Sheeja Jose: "I worked almost 20 hours every day without any holiday"!!! (Interview)

1398th BLOG POST -->>

  Sheeja Jose is one of the rarest authors who work hard on their books and writing skills which has led two of her books getting released within the time frame of an year. Not many author opens up in interview as Sheeja has done and I really appreciate the way she have answered each and every question. And yes, let me add, she is one of the beautiful authoress out there. Now you can go ahead towards reading this interview. Haha!

1. Sheeja Jose, how has been your journey from last year to this year as a writer and publishing two novels in such a short time?

In one word – tough! In detail, it was a great journey. I worked almost 20 hours every day without any holiday. Goodbye Girl and Gone with the Bullet were tough ones. Writing the first draft was always enjoyable. It’s such a pure joy of the journey. But real work happens after the first draft.  I could have taken it bit slow but I wanted both the books in the same year. I have to admit, I have learned so much more in the last year than I have in my previous ten years in this industry. Uncovering the world of crime and unravelling layers of shocking and sad details has made me a better human. I met some wonderful people in this journey. They are still part of my life and writing like S. Hussain Zaidi, Merlin Joseph and Mohan Nadar.... I would have never met them if it wasn’t for my book. Hussain Zaidi made a huge impact in my life and my approach to writing. I cherish every pearl of wisdom I have learnt from him. My friends Shridhar Raghavan and Arijit Biswas stood behind me like rocks. Merlin sacrificed her holidays for reading and re-reading Gone with the Bullet. Friends like Ketan Sadani and Navneet Choujar were there being in two different time zone. They showed me the value of friendship. I have many more names who contributed in a different way to this books and my writing journey. Yes, I earned every one of these experiences and for that, for them, I am eternally grateful.

2. We have found a basic trend in both of your novels that it had something to do with a female protagonist but still didn't have much of feminine touch to it. Tell us something about this.

My protagonists are teenagers in both the books. Well, they were like any other girl growing up, they were protected and loved by their families and were falling in love with boys and figuring out the sexual curiosity they face at that age. Then something happens; life changes, their dreams shatter, their survival becomes their priority. This world is not for pacifists. I wish I could say otherwise. Let me tell you a small example. If anyone grew up in a joint family or for those who have siblings you know the smartest one always gets whatever he/she wants. In schools, the soft spoken boys and girls always face the bullying. As they grow competition is tough, only the aggressors or the go getters march ahead. This is not something new. We all know ‘Survival of the fittest’. Our concept of evolution is based on this.  Only 1 in 14 million ejaculated sperm reaches the fallopian tube and fuses with the egg and becomes a life. Now you know what I mean.   My protagonists eventually shed their vulnerable feminine approach and tears. They chose a grimy path and stick with it. They are intelligent, smart and better than the rest. However we can see that they still have emotion, longing for love and affection.  They miss their family. They still dream to be protected by a man, sleeping next to him holding, him tight. But that’s not where their priorities lie.

3. Your first book was almost 400 pages while your 2nd novel is also above 300 pages. How do you manage to write long stories in such a short period of time?

I worked every single day. I haven’t travel out of Maharashtra in a year and a half.  I didn’t have any festivals or bank holidays. I hardly met my friends during this time.  I couldn’t devote time for the movie script assignment I was signed for. I returned my signing amount and, luckily, another one got delayed. I left my handsomely paid Creative Director job.   All I did was writing and publishing.  

4. Tell us something about what inspired you to write "Gone with the bullet"?

My first book Goodbye Girl was an unusual revenge drama. I explored the psyche of the victims and criminals alike. It opened a very brutal world where we are scared to acknowledge facts that are as real as you and me. It spooked many. Then when I wanted to write the second book, I wanted to look at crime in a less dense way.  At the same time, I wanted the book to be a psychological analysis of looking at crime through a different angle.  I was challenging my own ability to write one of those kinds. It was a risky approach, not usual for Indian writing and probably even for international writing. 

