You either need a glass of wine or a cup of strong black coffee to handle all the drama that The Bitter Pill Social Club has to offer. I am going to seek pardon for my language right now itself as a warning because if the following is offensive to you, then you should stay miles away from the book.

First page into the opening act, and I am sold. It grabs the essence of the current society (especially that of south Delhi and south Bombay or SoBo like many say) right by its balls. There's no holding back here, no tongue-in-the-cheek shenanigans, no bars maintained, no chewing of words. It's an absolute in-your-face-bitch kinda book.

The story begins off with Sana aka Sunaina, finding out that the guy she has been dating for a while and hoped was in love with, actually has the hots for dudes, thereby leaving her ring finger's desire of having a solitaire around its girth, as a broken dream.

And that's when all the drama begins.

But not the teary oh-my-god-how-can-you-do-this-to-me-I-am-so-in-love-with-you kinda weepy overrated melo. This is the eyeball rolling, phone flicking (there's a lot of it), verbal abusing, over drinking sorta drama.

So Sunaina Kochar is the point from which we slowly gain an insight into the "freakshow that is her family" AND friends as well. The moot point is that whoever is related to the Kochar family, by blood or by friendship has a mess on a silver plate for life. An absolute mess.
So this book is not only about Sunaina, it talks equally enough about all the other characters as well, however you could say that Sunaina is the founder of The Bitter Pill Social Club.

Like I said that this broth of a tale has not only the story of one life but several, and for the sake of binding it all and uplifting the flavours, there is a hell lot of spices added as well.
For example, there is a scene which I think is like the garamasala of drama, where we see a girl, her ex-lover and the guy-who-wants-to-be-her-lover have a small blowout.
To add some sweetness we have romance, quite a lot of it in fact.
Then to balance it out, you got to add some salt (I believe they are from the tears that have rolled from the cheeks to the pot of life) by having some really caustic moments like when Leela turned out to be an opportunist in disguise. There was a time when I thought there is no one who is nice or has some semblance of normalcy, 'cause even Leela, the girl who appeared to be smart and caring turned out to be a bitch. Kinda seemed like the moral of life is to tell people that every one is a scheming retard.
Next to give it a kick there is some chilly in the form of jealousy and cold shoulders.
At this point when you taste the broth you feel there is something missing, something is needed to add more depth to that flavour profile, or else it won't be like ma-ke-haat-ka-khana, you add some bay leaves; true cooks know that it adds great richness to soups and stews, and that is when you are taken deeper into the relationships. Because while this book focuses a lot on the cheap glitter of lives that we take as the shine of gold, Rohan Dahiya also shows what life actually means for us now, how we are living without living. It seems like we have a new definition of 'living' these days. Only if you post pictures on Instagram, worthy of having #couplegoals or #wanderlust or #foodporn in the comments section, people think you are living. And if you don't live according to these norms then Lord... you are a dinosaur. Life doesn't always have to be flashy and false, and that is proved by Samaira who was once a mean chick but has now turned into a down-to-earth social worker (yeah you knew something was like this was coming).

Now that the flavour is alright, you think of adding some Vodka, because what is adulthood if not having the legal authority to pour some booze over anything we want? And that's when we get scenes like where a father hits his middle-aged son and his son wants this to stop only because he barely resembles Ben Affleck which helps him get laid. I was rooting for the dad actually, the son I think is a jerk.
And to finish it off, we add some garnishing to give it a good presentation before the hapless consumer of this soup gets blown away by the complex flavours, in the form of a big fat Indian wedding. Pompous weddings are essential for the existance of Indians. I am a firm believer of that and I also think they are the ultimate stage where the real drama unfolds. Oh no. It should be EXPLODES.

Talking of food and ma-ke-haat-ka-khana reminded me that there is a place where Rohan Dahiya describes comfort food. I intend to write a letter to Oxford telling them that this is what they need as the perfect definition of comfort food. Every other attempt to explain it has fallen flat.

