and gets the girl is something that you will have to watch.

As I said earlier if you start questioning logic you will never find the answers. Like a scholarship student (supposedly from a middle class family) roams around in bike and can afford big brands, Rohan – son of THE best business tycoon – moves around in even swankier cars – mind you cars and not a single car – and all this happens in school. Well this school is one of its kind – possible only by Karan Johar I guess – doesn’t have much academic activity [because you don’t see any scenes inside class room apart from the IQ test and a song], but has sports facilities which can give serious competition to the London Olympics Village. The business tycoon suddenly invites almost all the lead characters of the school for his son’s wedding in Thailand. Or even the mother asks Tanya if she is using the push up bras and getting bikini wax done!

I think I am also starting to search for the missing logic but let’s leave that aside. Performance wise you will love the mean Ram Kapoor as Ashok Nanda the business tycoon. Rishi Kapoor looked cute & pink and gave quite a nice performance in a role which you would never think of him doing.

About the three new faces – yes they are fresh, cute and young on screen after long time. Dream debut for all the three. 

Alia Bhatt has the innocence on her face and can emote. She couldn’t have asked for a better introduction in the film – it has all the spice of Poo’s attitude, style and zing of as in Kareena’s introduction in K3G.  

Among the new boys one has the looks and good expressions but its true Siddharth Malhotra needs to take up some dance lessons. 

Varun Dhawan on the other hand doesn’t have the conventional chocolate boy look but is a fine actor and dances pretty well. 

The little girl from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Sana Saeed, is the surprise package. She plays the rich and bitchy Tanya Asrani and does a fine job.

If there’s something that I am quite impressed with in the film is the fresh new songs. A very good album by Vishal & Shekhar this year. I am still listening to the Radha song even now as I write. Among the other songs that sound cool are the Disco song & Vele.

So in all it’s an entertaining movie ala Karan Johar OTT style. For me a time pass movie but definitely better than other hyped movies like Cocktail, Rowdy Rathore etc.

My rating 2.75 out of 5 no actually I can give 3 because of the songs.

Image Source : Google Images

      
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Movie Review – English Vinglish

by Tina Basu
written by Tina Basu

I have been listening about some very good comments for this movie so I made it a point I watch it. In fact I got little more interested after I read Gauri Shinde’s interview on TOI. Anyways, the experience was much better than the last few films that I have seen lately.

Story: Sashi Godbole the average simple Maharastrian home-maker and small time entrepreneur tries hard to keep everyone around happy. With the daunting task of being a wife, mother to a teenage girl and young son she finds herself in an uncomfortable zone with the husband and daughter because of her poor English skills.

5 weeks in New York for a relative’s wedding changes her life.
To know who wins in the fight over language you’ll have to watch the movie.    
Sometimes simple goes unnoticed and people can be unaware what the other person feels about their comments even if they didn’t mean harm. Respect is all what a person wants from friends and family. A very real closer to earth story which can be a situation in many households.
It was in fact a little annoying for me to see the protagonist being ill-treated by the daughter only because she can’t converse properly in English. But that’s what the movie’s all about. The classroom scenes in the ‘learn English in 4 weeks’ centre almost reminded me of Mind your Language.

Gauri Shinde (director) makes a fantastic debut with an unconventional movie and a big thumbs up for her.  I think it required rightfully an unconventional female director to give this kind of a movie.
Coming to Sridevi – she is the backbone of the movie – predominantly it is a Sridevi movie. And she delivers quite effortlessly. Even after 15 years she comes and emotes like a pro. However, this time around she is with an ever sharper and slimmer nose and a very different voice.
The music is okay and I quite liked the song Manhattan – obviously for the clever usage of brands. One thing you can never miss is the very interesting cameo by Big B. I quite liked the dialogue he gave to the immigrant officer in New York. Bravo to the team for a feel good movie.
If I have to rate I’ll give it a 3.75 out of 5.    
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My October challenge

by Tina Basu
written by Tina Basu

I have again started neglecting my blog and I know again my rank will g take  the dive. However, I am starting my new October challenge. I am currently on my 88th post and my challenge is to reach to my 100th postby end of this month.

This is also the time of my favourite festival Durga puja and will keep updating on my yet another Bangalore experience of the festival.

12 posts in a month shouldn’t be a big deal but given my schedules and laziness I hope I can finish my 100th post in time.

Right now posting from my Ph so no formatting, will do all those latter.

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Book ReviewReviews

Book Review – The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi

by Tina Basu
written by Tina Basu
Blending mythological stories in modern day treasure hunt and unravelling ancient mysteries seems to be the flavour of many authors lately. The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi follows a similar path to unravel the mysteries & secret of Krishna. 

Murder, secret, mystery, and chase – The Krishna Key has it all for a perfect thriller but there is also a big BUT. As I kept reading I couldn’t help but find it similar (or if I may say ‘inspired’) to some works of Dan Brown at many places. Nonetheless, it’s all about Hindu mythology for a change. 