5. How did you associate with Whitewall Publishers? And how has been your collaboration with them till now?

Until the Gone with the Bullet book launch very few of my friends knew that Whitewall Publishers was started by me. Becoming a publisher was never in my to-do list.  It all happened during one of my meetings with a top publishing team in India. Goodbye Girl was submitted to Penguin for publishing though I had the slightest hope they would pick something up from an aspiring author. To our surprise, that’s what happened. In the first week of reading it, they asked to meet me in Mumbai. I was on cloud nine. My friends celebrated, and we were anxious about the next step. Then their chief editor suggested some changes. They wanted the girl’s journey without a family back ground. They were excited about the intelligent plotting in the manuscript. But I wanted her to be one like a next door girl who grown up in a perfect family as a perfect child.  Then I told them “Sorry, I don’t want to change.” It shocked them. My friends all proclaimed how stupid I was. I was stupid. But I had a great feeling about Goodbye Girl and I wanted to keep her alive as the way I gave birth to her. My ignorance of the complication of getting a book out helped me too. Once I got into it did I realised the amount of work and money I needed to start a publishing house. But I enjoyed the process. I learned a thousand things. I met wonderful people who influenced me in my life and writing. In short, when I look back, though still it was a stupid decision, I am happy. I am glad that I can help other new authors in a small way. Two books in a year from new authors is my next target. 

6. When are you coming up with your 3rd novel and if possible, can you please give us some insight about it.

In 2016 for sure. It’s a romantic story. I have a beautiful title of the book  I will start writing next month. I need a break now, desperately. 

7. How was the launch of "Gone with the Bullet"? How are you associated with renowned journalist, S Hussain Zaidi and critically-acclaimed movie maker, Sriram Raghavan?

I can’t be more grateful. I had the best names associated with crime next to me, though it still gives me butterflies. I was really nervous about being on the stage with them. These are the people I look up to and adore. So imagine my situation!  And everyone who came for the launch made my day. It was a huge turn out beyond my imagination. Though we had the launch at the Oberoi mall, we couldn’t accommodate them and they stood through the whole event. That was so kind of them and very encouraging for a new author. Then the shock of my life came in the form of Chief Guest S. Hussain Zaidi. I have no idea what my chief guest and special guest were going to say.  Everyone knows Zaidi is a veteran crime journalist and the bestselling author of many crime books and many movies under his belt and above all a proud Penguin Publisher. I met Mr. Zaidi and his team when Penguin picked up Goodbye Girl to publish. It was he who gave me the insight of the book world. I was completely new in this industry. I was so glad to see my favourite author as publisher too. Then the changes suggestion came from the chief editor in Delhi and I decided to go ahead with as the way it is. However, I was so blessed he still encouraged my writing. When I got stuck with the publishing and writing, I had Mr. Zaidi to look up to.  He was generous in parting his wisdom and encouraged me to write better. When he explained this in his speech, I was overwhelmed. It showed us just how great a human being he was. He appreciated my determination then, and that is why he was there at the launch. I can never thank him enough. 

I have known the Raghavan brothers and their family for over a decade now. As I don’t have my family here, I can say, they have really made up for it. They are all  well read,  motivated to do wonderful things in life and have a loving  and adorable mother who reads my books as well as helps me with my writing. Shridhar Raghavan, Shivam Nair, Arijit Biswas, are those three people I send anything I write to first and then Merlyn Joseph.  I narrate the stories in details to Mr. Zaidi in between his busy schedule. I valued their suggestions.  I think I am blessed to have great people in my life. Still one has to find her/his own way. They can’t write for you. They all can just guide you. 

8. You looked very hot and beautiful and looked no less than any Bollywood actress at your launch. What do you do to remain fit and maintain an ideal figure?

 I am blushing now. Thank you, that’s a bonus compliment anyone would like to hear. I eat without worrying about my figure. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I don’t do drugs. And I of course I inherited it too. So thanks to my parents. 

9. What are your dreams as a writer and where do you see yourself after 10 years? 

Nothing can give me as much happiness writing has given me. I loved the journey with my characters. I see writing more books without worrying about genres; though crime is my favourite. And I see myself directing the movies written by me.  After ten years, I see myself travelling more, developing the habit of reading, writing books, making movies, and supporting aspiring writers and movie makers.  I tell Mr. Zaidi, his approaches to new authors and the support he showers on them gives me a reason to give back the same to others and be a better person.

