I have been following Mayank Shekhar since the last many
years. I have always liked his writing and his bollywood film reviews. He is
one of the few Indian film critics I like primarily because he reviews the
"product" and not the "people" associated with the
"product". (Unlike many so called reviewers and film critics who
vomit out their personal hatred towards a particular actor/director in the
review.)
And so when I came to know about this book written by him, I
was only happy to read it. Major chunk of the book focuses on bollywood, so I
had hardly any reason to complain, being
a hardcore bollywood fan myself.
The title of the novel itself evokes nostalgia – "Name,
Place, Animal, Thing". The kids of today's generation who are perennially
glued to their mobile and laptop screens would hardly understand the sheer joy
of playing this game called "Name, place, animal, thing" during a
free period in school on the last page of your notebook by making 4 columns. It
was the first multiplayer game I would say, much before counterstrike and Pub-G
made its way. Anyway, let us get back to the book.
"Part rant, part reportage. Partly serious and partly
funny" is what the book is described. The book stays fully faithful to its
one-line description. These are pleasant observations which the author has
observed over a couple of years. Some of these observations are hilarious,
while some are thought-provokingly accurate and real, showing us a glaring
reflection of our society.
WRITING & LANGUAGE
It is such a relief to see a book written by someone who has
good command over language and grammar. Of course, for someone who has been a
journalist for so long, these things are not applicable – they have super
control over their English, unlike the herd of writers who have emerged
nowadays whose books have glaring grammatical errors right from page 1.
Mayank's writing style is excellent. He is sharp, witty and
writes in a way that doesn't bore the reader. Further, he adds his own personal
anecdotes and experiences which makes it more interesting.
Each chapter is precise without any unnecessary
rant/reportage. Mayank covers a wide variety of topics ranging from Bollywood,
music, his experiences in various cities, his views on various people of the film industry and his
views on the changing patterns in the world with time.
POSITIVES
There were a few chapters and topics which I particularly
loved amongst the others.
· 1The chapter on Farhan Akhtar – Very well
written. Now I am no diehard fan of Farhan Akhtar, but even I have to admit
that "Dil Chahta Hai" remains my most favorite film ever. Also, I
thoroughly enjoy watching him handle all departments be it acting, singing or
direction.
·The chapter on A.R Rahman – I have
been a "Rahmaniac" ever since I started learning music. And so it is
obvious that I must have loved this chapter. Mayank beautifully depicts
Rahman's nature and compositions.
·All the chapters on Mumbai – Although
I am not a mumbaikar, I have stayed for few weeks at a stretch multiple times. Now
I know it takes 21 days for the formation of any habit, but with Mumbai, things
are different. It hardly takes time to get addicted to Mumbai. Maybe it is the
air – that is what I have always wondered, something mentioned so accurately
even by Mayank that I felt I was reading my own thoughts.
·The chapter on Bandra – Very well
written and very relatable.
·The chapter on the old TV serials –
How a casual remark by Rajiv Gandhi led to the making of the TV serials "Ramayan"
& "Mahabharat" is indeed an interesting story.
·The chapter on TVF – I would refrain
from diving deep into the controversies, but I have been an ardent TVF fan
since they started with their youtube videos. You have to admit that they have
produced some exceptional content in the last few years. And so I liked when
Mayank wrote a chapter on this topic.
·The chapter where Mayank shares his
experiences when he was in the censor board – It was indeed enlightening to
know the struggles and the amount of bad content the censor board must have to
endure on a daily basis. Also, I liked how Mayank differed on many occasions
with the opinions of the other board members. Sure the committee has evolved,
but there is still a lot of room for improvement.
·Page 3 (The movie) – All these years,
I thought I was the only one who remembered that scene where inspector Bhonsle
(Upendra Limaye) gives a befitting reply to a high society girl who calls him
"Ghaati". I have always loved watching this scene, especially the way
the inspector gives the girl a dose in perfect English. Again, I was glad
someone other than me shared similar thoughts.
·When a writer mentions "Wren
& Martin" in his book, I see no reason not to like his book. The mere
mention brought back so many good memories from school.
·Lastly, I loved the chapter on Ram
Gopal Varma – very nicely written.
NEGATIVES
Not exactly a negative thing, but I did observe that maybe
Mayank has been writing these chapters since a very long time. There were a few
chapters which seemed outdated, not in a bad way. It is just that they weren't
updated with recent happenings. For example, the chapter on A.R Rahman hardly
had anything post 2010. The main focus was on his oscar win and subsequent
immediate success. I waited for a mention of "Rockstar" or maybe
"Tamasha" but then I realized that maybe Mayank wrote this much
before these films were made. I maybe wrong though.
OVERALL, this is a wonderfully written book with lots of interesting
trivia, anecdotes and personal experiences. Highly recommended!!!
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