For an early 2010 style comedy, this Book delivers what it promises. To be not taken seriously, it is a simple One time read. Its about two friends who are growing up in early 90s Mumbai to actually adulting in New York streets. Behind the scenes of actual theatre life from just a layman's pov is constant and brings out funny side to not such a serious profession. Bromance is awesomely depicted, while although many jokes have not aged well in retrospect of today's time, but they're not super offensive either. If not even read, you're not missing much, because we all know @cyrus_broacha & his style of comedy, so this story is no different.
I dont know why am I so generously rating it a star,too! :| ITs Hopeless. It made me laugh only twice! Please Do not read it even if your handed this book for free! Worst read!!!
If you've been a fan of Cyrus Broacha and followed his career over the years then you will definitely enjoy reading this book.
I've been listening to his podcast since past couple of years and am used to Cyrus' voice and mannerisms so the book actually read like an audiobook in my mind with Cyrus narrating it himself!
Also I've heard a lot of the anecdotes mentioned in the book on the podcast so it really takes inspiration from his life and is sort of autobiographical in nature.
The book began very nice and it never feels heavy throughout the read. The humour is intelligent and very witty. You will actually laugh out loud at some places and chuckle in others!
The story fizzles out in the end and is closed in a rushed way.
Recommended only if you love Cyrus and his unique style of humour.
After previously reviewing Cyrus Broacha’s 8th Century BC treatise , which was a rollicking ride for me (I am kidding, I planked through the reading), the quest for knowledge pricking at the edge of my consciousness compelled me to begin reading the next work of Cyrus Broacha’s penmanship, which this time around, was the 8th century fictional-existential treatment of the lives of two mithrs, Sh. Karl & Sh. Kunal (buddies: as a term is a lot more characteristic of the 10th century than 8th century; additionally, historical fidelity should be ensured for better authenticated connect in one’s writings).
I enjoyed this book, like how I enjoy Praful’s explanations to his wife Daksha. With that deft comment on the entire body of Mr. Broacha’s existentialist theories, I now proceed to analyze this particular text in detail.
The treatise form of treatment of the existential conundrums obstacling the bildungsromantic journey of the two lads, embellished with a fictional storyline, seeped through digressive cracks in an otherwise jocular narrative. However, if plots were like woollen knit-wear, the plot in this classic text, would have looked like a fishing net for catching whales. The apparently flawed nature of the plot in this classic story, however, should not sway one away from the chief essence of the master-literateur’s writing, which compared to his previous work, however, was slightly lesser in its intensity. I speak of the plot in a less appreciative tone because the story meandered like a drunk snake with no in-built plot-shaping devices. However, Cyrus Broacha is known more for his authoritative treatises than fictional narratives. , and hence the author shall be excused for this half-baked attempt. Updated Edit: Mr. Broacha’s agents at Random House India have corrected me via email, that there was no attempt involved at plot-development and hence the rectification.
Cyrus’ earlier foray into dense literature was endearing for its dosage of well-positioned ridiculous humour, which was segmented under separate sections and stood on its own strength. However, despite a promising start to Karl’s story, the humour in this case was so adamant about standing on its own strength, that the story took its own shape and the humour….well, it continued to stand on its own ground, reluctant to be a part of the story. If an author indulges in deep philosophical wisdom couched as personal rants, it is acceptable and amusing, but when the same is presented in a story format, the humour necessarily has to be ‘ligamented’ with the spine of the story, rather than appear as coriander sprinkled here and about as garnishing after-thoughts. Also, Mr. Broacha slightly overlooked an otherwise pardonable matter of developing convincing characters; doing so would have definitely brought more life to the jokes in the book. But that is a personal and subjective opinion, and Mr. Broacha would do well to continue breathing more life into his image as a funny guy.
The afore-mentioned highly critical and observant analysis reveals that between story, plotting, characterization & humour, what really wins in this classic text, is the Savings Account of Mr. Broacha, which will be blessed with trickling copyright royalties. However, after allowing my subjective remarks to infiltrate this otherwise objective review (If you don’t agree, you need to treat your subjectivity issues), I would like to state that this book was a missed opportunity for making deeply analytical and insightful jokes on Bollywood because Mr. Broacha pandered to the popular literary device of employing clichés, which still continues to charm the minds of several readers.
P.S. I wish I could have really liked it, but it was like a 20 page Jokes-Book with a background story as an Appendix.
P.P.S. Some jokes were still worth the money, if the book as a whole wasn’t.
It's a book with a raw humor that we hardly see in the books. And that coming from MTV VJ Cyrus adds to the fun of reading the book since you know what to expect from the book- random foolishness and crazy stuff accompanied with a story to go with,so that readers don't think that it's a book about MTV one-liners or the insane script of their TV shows. The one I can remember is "Relationships are like under wears, the more you use them , the more comfortable they get." The book is short and crisp and it succeeds in tickling your funny bone (only if you have one).I couldn't stop myself laughing out loudly at times. The F*** world dialogs between Kunal and a movie director was simply amazing. Read this book when you are tired of reading the intellectual stuff and want something light to refresh your mind and laugh out loud.
Mention Cyrus Broacha and I instantly get reminded of his impeccable comic timing. I am a big fan of his shows and practically jumped at the opportunity to read his book Karl Aaj or Kal.
However, when I started to read the book, I felt very disappointed. The book would have been funny and enjoyable if it was a play or Cyrus’s monologue. However, in a book form, it was extremely confusing.
The story was haphazard, the names of the characters were sometimes mixed up and the ending didn’t make any sense.
It was a near-impossible task for me to actually finish reading this book. However, I persevered, hoping that as I turned each page, the magic of Cyrus Broacha would actually enthrall me. However, my effort was in vain....