10. Any words for your fans who are the reason behind your books' success.

Thanking would be just taking away my gratitude I have in my heart for them. Without them, me or any authors would never be inspired to write because it is a long and lonely journey.  Only you can keep us going ahead. Pick up the email id, write to them even if love their book or hate it. You have no idea how much it will help us. It helped me immensely. It gave me a reason to write better, and to write more. Only love and hugs.

https://twitter.com/sheejasthoughts  ( though i have hardly any here :) 

https://www.facebook.com/sheeja.jose.96

sheejajose.com

whitewallpublishers.com

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Review: Saala Khadoos: Script, Screenplay and Performances uplift the movie! ****

1397th BLOG POST -->>

SAALA KHADOOS: 4/5

     

      Saala Khadoos is a great movie which needs to be watched this weekend which will not only rejuvenate you for a week but months. It is very effective and touching and does not bore and disappoint you even in a single scene. Right from its first frame to its last, movie showcases what a great cinema is and how such serious and wonderful topics should be handled rather than creating a mockery of it. The movie is so well-made that you would feel as if it is a biopic of someone who have accomplished great feat in the game of boxing. 

            Movie is about how the actual sports body works when politics is being played with the coaches and players. They are left in a trap from which they can never be freed if they love their game and wishes to play for their country. The corruption and self-interest of the officers higher in hierarchy affects the career and game of some of the really good players who can change the fortune of the country in the particular sports but they are never given chance because they do not compromise and agree with whatever is ORDERED to them. Along with taking this serious topic ahead, movie also portrays the word LOVE in the way it should be actually shown in our movies. How two sisters working in the same field can face changes in their relationship is another good angle spoken in the story. 

           The script of the movie is the real winner along with the screenplay. Movie is never stretched and dragged. Everything is kept in the right proportions which plays well with the audience. Songs move the story further hence their insertion is also justified. The dialogues are crisp and effective and brilliantly written. They aren't used again and again like a typical Bollywood movie but all the dialogues does their job well in making you clap for it. The scenes where the coach hits the girl is also handled well otherwise it could have been looked bad and violent. 

           Coming to the performances, R Madhavan have played the character of a rude and serious coach very well. The expressions on his face and his whole body language makes you adore him on screen. His screen presence shows the hard work he must have gone through to make himself perfect in this role. Ritika Singh has delivered a wonderful performance and I doubt if she can ever match up to her own level later in her career. Seeing her in this movie, it is hard to imagine her do anything other than being rough and tough and knocking out her opponents in the boxing ring. All the other performances are also excellent and no one lacks in this department called ACTING. This movie makes you feel angry and sad about our sports body, also makes you laugh and cry in its moment and also encourages you to accept the LOVE shown in a very different manner. I give this movie 4 stars out of 5. 

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!! 

Mastizaade: A Foolish Attempt in the Genre!!! 0

1396th BLOG POST -->>

MASTIZAADE: 0/5

      Bollywood movie-makers should learn a genre before starting to explore it with their amateur ideas and skills. Last week Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 disappointed us a lot in the name of Sex Comedy and this week, Mastizaade got itself vindicated in the same list. This is Milap Zaveri's first directorial venture who has been a part of many successful projects before. The problem lies in assuming that India's vulgar audience is so vulgar that they will like anything that is made in the name of vulgarity. Sometimes, sit at the "katta" where the target audiences of such movies sit and crack jokes. You will get a clear idea on how much work you still have to do in making them laugh through your movies. There's lot of lacking factors in your movies that claim to make us laugh through punchlines based on sex, lust and vulgarity.     

           Mastizaade does not have a great plot line. It drives through just like that with few dialogues cracked in an incomplete manner which sounds like a notorious favor until the same person clarifies it by adding a word and giving it the meaning with which it was said. And this is how almost 90% of all the dialogues are written in the movie. Most of the jokes are targeted at testicles which I do not know why the makers thought would make the people laugh. It is the least wanting organ of the 4 body parts involved in seduction and sex. Haha! Also I do not know what made makers think that "beep" concept tried with Riteish Deshmukh's character will be an appreciative element. It must have made them laugh while writing but none of the jokes were funny during the course of the movie. God knows if the makers even know what audiences prefer. 

           Sunny Leone is wasted in the movie. The only reason why Milap must have cast her seems to be making her stand in bikini through out the movie. There's not a single scene where Sunny Leone seduces in a raunchy hot scene to make the audiences feel that their paisa has been vasool-ed. And the expectations are always high when you take Sunny Leone in a movie and that too, in a double role performance. Tushar Kapoor and Vir Das have also been disappointing with their same kind of performance in the whole 2 hours. There's nothing great in their role for which one would at least watch this movie for the actors playing the main characters. If a sex comedy doesn't have sex, comedy and dialogues, I do not think there's anything left in it to watch. I will give this movie 0 star. 

