Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 245

‘In Other Lands’ Book Review – Puts Fun In Fantasy

It took me a while to get past the first few pages of the fantasy-fiction novel ‘In Other Lands’ by Sarah Rees Brennan, but once we were past the early chapters, my reading was on auto-pilot. What a silly, fun fantasy story about an annoying human boy blundering through a magical land!

Let’s begin with some trivia that I wasn’t aware of until after finishing the novel. Sarah started this off as a “short story” on her blog, but it ended up being a 400+ pages long story. And sometimes it does feel like Sarah is dragging it on, and then are other times when you don’t want the story to ever end! Especially as you are edging towards the end of the novel, because we don’t get enough of the ‘end-game’ couple. Since we try and keep reviews ‘spoiler-free’, not going to reveal who that is.

The protagonist starts off as a 13-year-old bisexual (I’d say pan-sexual because he basically falls for any being that’s good looking & gives him a little attention) human boy called Elliot. He is kind of the ‘annoying asshole’ kid in class that nobody wants to be friends with, but eventually grows on you. One fine day (in the very first page really), Elliot is taken to a field with a bunch of kids and asked if he can see a wall, when he responds in the affirmative, it’s revealed to be a magical wall to another realm that very few can see. So off goes Elliot, to ‘other lands’ by climbing to the other side of the wall, where human technology is shunned (try getting it from the other side and they burn) and wars still exist, with clans of elves, trolls, harpies, mermaids and what not living in medieval circumstances. Elliot quickly befriends the only elf girl in his class, a warrior called Serene-heart-in-the-chaos-of-battle, who is sword sister/brother with the gorgeous golden haired Luke Sunborn, who Elliot marks as his nemesis. The tale follows all three of them until they are seventeen, navigating classes, crushes, warring clans and battle plans.

Sarah Rees Brennan spins this tale in a very casual, breezy manner, never taking anything too seriously, which makes it a super-fun read. The most hilarious bits in the book are the parts where Brennan writes about the Elvish ways, where women are considered the dominant gender. Sample this conversation (which I love by the way) –

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Elliot said conversationally to Luke. “If they’re your mum’s sister’s kids, how are they Sunborns too?”

Serene frowned. “It makes perfect sense. Of course the children bear their mother’s name. The woman is the strong one, who bears the child and begins the family. You can’t be sure who any child’s father is.”

Don’t be mistaken, Brennan doesn’t try to stuff in some feminist agenda (not like that should be a problem) through her portrayal Elven society, they are just matriarchal in nature consider mean the weaker gender, not their equals. So while Elven women train to become monster-slayers, the men go to finishing school to learn embroidery and cooking. Every clans has its own rules, and it’s bloody entertaining!

I think the book doesn’t feel as amusing in the initial stages because the protagonists are only 13, and are already obsessing over things only adults should bother with – sword-fights and potential partners. But considering our history, where 13-year-olds did ascend thrones, get married and murdered on expeditions, maybe it’s not all that farfetched. So roll with it and you’ll love the book. But don’t expect mermaids, because even though the cover suggests that the sea-seductresses have a large part to play in the plot, they really don’t. Elliot is mildly obsessed with them, that is all.

In some ways, despite the medieval set-ups, with folks still fighting on horses, writing on scrolls, and lighting candles in the ‘other lands’, what Brennan magnificently achieves is creating realistic characters, with believable relationships, along with non-toxic LGBTQ+ representation. Elliot’s a bit of a cliche when it comes to his romantic radar in the book, but at least having his heart broken one too many times is relatable. Serene and Luke are more likable than Elliot, and just like all the girls in the ‘other lands’, it’s hard not to grow a soft spot for the Sunborn boy.

Look, I loved reading this book, it’s not often enough that I pick a 400+ pages novel and then bother staying up all night to finish it, but with this one, I did. And while it’s the slow-burn romance that had me hooked to it, the only bit disappointing about the story was that Elliot’s first serious relationship doesn’t get enough space. You’ll know what I mean if you read the book. Go read the book.

It’s a 4/5 from me.