Love, love, love and love. What is this world without love? Absolutely nothing. Zilch. But you feel that love is deceitful and true love is a farce. Well there happens to be a formula to find the love of your life, clearly defined in the pages of this book and that is:
1 bottle of Wine + Unlimited number of Cigarettes + 1 shared joint + Rain + Some star gazing = A night spent warming the bed and possibly worming into each other's hearts as well.
Also, here the belief is that a joint tries to join people, but it lasts only while the smoky head from smoking up lasts.
But worry not, apparently it is possible to find warm fuzzy love in this world of shine and shimmer. And those of you who think that Tinder is a waste of time 'cause you only find people you never want to see again, it's time for you to go back to that app with gusto. Apparently you can find true love there in the middle of all the other one-night stands, just like Surya found Dhiraj (but definitely after finding a whatshisname who was a married man with kids).

Another important facet of this novel is the generation gap we suffer from. You know how the major difference between GenY and GenX is that one thinks that it has all sorted while the other has it all scattered? Well this club shows that whoever is its member, be it young or old, holds an array of badges for commemorating the number of times they have screwed themselves up thoroughly at some point of time or the other. So no one has their lives sorted. Be it in your twenties or in your freshly fuckable (you'll know why) forties/fifties, everybody's life is actually a soup. So the Kochar family is a chaos in its truest sense and here it appears that the elders have lost their shit more than their kids have.

An interesting fact that I came across, is that this book originated from a playlist. Every chapter name is actually a song and they add well to dramatization really. My favourite is 'Lonely for you only'.

Amidst all the praises I have for the book, I felt that there were some lose joints in the jumps of the plot, and they are most likely to make you go like what the hell happened? So I feel there is a bit of a continuity problem in some areas.

Full of stingy comments like 'a fresh out-of-bed selfie later' and 'when her no-makeup makeup was scrubbed off", and some subtleties thrown in like "with no roughage in their nasal passage the face numbing coke hit them immediately", make this book a super fun read. There are also these really interesting bits of eye-opening and life saving information like "People who wore Kolhapuri chappals rarely had anything interesting to say" and that those who listened to Nucleya were smarter than the rest.

What I derived from this drama galore is that, the more we try to be liked by all, the more we end up pretending, the more we pretend, the more the falsitudes grow and misunderstandings happen leading us to be lonely creatures in this world full of people and end up giving absolutely zero fucks to even those who matter. On the other hand, by remaining true to oneself, you may not be liked by all, but at least you will have some one with you because they value who you are. Its as if we are growing thinking that the world is nothing but an empty shell and there is no one to give us the affection every being desires. Only at the end when we can't hold up the pretense of loving to live alone anymore, do we crumble. The other thing that I strongly felt was the relation between a mother and a child. Yes we do have differences in ideologies, but sometimes that difference is enjoyable. We wouldn't want our parents to be like us. Hell no. They are our pillars of support. Aren't we the ones who run to them for direction when hope runs bleak? Aren't there moments where we just want the comfort of a mother's lap or the ease of striking up useless banter with our dads? So can you imagine how horrific it would be if our parents turned into confused souls like us? We like them to be a little old fashioned.

But relax, this book isn't a preachy one AT ALL. It is anything but that. I think it's an absolute riot of laughs and tears.

This would make an amazing film I think. Got all the bollywood-y masala in it. Like a Madhur Bhandarkar or a KJo film definitely!
And since I am the Director of my own film in my mind, I would cast Meryl Streep as Tina and Karishma Sharma seems like a perfect fit for the shoes of Sunaina!

Note : I received this book from Bloomsbury in exchange of an honest review.

Grab this book from Amazon right now!

Off late there has been a rise in the making of short films. Right now shorts are hot! They are a rage in YouTube. Regional languages are making scratches in this arena, and I feel proud to say that directors and production houses in Bengal are making an effort to gain prominence over here.

Based on the story Banhi Patanga by Saradindu Bandopadhay this winter Arindam Sil gives us a racy pacy Byomkesh film for our regular dose of much needed thrill.

The movie rolls and enters Byomkesh Bakshi with his wife Satyabati and his author brother Ajit Bandopadhay who are greeted by Inspector Purandhar Pandey in the holy city of Benaras.