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!! 

How Bhupendra Chaubey made us realize who we are!!!

 1395th BLOG POST -->>

        The other day I saw that interview of Sunny Leone with Bhupendra Chaubey where she is been humiliated by the offensive questions of the journalist. Well, I am not a great fan of the porn actress nor I have watched any of her so-called XXX movie. But I do not endorse disrespect of anyone who is on path of changing their life by leaving their past behind on a national television by a journalist who belongs to a profession in which they have themselves become biased in the name of TRP and money. Count all the famous journalists and you won't find a single one among them who isn't biased or provocative in their prime time shows. And the journalist also wanted to conduct the same interview in Hindi with Leone but she disagreed and moved out from the studio. She says that she got scared and started feeling lonely in that room because of the kind of questions journalist was purposely hurling to demean her on national television.  

           Well, I don't think that raising finger only on the journalist will prove all the other interviews or discussion on television to improve. The problem lies in all of us. We, human beings, are never happy with our own lives. Whenever there's a small issue that we come to know, we share it with someone else not as a bad news that has happened with someone but we scandalize it through our narration of the same scenario. This leads to defamation of those people involved in it and we never feel bad about them even if we know that we could have helped them by not sharing the incident even when we came to know after 100 already knew about it. We like peeping into lives of people around us, find flaws and then demean them either behind them or publicly shame them for their wrongs (which had nothing to do with your life) committed intentionally or unintentionally. 

             Many youngsters commit suicide for the only reason of insult that they have to face in their campus every day. A small secret of their life gets revealed to someone in the campus and the person starts harassing the victim in group until they end up doing something more terrible which can give them a much better topic to share with everyone in classroom and canteen. With this attitude, people move towards their professional and married life and keep doing the same with the people they meet in this journey called life. We find it an achievement in breaking someone's bad news among our circle and become the FIRST person to break that news to everyone. We feel that this makes us vindictive and wanting in our circle which urges everyone to come and talk with us forcibly. Because even they want to break it to someone who is still unaware of someone's tragedy. Ill, isn't it?

              Today, the new generation have started hating their relatives for the only reason that they never support the family in tragedy but makes fun in as many places as possible so that we face humiliation wherever we go. And with years, in hatred, even we develop this attitude of ridiculing someone's life- as a revenge as much as possible and we start feeling an achievement in doing this. But we realize the same when it comes back to us through our children. When they get humiliated and scandalized in public for something that they are going through, it is only then that we realize the pain but rather than taking any lessons, we become more outrageous and villainous and start spoiling as many lives as possible with this habit. What Bhupendra Chaubey did that day on national television was the example of what all of us are. If you seriously felt bad about the victim on the show, just promise yourself that you will never let anyone be the victim of the same until and unless it's in your possibility to stop the chain reaction of gossip. That's all I wanted to say.

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!! 

The need of the nation on this 26th January!!!

1394th BLOG POST -->>

         There are always few problems around us but that does not mean we boycott the environment or start cussing it for becoming what it is. There is always a person who stands out in the mass and promises to change the whole scenario and makes the horizon a better place to live in. And when everyone in the crowd has the same feeling of changing things for betterment or doing whatever they can from whatever amount of resource and energy they have, the society only leads and becomes an example which is followed by others which results in many more societies becoming a better place to live in. India is going through the same phase and it needs someone like Gandhi or Bhagat Singh or Swami Vivekananda to become a leader, inspire the crowd and develop a leader among everyone to take India in a situation from where it can see a great future. 

 

            On this Republic Day, this is the only problem that we, as a nation, are facing. We have everything that this country needs to develop but because of many outrageous and negative mindsets whatever that can take place is also not happening and we are only moving backwards. Even when we have got a new government which is eyeing on bringing as much foreign investments in India as possible to raise our economy and importance in World map, we are not finding time from making memes of the Prime Minister and making fun of him. Yes, you can say that he must have concentrated on improving the basics first before going towards implementing premium changes like bullet trains etc but we do not know what's actually happening in the meetings of cabinet ministry. May be they have some other plans that we aren't aware of. 