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Listen to Episode 48 for some great graphic novel suggestions

‘Peach of Time’ – Series Review

It’s not a hard thing to admit that some of us like to watch movies or shows just because the protagonists are gorgeous or cute… and that’s the only reason I saw the 2021 Korean-That series ‘Peach of Time’. Karn Kristanaphan as lead character Peach is a total cutie, so is his co-star Choi Jae-Hyeon who plays Yoon Oh.

The plot begins on a sweet note – Peach is a young Thai guy who flies all way to Korea to meet his friend Yoon Oh. The two barely spend a day together and Peach learns of the hostile/toxic relationship Oh has with with his mother. What kind of an adult texts stuff like ‘I wish you weren’t born’ to their kid? Since Peach is a boy with a heart of gold, he decides to fix the broken relationship, but he has a few more shocking discoveries to uncover. Although, the family needed a therapist and not a visiting therapist. But okay….

The cinematography is very pretty, with pleasing pastel colors dominating the palette, making viewers feel like this is just the kind of thing one must watch while curled up in a blanket. But the plot gets hare-brained, and soon comes cliche after cliche, which just make for awkward watching. It made me lose complete interest in the show and I didn’t even bother following up with the last few episodes as they came out. Although, curiosity did get the better of me, so the last few episodes were streamed back-to-back a day after the finale aired. Fast-forwarded most of it with disinterest.

It’s the awkward combination of supernatural silliness, cutesy romance & intense emotional drama – all of these elements are blended badly. Director Jan Eui Soon & Screenwriter Yang Joo Hyun are just unable to do genre-mixing successfully. The actors are actually pretty damn good in their roles, Jung Ae Yun who plays Yoon Oh’s mom is great as the fierce single doctor-mother who is too hard on her son. Karn is adorable as the lead, and Choi Jae-Hyeon was a bit of a surprise, because he looks like an small sweet teenager, but has the voice of a stern teacher. Watch this series if all you want is some pretty protagonists on your screen, sometimes… that’s just the kind of thing we want to watch after a crappy day.

It’s a 5/10 from me.

Also Read: ‘I Promised You The Moon’ Review – Sequel Satisfaction

Also Read: ‘Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding’ Review

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Listen to Episode 49 – Midnight Mass Reviewed & Ending Explained.

Beautiful Darkness Review – Clever Like The Title

“Is this Cinderella??… oh woah, the Prince is a prick… wait.. what… it’s getting weirdly macabre… and that character kind of looks like Shin Chan… and oh no… it’s not all that horrifying… maybe more like ‘Alice in Wonderland’…. or “Gulliver’s Travels”… it looks like Thumbellina now, but like she is lost in wonderland….well… this is weird…”

It’s hard not to think of a 100 things as you read the first few pages of the graphic novel “Beautiful Darkness” by Fabien Vehlmann, which starts off as a mish-mash of fairy-tales, but is nothing like any of the Disney version as the plot thickens, and gets grimmer than the original tales collected by Brothers Grimm.

The hero of this tale is Aurora, who is just about to have some cake with the Prince when huge blobs of blood starts falling on them. She soon finds herself crawling out of the body of a dead girl into a wild forest, just like a lot of other little people like her, who try to wander out, without any clue as to how they will survive. So Aurora forgets the Prince and tries to get things in order, like giving out food to the hungry. And while for a while, everybody seems to love and fawn over the heroine, the peace is short-lived.

The illustrations are done by Kerascoët, they are child-like, done with an effect that makes them look like dreamy water-paintings. Yet, the things happening around Aurora are straight out of a nightmare. There’s hunger, betrayal, madness, murder and complete loss of humanity in the open depths of the forest. Fabien Vehlmann’s tale is dark, macabre, whimsical and at points feel like a bunch of odd incidents stringed together. There are a lot of characters that are constantly up to no good and towards the end, strangely, all of it makes sense.

The cover might make it look like the book is meant for kid, but it’s a disturbing tale meant for adults, so please, if you are reading this – do not gift this book to a pre-teen reader. Some might even call it a ‘fucked up’ book, so its advisable that you not read this book if you are already in a disturbed state of mind, it might just unsettle you further.

The author & illustrator through this deceptively innocent looking tale (the illustrations look like cute nursery book panels) displays how the most noble of hearts can descend into brutal madness, if given enough time around evil people. Aurora start off as a hero and ends up being the anti-hero. The climax is befitting of all the gory little twists the story throws up.