Abir in his dhuti panjabi attire and with his smartness and sharp intellect remind us of our olden golden rich bangaliana. His clear cut words and no nonsense attitude reiterates the fact that he is the perfect choice for portraying a sleuth.
Sohini Sarkar gives us a cheerful Satyabati who is demure, intelligent and adds a  certain cuteness to her personality.
Ritwick Chakraborty, the sidekick of our detective as Ajit Bandopadhay has the edginess of a creative mind and also provides some comic relief at times in such a sombre background.
Harsh Chhaya draws an endearing picture of Inspector Purandhar Pandey who plays an ideal host to our family from bengal.

Now comes Inspector Rathikanth Chowdhury marching into Purandhar Panday's residence to invite him to Deepnarayan Singh's palace for a gala night. Having guests over, Purandhar Pandey politely declines the invitation, but Deepnarayan Singh's generous hospitality is extended which is why our trio too are invited.

Deepnarayan Singh happens to be a rich, powerful zamindar of Benaras around whom mysterious tales are woven especially about his second wife Shakuntala Singh, played by Nusrat Jahan. Rumours say that he has married Shakuntala, a woman half his age, by his own will and against hers.
Whatever the rumours maybe Adil Hussain as Deepnarayan Singh will leave a mark on you even with his short screen time. That voice. That smooth talk. Those titbits of bangla. Many bong women can be heard sighing whenever his face is on screen. Though Nusrat Jahan needs to hone her acting skills, she cut a very beautiful picture throughout the movie.

Night falls, guests come pouring in and a beautiful mujra is presented by Koneenika. Meanwhile Inspector Rathikanth comes in with the news of a robbery in Dr. Pannalal Palit's, the doctor who gave Deepnarayan Singh a new life,modest dispensary.
And that is when the mystery knocks at our detective's door.

Appreciable performances rule all over but we miss the way in which Byomkesh Bakshi slowly unwinds the facts before his audience. Here the revelation is narrated a bit too fast by Abir which bereaves us of enjoying the moment where we are left aghast.

Cinematographer Soumik Halder has beautifully captured the wondrous Benaras in his lens.

Bikram Ghosh deserves special mention for his music direction. Well placed catchy songs are always welcome in a good film.

Over all Har Har Byomkesh makes for a satisfying watch.

PS: Spoiler alert !!! A painting plays a pivotal role here and at the end you will find a scene which is a total rip off of Jai Baba Felunath. Director Arindam Sil says that it is a tribute although. And for the ones drooling over Abir Chatterjee, you will find him romancing his lady love here.

Watch it here in Amazon Prime, if you have missed it in the theatres!

Mon Chora, seems like a low budget attempt in romance by Sandip Ray. Nonetheless barring some errors, it is quite watchable.

Abir Chatterjee and Saswata Chatterjee save the movie from turning into a snooze fest. Saswata once again shows his brilliance by being the meek Monu, who can even kill for his lady love Miss Lily. Abir is slowly turning out to be the ultimate detective and romantic hero. He has a certain sharpness in his mannerisms which is very refreshing.
Raima Sen shimmers through the movie as Nanda and tries to follow the foot steps of her grandmother Suchitra Sen in the way she flutteres her lashes and in her dialogue delivery, but she kinda falls flat on that. We have seen superior performances from her and expect much more. We needed more life from her and less of the plastic stuff. She could have positively been better if she gave more of herself and tried to imitate her granny less. Though it wasn't a terrible attempt on her part, we would prefer seeing a Raima than another Suchitra.
June Malia shines as Miss Lily and she did what she does best, drinking and seducing men. That's all that she has been doing lately, on screen that is.
Paran Bandopadhay too was in his usual comic self.

Sandip Ray may have inherited his father's foodie genes, which is oh-so-evident when we have Paran Bandopadhay relishing his dinner with his doting granddaughter Nanda (Raima) watching him lovingly and saying 'Pudding er jonno jayega rekho kintu' in the opening scene, but he has his father's large shoes to fill in the suspense sector.
We have seen him primarily direct Feluda movies and whatever non-Feluda movies he has made all have a thriller element in them. Mon Chora too has a whiff of suspense, which is one of the highlights of the movie. But the thrill present in the original story of Saradindu Bandopadhay could have been delineated better. The major draw here lays in the charm of innocent love and that is depicted modestly by Abir and Raima. And there is a surprise at the end which you cannot possibly guess and will be thinking of throughout the movie.