Let’s leave the Dan Brown element and judge it as an Indian fiction work by an Indian author about ancient Indian mythology.



The Plot

Symbolist Anil Varshney discovered from the ruins of Kalibangan, four seals that lead to the secrets of Krishna. Varshney as a precaution had entrusted these four seals and the base plate, which forms the Krishna Key, with four of his close friends. Historian Ravi Mohan Saini – one of the guardian of the seal – is accused of murdering Varshney.

Tarak Vakil grows up believing he is the 10th incarnation of Vishnu – the Kalki Avatar. Under instructions from the mysterious ‘Mataji’, he murders the guardians in order to obtain the key and progresses towards the secret.

Aided with only his doctoral student Priya and her lawyer father, Saini starts his quest to discover the cryptic location of Krishna’s most prized possession and find out the real murderer. As he advances for the other seals Saini finds these guardians murdered in similar gruesome manner. But he must collect the four seals to form the key and decipher the secret.

Analysis

I should first start by applauding the author for the amount of research that he must have done before writing. That comes out evident through the pages. You need to keep reminding yourself that it’s a work of fiction and not fact. But Sanghi manages to blend his exhaustive research and our oldest mythological epic.

Coming to the story telling its almost two stories being told – the first hand tale of Krishna from Mahabharata and the present day account of Saini. Mahabharata is known to probably every Indian so it holds the reader’s interest. If one didn’t know about the Mahabharata this simplified version by Sanghi will definitely help them. But this flashback method of writing could have been used in a better way. There is no real connection between these two tracks. It would have been nice to see both the storylines coming together in the end.

A thriller is at its best when you have fast pacing actions and well etched characters. Characterizations for many seemed blurred especially for the character of Priya. A better editing as well as proof reading is definitely required.

As I mentioned earlier you will find the book very similar to The Da Vinci Code – in terms of the plot. Professor falsely accused of murder, in quest of mythological secret – it’s upon him to decipher the Holy Grail – only in this case it’s the Holy Grail of Hindu mythology. Remember ‘O Draconian Devil’ or ‘So dark the con of man’ from DVC? You encounter something similar here too but with there’s a lack of conviction or intensity. 

Moreover, when the protagonist reaches a next level for the seals he finds bodies piling up – similar to Angels & Demons. As you proceed towards the climax you find yourself in an anti-climax situation like The Lost Symbol.

Sanghi must be really having a fascination over anagrams. His first book The Roazabal Line was published under his pseudonym Shawn Haigins. You can try unscrambling it a little! [Can’t help my detective story inspired mind :)]  

My Thoughts – It is a nice and easy read, with good descriptions and details. If you have interest in mythical mysteries you will like it. But I feel his previous work Chanakya’s Chant is a better work.

My Rating – 3/5
Book – The Krishna Key
Author – Ashwin Sanghi
Genre – Fiction, Thriller
Publisher – Westland
Published in – 2012
ISBN – 978-93-81626-68-9
Pages – 475
Format – Paperback
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This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!
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Book ReviewReviews

Book Preview: The Stopover

by Tina Basu
written by Tina Basu

 

 

You have fact & fiction and then you come across photo fiction. I came across this very interesting combination at THE STOPOVER – an upcoming photo fiction book which promises to take the readers on a voyage to four uncharted territories through four absorbing stories.
When you think about travel stories with photographs you think about the picturesque destinations across Europe or some other exotic tropical beach. The Stopover, however, is set across striking locations closer home – Ladakh, Chennapatna, Ooty & Chennai.

As I read through parts of the first chapter – The Tibetian Wheel of Wisdom – I figured out it had more to it than some beautiful clicks. Varun, the protagonist, seeks solitude in Ladakh to unwind himself after a breakup. And it is here he befriends three Tibetians – Tashi the guide, Dhondup the software engineer from Bangalore and Tenzin the monk. Inquisitive Varun seeks to learn about their lives and religion and comes across the heart wrenching stories of China’s invasion in Tibet.
It gives an insight of the soulful life the Tibetian’s had under His Holiness the Dalai Lama before things turned out ugly and overnight they lost their freedom to the Chinese assault. The goriness of torture torment and the cruelty by the Chinese is something that’s hard for any Tibetian to overcome. The Lessons of life that Varun learns from the Tibetians changes him forever.
 
 
The Monastery in Ladakh has the same look as it had in Lhasa – photo courtesy The Stopover
The writers Ram Prakash & Deepa Pinto believe in every stopover in the voyage of life lies an exciting treasure trove and very rightly so. In my opinion it just might be the book with ‘the difference’. Very different from the mainstream fiction this book has all the potential to do wonders aided with stunning pictures.
The Stopover book is due for release this October. More information is available at their website. Once I get my hands on this book the review will be up here. :).
 
Wishing Ram & Deepa all the best.    
 
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