‘Beautiful Darkness’ delivers exactly what the title promises – a dark tale drawn beautifully.

It’s a 4/5 for me.

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Listen to Episode 49 – Midnight Mass Reviewed & Ending Explained.

Midnight Mass Review – Biting Tale of an Island & Its ‘Miracles’

After riding high on the success of the 2018 psychological-horror series ‘The Haunting of Hill House’, Mike Flanagan disappointed fans by following it up with the mind-numbingly boring ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’, another horror mini-series which came out in 2020. With ‘Midnight Mass’, Flanagan has finally decided to move away from the ‘haunted house’ trope, focusing on a different sub-genre in the horror realm. The 2021 Netflix mini-series is set in an obscure isolated island called Crockett, which has 127 inhabitants. The arrival of a new priest seems to herald a ‘new era of miracles’, with mysterious incidents of healing taking place all over.

One of the first things that will strike viewers is how Flanagan and team do not resort to shady dark shots. Nope. We have beautiful brief scenes of the great blue seas the island is surrounded by, a constant hum of birds flapping in the outdoors, and people living in regular sized houses, not sprawling bungalows with forgotten skeletons. ‘Midnight Mass’ almost feels like an intimate view of Island living, with generous glimpses into the lives and psyches of some of its residents.

Interestingly, the opening scene does not take place in Crockett at all, it starts with an accident in a big city in Illinois, Riley Finn (Zach Gilford), who is from Crockett, kills a young girl in a clear case of drunken driving. Riley returns to Crockett after spending 4 years in prison, but his parents are less than thrilled to learn that the former altar boy has turned into an atheist. Enter mysterious new priest in town, Father Paul, who claims he is the temporary replacement for the aged priest Monsignor Pruitt. The entire town had pitched in for the old man to visit Jerusalem, and according to Paul, Pruitt fell sick on the trip and is recovering at a mainland hospital. Funny how nobody is curious enough to make as much as a phone call, but well, we’ll let that pass. But it’s evident from the very first time we are introduced to Father Paul – there is something off about him.

Just like Flanagan’s previous work, the casting team has done a solid job on each character, and fans of his previous work will recognize some familiar faces (Flanagan seems to have favorites). Kate Siegel is low-key radiant as the pregnant Erin Greene, who is also a teacher at the local school and used to be Riley Finn’s ex-girlfriend. Kristin Lehman is almost unrecognizable as Annie Flynn, Riley’s mom and exudes a warm motherly aura, with a dash of religious fervor. Henry Thomas was all okay as Riley’s dad Ed Flynn. Hamish Linklater as Father Paul is interesting, flawlessly managing to switch between a trance-like state of a devout man while delivering a sermon and a nervous wreck who isn’t sure of his purpose. One cannot omit mentioning Robert Longstreet, who plays the town reject/drunk called Joe Collie, who is also responsible for crippling Leeza (Annarah Cymone) a young girl in a hunting ‘accident’ – it’s these two actors who have the first cathartic scene in the series, an emotional confrontation which might move ‘movie criers’ to tears. From the ‘useless trash’, Joe manages to burrow a place in the viewer’s heart.

Let’s move to the series’ biggest villain, Bev Keane, a religious self-righteous spinster (and a total Karen), who is played with such cold-perfection by Samantha Sloyan, you’ll absolutely hate her. Every time Bev appeared on screen, I wanted somebody to scream ‘bitch’ at her and stab her to death. Rahul Kohli gets to be the only Muslim working adult in Crockett, he is Hassan, the new sheriff in town with a teen son. Flanagan smugly uses Hassan’s character to tackle the subtle bigotry Muslims face from Karens like Bev. He also often juxtaposes the atheist Riley with the God-fearing Paul, to give us sharp logic versus faith debates that are calm yet fiery.

Flanagan and team try to pack in a lot of themes, but they don’t dwell too deep into them, like how an oil-spill is blamed for dwindling population of the coastal Crockett. The oil-spill doubles up as a metaphor for not just the corruption of the ocean waters but of the slow moral decay of the Islanders. As far as the supernatural elements are concerned, the first 3 episodes have very few of them. Flanagan slowly drums up the horror, giving viewers only half-a-second glimpses of a sinister demon/ghost looming over the island. But there is one bloody good twist in there, which a lot of viewers won’t see coming (I didn’t), even though it’s sort of foreshadowed.