The movie has a very 80's feel to it with the exception of a single iPhone only. If winter spells romance for you and reminds you of long lost days then you can positively drop in a nearby theatre and give Mon Chora a watch. Despite its flaws it will leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling with your partner by your side.

Anuja Chauhan is a gift from god.

 Apart from being a talented copy writer in the most reputed ad agency JWT(she is the one behind those quirky ads screaming 'Oye Bubbly Bubbly Oye', 'Yeh Dil Mange More' and many more), she has dished out 4 TOTALLY AWESOME novels.

She is 'mostly' considered to be a chick-lit author but she isn't one actually. Her style of writing may appear so to some but if you observe carefully then it is not. She doesn't write the quintessential stories of how-a-boy-falls-in-love-with-a-girl-and-their-love-has-to-cross-several-illogical-barriers-like-villains-and-diseases-and-evil-societies-and-blah-blah. You know how these stories pan out coz they have been done to death.
I had read a blog where in an interview a journo told her that she is the female Chetan Bhagat. She obviously came pat with a witty reply, but to an AC fan this 'female Chetan Bhagat' tag is blasphemous!! With all due respect to Chetan Bhagat, Anuja Chauhan is nothing like him.
                                                             
                                                                        Why?
                                               Because of her style and sense of writing.

The fact that Anuja Chauhan has an incredibly keen eye for observation is monstrously evident in what she writes.
Every situation she mentions, the emotions revolving around those situations, the thoughts running in people's minds, the consequences that follow, the comparisons she brings up can be related to so much !!

Yes she does have deliciously handsome tall boys with toffee-coloured toned torsos and sinewy limbs,intense eyes and disarming smiles who are very serious about their work and have genuine feelings for their lady love, play the 'hero'(Do I hear some girls sighing already?).


Her 'heroine's' are also beautiful,vibrant,intelligent,'very well endowed' and sexy in an innocent way.
Unlike the generic chick-lit stories where the 'heroine' is shown to be a damsel in distress EVERY damn time waiting to be rescued from the mess she is in by her knight in shining armour, Anuja Chauhan gives all her women a BBA(Brain, Backbone and an Aim in life).
Of course they do steal glances at their hot-shot's hot bod (if ever on display) and their knee's do wobble when they are greeted with a flash of that dazzling smile but they hold their ground firm and focus on their duties without having their pheromones and oestrogen levels play havoc with their mind.

She does have a love story in every story but in her story love isn't the only thing she talks about. Her stories are woven around serious issues, which she obviously narrates in her own humorous and witty way. And that is exactly where she unfolds her magic. So far she is the only one to have written about the hypocrisies of our society in various aspects unabashedly, sprinkled it generously with her wit, humour and sarcasm without offending anyone.

She uses a sharp,sophisticated and desi way of writing her tales which gives her books the perfect balance of being taken seriously-but-not-too-seriously. She thoroughly believes in entertaining both the soft heart and intellectual mind of the audience. And once you read her novels you will be crooning 'Yeh dil mange mooooreeeeee' for sure.

Here is a gist of  the books she has written so far:


THE ZOYA FACTOR

Title : The Zoya Factor Author : Anuja Chauhan SOC Rating : 5/5 Genre : Fiction/Drama/Romance Publisher : Harper Collins Re Published By : Westland Publishing Year : 2008 #Pages : 511

This book happens to be the first of Anuja Chauhan's books.

Zoya Singh Solanki has been plucked from the ad film set and thrown into the circus called Cricket. She detests the game, but incidentally she happens to be born right at the moment when India won their World Cup back in 1983.
As she is an employee from an ad agency she has to deal with a lot of behind-the-scenes work and it is an absolute pain to do so with the Indian team Captain being anything but helpful. Nikhil Khoda, the brooding hot skipper, believes that his team needs to remain focused on the World Cup and not go about endorsing brands and smiling prettily for photo shoots. But Zoya needs to get the photos clicked or else the plethora of items that need to be manufactured in a weeks time with the Indian team's pictures plastered on them cannot happen. And if she can't do it within the dead line she will have to kiss her job good bye. However the Indian team boys, full of raw talent and nerves, believe that if Zoya has breakfast with the team then they will win. And that is where the tension starts.