While the pace is slow throughout, it only gets a little overbearing from episode 4 onward, where the characters become excessively chatty and philosophical. At one point, it feels like the makers are treating viewers with kid-gloves, because they over-explain most things. The script-writing team however deserves applause for dialogues that feel like real conversations. The long talks between various characters are intelligent, insightful, but it’s like the writers don’t know when to end them.

Most of the focus is on these complex characters and their interactions. Regular horror fans who like a lot of ghosts and demons in their stories will be left disappointed – if you thought ‘Hill House’ didn’t have enough ‘scary moments’, this one has even less. Bev Keane, the human villain is the most evil thing in ‘Midnight Mass’, not the actual demon. The climax does descend into chaos and has some chilling/gory scenes. Given the build-up, one would have preferred an even crazier/bloodier end.

Conservative Christian viewers might take offense with this tale, which is a biting commentary on the blind beliefs of the religious – if a wolf wears sheep-skin, says the right words, the entire flock can be led to their fall. Especially since there’s a generous amount of clever Biblical parallels made to explain things that should ideally make people dial the cops or at least the press. In the last two episodes of the series, things get a little too convenient for the plot, and even the smarter characters fail to take decisive actions, making it irksome. So the plot loosens towards the end. All that said, ‘Midnight Mass’ still makes for a intriguing watch, with minimal ‘tried & tested’ tropes of the horror genre.

It’s a 7.5/10 from me.

LISTEN IN TO OUR PODCAST EPISODE 49 FOR AN EXPLAINER OF THE ENDING OF THIS SHOW.

Do We Really Need An ‘Extraction 2’?

So Netflix just dropped the trailer for ‘Extraction 2’, which was really just largely parts of the climax of the first ‘Extraction’ film by Sam Hangrave starring Chris Hemsworth. The only new thing in the 2021 trailer is the bit where Hemsworth is underwater, seemingly unconscious, but then he opens his eyes and tries to swim back up. The screen cuts to a black title card with the hashtag #RakeLives – for the uninitiated, Rake is the protagonist’s name.

So as viewers, we are just supposed to be excited that Rake is not dead, because it means he might get another exciting mission, hopefully not in a developing country drenched in an artificial yellow tint. Look, Extraction 1 was quite fun, had a few good actions sequences, and a whole lot of predictable needless emotion drama. So do we really need a sequel?

Netflix seems to have a LOT of money and it’s about sequels, just look at their feed, five new trailers/announcements in just one hour. There’s Extraction, Cobra Kai Season 4, The Sandman, Bridgerton Season 2 (obviously) & Through My Window.

Bridgerton is understandable, because even though a lot of people weren’t fans, millions were, and it went on to break some viewing records for the streaming site and was watched world over by too many people. Don’t remember people being that gaga over Extraction. But as we think about it, maybe a part II would be more exhilarating, because Rake’s emotional baggage and humane side has already been explained in the first film. So the makers can now just focus on Rake’s mission and not soppy flashbacks about how he tried to be a good dad. Maybe this time – he will just be a kick-ass assassin. Fingers crossed for that.

Here’s the trailer by the way –

‘Intrusion’ Review: Strong Actors Saddled With Weak Characters

Meera and Henry Parsons live in a lavish house in a secluded part of a small town in the U.S, it’s only been three months since they moved in and they already experience a home invasion. Intruders who barge in not once, but twice into their place; leaving Meera with trauma and questions, because her husband seems eerily calm about it.

The 2021 film “Intrusion” directed by Adam Salky and written by Chris Sparling is quite interesting for the first 20-30 minutes. Freida Pinto as the cancer survivor Meera gives her role a 100%, so does Logan Marshall-Green as Henry, her husband. But within half-hour, most viewers would be able to guess what’s going to happen in the end, and the predictability is not even the biggest problem, the poor characterization is.

Despite an interesting plot, the makers make Meera such a dumb screaming mess, that it gets frustrating to watch her commit silly mistakes. For example, when the couple is trying to escape from the clutches of the intruders in their home, Meera is so loud, it’s hard to believe the woman battled cancer. Might as well call the burglars and tell them where you, if you are going to scream and give away your location? It’s not like she is a poorly-educated housewife, she is a Boston university graduate who is a practicing therapist. And for a therapist, the protagonist is a little too dumb for my liking. Freida Pinto is actually great for the brief given to her, but she deserved a stronger & intelligent character.

The movies does have a few high-points – there are some really good jump-scare moments that befit the thriller genre. In-fact, ‘Intrusion’ will manage to give viewers more anxiety than some horror movies, the good ‘nail-biting’ kind. The background music blends well with the script and does a good job of keeping the movie pacy. There’s a decent red-herring inserted into the story that would throw some viewers off the track. But no matter how many salient points one lists, Meera’s character does something or the other (even though they are really small mistakes), that just doesn’t fit in the with the ‘strong – intelligent’ woman she is supposed to be.

As far as the climax is concerned, it was decent enough, the makers thankfully don’t drag things much or go on some emotional overdrive. If the writers had just worked a little more harder on the story, this could’ve been a great thriller. In the end, it’s just another average film that you can watch on a weekend, if you don’t know what to pick. It has no ‘re-watch’ value.

It’s a 6/10 from me. You can stream it on Netflix.

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Listen to – 15 Freaky Facts About The Case ‘Conjuring 3’ Is Based On

Ottoman Vs Venetian Paintings - Vis-A-Vis ‘My Name Is Red’

‘My Name Is Red’ is a fictional art-history novel that doubles up as a murder-mystery set in the 1450s, written by Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk. The story starts off with a corpse narrating his death. 

What follows next is multiple narrators, each somehow connected to the man we first meet as a corpse, a talented miniaturist called Elegant Effendi. Pretty early on, the reader is informed that Elegant was murdered because he doubted the nature of the work he and his fellow artists were commissioned to do. Effendi believed that his master was committing a grave crime by deviating from their traditional Ottoman miniaturist art by aping Venetian painting style. And that’s the strongest themes of the book - Ottoman Miniature Paintings versus the emerging Venetian style of painting that was soon taking over the West. So let’s look at this clash of two art schools – the Persian inspired Ottoman miniaturist form and the European Venetian form of painting.

Based on the story narrated by Pamuk, the Ottoman Miniature artists drew their paintings from “God’s point-of-view”. Which is why if you look at miniature paintings, they are slightly abstract and not very realistic. Also, Ottoman Miniaturists didn’t believe in individual styles – that is, if ten master artists from the Ottoman school of art were asked to paint a certain scene, an ordinary onlooker would never be able to differentiate between the painters. The artists were also forbidden from leaving any sort of signatures in their work.

Basically, there’s a lot of religious belief mixed in their art, the Ottomans believed that only Allah could create things, so if an artist tried to make something completely original, it would be considered blasphemous, because it meant the painter was trying to play God with his paintings. Which is why these paintings were also considered inferior to text and were earlier made only to accompany textual books.

Orhan Pamuk also talks about how the Ottoman artists were influenced by the Chinese, so a lot of the women in their paintings would look Chinese, with small eyes and pale skin.

Take a look at this Ottoman style painting below, real trees do not look like that, neither do the people nor buildings.

The Venetian School of Painting (which originated in Italy) however was a lot more realistic and focused on individual styles and portraiture. So while Ottoman miniatures would have multiple subjects, Venetian paintings a lot of time would focus on just individual subject and could be life-sized. Their style would be considered blasphemous by Ottoman painters, because according to them Venetian paintings made humans God-like.

Below is an example of a Venetian painting (Source: Wikipedia)

All of what I’ve written is based on my reading of “My Name Is Red”, so these differences between the Ottoman art vs the venetian art dates back to the late 1500s and not the later changes that took place in the respective art forms.

(P.S: I originally wrote a version of this write-up as an answer for a quora question)

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Listen to Episode 48 for some great graphic novel suggestions

Raya & The Last Dragon – Quick Review

It’s been a while since the 2021 Disney animated movie ‘Raya & The Last Dragon’ came out, but I got the ‘Disney+ Premium’ subscription only recently, so I finally saw it. A close friend of mine had mentioned how we are “too old & jaded” to enjoy it, because it’s largely aimed at children. But you know what, I was joyous like a little kid while watching it.