Here she shows how India is obsessed with this game where you have to hit a round little object with a stump of willow and how India is a staunch believer of superstition. Not only that,coming from an ad agency herself, Anuja Chauhan provides a peek-a-boo into the ad world and shows us what goes on before we see the World Cup commercials.

Grab the book from Amazon!
 

Or watch it in Netflix here !

BATTLE FOR BITTORA

We have all heard of the term 'dirty politics'. But do we know how the wheel of politics runs and how the dirt soils politics?

Forced by her politician grandmother, Sarojini Pande has to leave her cool job of drawing cartoon germs for Harpic in Bombay and fight for her native land Bittoragarh. Obligingly she does stand from her grandmother's party but things take a turn when her old crush stands from the opposition and politics unfurls its nasty side. But Anuja Chauhan makes it a point to give the nasty game a sweet and happy end.

Since her mother-in-law is a politician herself, Anuja Chauhan knows the real deal and provides a brutally honest description of the campaigning process obviously in her own humorous,witty,sarcastic style.

Title : Battle for Bittora

Author : Anuja Chauhan

SOC Rating : 4.5/5

Genre: Fiction

Publisher : Harper Collins

Publishing Year : 2009

#Pages : 426

Read it now!

THOSE PRICEY THAKUR GIRLS

Title : Those Pricey Thakur Girls Author : Anuja Chauhan SOC Rating : 5/5 Genre : Fiction/Drama/Romance Publisher : Harper Collins Publishing Year : 2013 #Pages : 400

                                  
Now Anuja Chauhan moves onto family matters.

The story is about Debjani and Dylan and how media has to bear the brunt of politics,ruthless people and at times even mutilate the truth or hide it totally.
Debjani hails from a large Thakur family, the second youngest daughter out of Laxmi Narayan's five daughters(Anjini, Binodini, Chandralekha, Debjani and Eshwari) and works as a news reader in the country's most famous channel. And Dylan,who is a handsome,truth-digging journalist, criticises her work.
But when the two meet, they fight, they fall in love but due to a misunderstanding it all falls apart only to be rejoined by Anuja Chauhan's masterful story telling.

This book also focuses greatly on the other family members and gives them so much life that you imagine these people actually exist and you become emotionally involved.


Grab the book from Amazon right now!

THE HOUSE THAT BJ BUILT

  This is a sequel to Those Pricey Thakur Girls.

Here we find a vibrant, young, fiery Bonita Singh a.k.a Bonu who runs a successful apparel business by replicating clothes worn by celebrities and Samar Vir Singh, a successful director making movies which make sense.

Samar is Bonu's step cousin and she has nursed a huge crush on him ever since childhood. Bonu had been orphaned at a young age and after all her mausi's had settled on different parts of the world and her grandmother had gone off to the heavens she became alone living in a large house with her old grandfather.
But things take a turn when her grandfather goes to join his wife up in the heavens making Samar vow that he is going to sell their house and divide the money equally between his five daughters. Bonita who shares a deep bond with the house intends to seek the revenge her late mother had always wanted.
Bonu puts her foot down but her four mausi's and Samar are adamant on getting the house sold. Trouble amongst the family members and love between Bonu and Samar begins to brew. And to add to the mountain of stress their uncle Ashok Narayan comes up with a new plan.

But the troubled waters are calmed and all ends happily for the Thakur clan.

Title : The House that BJ Built
Author : Anuja Chauhan
SOC Rating : 5/5
Genre : Fiction/Drama/Romance
Publisher : Westland
Publishing Year : 2015
#Pages : 410

(Image source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

Directors Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy have depicted a slice of regular married life on celluloid and managed to tease the tear ducts and touch the hearts of the audience.

They say marriage is all about togetherness and dependency and it intertwines the lives of two individuals for eternity. But what happens when love, the pivot of a functional marriage, seems to look bleak? Following this regard a plethora of questions are thrown at the spectators - Is it necessary to stay together despite the differences and difficulties? Is the sole purpose of marriage to raise children? How important a role does physical intimacy play in marriage? For how long does one compromise? And most importantly, is love ever lost? Battling these questions and many more, the grand old pair of Soumitra Chatterjee and Swatilekha Sengupta beautifully portray their emotions through the journey.