Here’s the biggest strength of the story – the colorful animation and the fact that it’s set in a mythical realm called Kumandra, steeped in the lore of dragons and magic. All the dragons are gone, but they were wiped out while saving mankind from a deadly plague which would turn living beings into stone. But with the plague and dragons gone, Kumandra scatters into five warring kingdoms, each trying to take control of the last piece of dragon magic left in their land. It’s up to the warrior Raya, to find the last dragon and restore Kumandra to its former glory again.

Raya has no romantic distractions, so the plot is completely focused on her quest, so full points for a completely asexual themed story. There are the usual emotional tropes that Disney uses in all its other films that we see in this one too – people losing family, failing to trust each other, and being greedy back-stabbing villains who make the protagonist lose faith in everything. The word ‘trust’ is used a little to often and can get a little overbearing for adult viewers, but one doesn’t suppose younger viewers will pick up on it.

Kelly Marie Tran has voiced Raya’s character, but it’s Awkwafina who stands out with her distinct playful husky voice as Sisu, the last dragon. There’s this lovely comic-book style animation used for a few seconds in the second-half while the characters are planning an ambush that is done very well. Some more of the mixing of art-styles could’ve made it more fun. Indian viewers will notice how the main dragons have Hindi name – ‘Sisu’ is very close to the word ‘shishu’ which mean baby and the dragon happens to be the youngest of her siblings. The other Hindi names are ‘Pranee’, ‘Amba’ and ‘Jagan’. The dragons themselves aren’t as grand as one would want them to be and look more like animated plush toys. It’s Awkwafina’s voice that gives a whole lot of personality to the ‘last dragon’, than the dragon in itself.

Some of the background music was a little funny in the first half, an awkward mix of western & Asian beats, but it gets a lot better and upbeat as the plot progresses. I loved how there are several strong women characters, although, we don’t get enough back-stories to them. The climax is a wholesome family-film affair and will have the non-cynical viewers happy and satisfied. A great pick for kids.

It’s a 7.5/10 from me.

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Ankahi Kahaniya Review – Creepy, Cringe-y, Copied

‘Ankahi Kahaniya’, the literal translation of this 2021 Bollywood film title is ‘Untold Stories’. Quick verdict – They should’ve been left that way. This Netflix anthology that’s almost two hours long is a compilation of three short films, that feel too long. If you can make a 30 minutes movie seem boring… boss, you are not doing things right.

It could be a spectacular co-incidence – but the third short directed by Saket Chaudhary seemed like a blatant rip-off of the novella ‘Evidence of the Affair’ by Taylor Jenkins Reid, the author of popular novels like ‘Daisy Jones and the Six’ and ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’. Just like the novella’s plot, a woman discovers her husband is cheating on her, so she reaches out to the husband of the ‘other’ woman. Everything that happens in the book, also happens in the film, except that Reid is given no credit and the Hindi dialogues are abysmally bad. “Every couple wants their marriage to end”.. “Infidelity is the reality of modern marriage” – these are the generic bullshitty dialogues that the protagonists spew as if they are 80-year-old philosophers. The acting and dialogue delivery is so flat, that it’s hard to watch most of it without cringing. Kunal Kapoor and Zoya Hussain are the lead actors in this one, and while Kapoor looks perpetually miffed for some reason, Hussain feels like a phony therapist.

Let’s move to the second short film, which is directed by Abhishek Chaubey and set in Mumbai. This one was slightly more bearable and follows two young protagonists Manjari (Rinku Rajguru) and Nandu (Delzad Hiwale), who love watching films. The two are from economically strained families, living in squalor, and escape the reality of their surroundings by imagining themselves as their onscreen idols. Manjari is a strong lead, she wants to study, but her parents don’t send her to college, so instead she makes money by doing embroidery work and then escapes to the world of cinema. We don’t get a lot of insights into Nandu, except for the fact that he works at the movie hall and takes care of an ailing alcoholic uncle. The film captures the essence of a lost era – that of the 80s & 90s, where courtships began with stolen glances and silly little gestures. However, the pace was slow and there were a lot of unnecessary shots of things most viewers would not have any interest in; for example a zoom in shot of a plate laden with messy food that one cannot even identify. “Why do we need to see this ugly food strewn on her plate?” I wondered out loud. Apart from the annoying shots, the story was interesting and steeped in reality, portraying the aspirations of the young ones from a poorer section of the society.

As far as the first story is concerned, it was quite creepy, not even weird, just creepy, even though the makers try to sugar-coat the central issue. The story follows a clothing-store worker Pradeep Lahoria (Abhishek Banerjee) in Mumbai, who is originally from a small village. He is so lonely in the big city that he starts to treat a mannequin like a lover. Now the basic plot is not even original, go to YouTube and you’ll find 100s of videos/features/documentaries about lonely men in China getting married to robots or treating blow-up dolls like their girlfriends. This need for men to gratify themselves with an inanimate object is because of the skewed sex-ratio in the country. However, in ‘Ankahi Kahaniya’, just loneliness doesn’t seem like reason enough to get cozy with a mannequin, it points to a deeper rooted mental health problem that’s not dealt with seriously in the story. Because even after Pradeep finds a woman to marry – his childhood friend who seems out of his league – he continues to pine for the mannequin. The most ridiculous part of the story is, when Pradeep confesses to the girl that he would take the mannequin around with him on dates, the girl claims it’s completely normal behaviour. “THIS IS HOW PEOPLE IN LOVE IGNORE RED FLAGS” I yelled out loud. The messaging of this tale is quite fucked up, so if I had to rate just this tale alone, I would give it a 1/5. Full points to actor Abhishek Banerjee for portraying a disturbed nut though.

Overall, it’s a 2/5 from me.

Stream on: Netflix

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‘East, West’ By Rushdie – Quick Review

It’s important that I mention how I’ve tried to read Salman Rushdie at least thrice before. I tried reading “Midnight’s Children” twice in my early 20s, but could never get beyond the first dozen pages because of the flowery metaphor overload. Next attempt was ‘Satanic Verses’ which is banned in India, so I got a friend to download a pirated copy years ago, and yet, despite all the excitement about getting to read ‘banned’ content, I couldn’t read beyond a few pages. Safe to say, Salman Rushdie didn’t seem like my kind of writer at all.

Cut to September 2021, and an online literature course required me to read ‘East, West’, a short story collection by Salman Rushdie. With very little enthusiasm, I started to read it, but was pleasantly surprised by the stories. As the title suggests, the book is an anthology of tales from two different civilizations – the east and the west. The first one titled ‘Advice is Rarer Than Rubies’ about a woman trying to get a spouse visa is mildly intriguing and encourages the reader to look forward to rest of the stories. Next one called “Free Radio” is set in the 1970s, during the controversial ‘compulsory sterilization’ program in India, which seemed to be a tragi-comedy of sorts, but is a mediocre tale at best. It deals with the issue of poor men willing to give up their manhood on the promise of a petty freebie (that’s beyond their means) by the government. The third story “The Prophet’s Hair” is easily the best told story in the collection, which is set in the beautiful Kashmir and is based on a real story of a religious relic going missing from a mosque. It interestingly combines religion with fantasy and resembles a lore from an ancient text. The entire collection is worth a read for just this one story in the book.

As far as the other stories are concerned, they weren’t very compelling and I had a hard time being interested. But at least I could survive a lot more pages than his long-form work. His language is a lot less pretentious and easy to read in this anthology. Some bits are even relatable and can evoke pleasant laughter. A story titled “At the Auction of the Ruby Slippers” was the most tedious in the collection, it’s futuristic and dystopian in nature, and the action is happening at an auction, where a pair of slippers is up for sale and all sorts of people come to the auction to catch a glimpse. The tale is supposed to be biting commentary on the absurd nature of man, but came across as a boring-pointless tale to me, I was really not interested in any deeper meanings.

I didn’t see the author catching the essence of a vibrant India in any of the stories, although, from the point of view of a foreign reader – the text definitely offers a unique slice of life from a culture they are not familiar with. Rushdie cleverly weaves fictional yarns in political contexts and if you are interested in reading a Rushdie title, this book might be an interesting place to start.

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