Biswanath Majumdar(Soumitra Chatterjee) is the owner of a flourishing bookshop and wishes to explore the world whereas his wife Arti Majumdar's(Swatilekha Sengupta) world begins and ends with her husband and family.
Biswanath feels that the time has come for him to make an announcement and tells his wife that their entire family should be present during the Durga Puja. Arati is of the idea that her husband has finally decided to call out his will and rings up her children. The entire Majumdar brood arrives and have immense fun during the Puja as it is a long time after which the entire family has gathered together. On the last day, Dashami, Biswanath declares that he is no longer interested in continuing his relationship with his wife and is in need of a divorce. He is married for 49 years and this change in his mind leaves his children shell-shocked. Myriad reactions run through the family ranging from anger,accusations,resorting to superstition and finally to suspicions of Biswanath having an affair.

On being questioned, Biswanath unabashedly says that he is not happy in his present state of marriage. He thinks that he is bound by responsibilities to his family and cannot get any time to look after what his heart wants. He wishes to see the world and cannot do so with his wife. He needs to be alone for his ventures. He says that Arati has always served the family and seen t.v serials but never given him any special attention. He is of the opinion that he will be doing her a favour by this divorce as she will learn to be independent in his absence. However he says that his wife is at no fault for his decision,that he shall always cater to her financial needs and is ready to hear whatever she says.
When the matter reaches the court, Judge(Barun Chanda) cannot accept that a marriage of 49 years can come to such an end and refuses them a separation. He advices them to take a few days off and spend time in each others company. In the court scene Arati delivers a memorable line. She says that through out her life she has accepted her husband's decision complacently, with a smile on her face. Even when her husband has embarrassed her before her children by openly conveying his desire to separate, has harassed her by bringing her to court after 49 years of togetherness she is expected to accept all this with a smile on her face.
On the judges advice the couple decide to go to Shantiniketan but Arati is adamant on taking the entire family for this trip. While the aged duo evaluate their conjugal bond in this trip, their children who are troubled by their own marriages as well retrospect their situation also. As a result one husband stops complaining to his wife about their lack of physical intimacy and realises that there is more to a married life, another learns to respect his efficient wife, a wife starts to value her husband and ends her extra marital affair and a young couple manage to find their love in the midst of their busy lives. The younger generation realise the importance of matrimony at the cost of their parent's separation. At this point of time even the viewers rethink about their marital status and wonder when was the last time they had complimented their other half or spent some quality time together?


(Image source: indiablooms.com)

When the aged two revisit their memories Arati gives a piece of her mind to her husband. She lists the number of times and the various ways in which he has disappointed her over and over again but never let him realise that. To her husband's question regarding a habitual boring life she says that whatever she does for him has become her habit and this habit of hers is not because she is a dutiful woman, it is because she loves him deeply. Caring for him and her family is what she loves, this is her habit. Incidentally this hits true for everyone in this world. We all become someone's habit and someone becomes our habit and the wheel runs smoothly and mundanely when we know what is about to happen after what. When this flow stops life gets derailed and that is what happened to Biswanath Majumdar.
He thinks he can avoid inflicting further pain on his wife by staying separately but this is the greatest blow he ever gave his wife. He stays back in Shantiniketan with his manservant and lets Arati go to Kolkata. She fulfils his dream of her turning into an independent woman of the world but Biswanath realises that what he tried to chase is nothing but an illusion. The solitude that he craved now suffocated him. The fact that he could no longer take refuge in his 49 year old habits became unbearable for him. He comes back to his wife, who with tears on her cheeks, says that he should die before her, for she can manage without him but he cannot live without her. On this note the couple reunite and the heart-rending tale comes to an end.

The movie has exhibited stellar performances by all the actors especially Soumitra Chatterjee, Swatilekha Sengupta and Kharaj Mukherjee. Soumitra Chatterjee's acting appeared effortless and Swatilekha Sengupta could not have been more real. Kharaj Mukherjee's brilliant comic timing was one of the highlights of the film. Lastly the movie has a strong message that marriage requires time and patience, it is not something to easily give up on and that there is a particular appeal and magic to a married couple's 'boring love'. Actually movies like this can help in the survival of several marriages.

Watch it here in Disney+ Hotstar if you wish!