           There are billion of things that are wrong with our country for which Government may be the culprit but there are also million of things that we can do to save our country from whatever embarrassment it is facing or might face in near future. But what are we doing except pointing finger at government, citizens, outsiders, constitution etc? Everyday, we find someone or the other sharing snaps of few people breaking rules in public places and becoming arrogant and egoistic when asked not do the same. This is the problem with us. When we are doing wrong and someone is asking us to stop it we want to show him/her how right, powerful and stubborn we are but we do not settle the situation with a smile and inspiring our own self rather than arguing with the person who is doing his bit to improve the situation of this country. 

            There is no point in having a constitution or 100 such regulatory policies when we do not have the propensity of mooting our level and becoming a better citizen than the way we grew up in this country. May be 1000 citizens must be throwing their chocolate wrappers in the train but may be one wrapper of yours that goes into the dustbin may reduce 365 such wrappers in a year in a train's coach and railway platforms. May be if we are not honking on road, we can reduce the noise pollution level by a small fraction in the overall statistic of the city. May be if we stop identifying people with their religion and region, we can decrease whatever little intolerance our country is facing. It's time to contribute at our personal level for our country which is not only government's job but equally ours too. Let's get to work with this and celebrate Republic Day with joy and happiness. 

  A VERY HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY TO ALL OF YOU!!!

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!! 

Review: Airlift: Simple, Pure, Sweet Yet Effective!!! ****

1393rd BLOG POST -->>

AIRLIFT: 4/5

         There was a time when only Border, L.O.C Kargil and movies like Zameen were considered to be the way a patriotic movie could be made and our Bollywood didn't know any other way to make the audience feel their hidden love within them for their nation. Then the movies like Gadar, Lagaan and The Hero came in and made us their fan with a new treatment towards this genre and since then, director mostly stayed away from making any kind of patriotic movies with superstars as it was more of a risky business than profitability. But the time changed and movies like Chak De India, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Mary Kom started making us feel the love towards our nation and believe that there's still enough reason to die for our nation than live only to cuss the wrong system. Swades is a classic which was a great treatment to the subject and similarly, the latest release, Airlift, is another sensible attempt towards portraying how few people at their personal level do things for our country and still go unnoticed.  

           Airlift is a film made with pure heart and love for the nation and therefore, the topic chosen to portray the same is also perfect. It's about the evacuation of 1,70,000 Indians from Kuwait when Saddam Hussain attacked the country. The Indian Air Force and Air India pilots joined hands to bring all the Indians back to their country and the event still remains to be the biggest evacuation to ever take place on this earth. Though the makers haven't concentrated on how exactly the evacuation took place and the challenges our pilot and government faced in it but the main focus of the subject has been about how different kind of Indians with different perspectives get trapped 1000s of kilometer away and how one of them with positive mindset and a will to do something for his countrymen does something that's the substitute word for impossibility. And the makers have definitely succeeded in portraying the same on screen. It's a movie full of emotions which evokes patriotism and forces you to do something for your nation rather than sitting and cribbing about everything that's not perfect here. 

          Coming to the dialogues, they are sleek and easy still effective. The music of the movie is also very nice. The only problem I had with the movie was it's insertion of dancing and singing which seriously didn't suit this movie which was already doing well without any bajana and gaana. Performances- Akshay Kumar have managed to give one of his finest performances even when he wasn't made to do any action, comedy or romantic scene. That's what you call an actor and Kumar proves it very well. Nimrat Kaur also manages to perform her role the best as she could have though I couldn't relate with her much. Purab Kohli has given a surprisingly excellent performance in few scenes that he has. All the other actors are also perfect in their part and makes you clap for them in the end. I give this movie a good 4 stars out of 5 because this is what we want to see and not stupidities like Happy New Year and Kyaa Kool Hain Hum. 

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!! 

Review: Kyaa Kool Hain Hum: Neither Sex Nor Comedy!!! ½

1392nd BLOG POST -->>

KYAA KOOL HAIN HUM 3: 0.5/5

       I am just done watching Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 which was intended to be Sex Comedy like its first 2 parts and I am seriously missing the 1st movie in the franchisee. This movie neither had sex nor comedy. The first movie in the series was quite ahead of its time and surprised many of us with its straight-forward adult jokes which were really funny. Now the time has actually moved quite ahead which seriously needs a good adult comedy to actually impress its audience and KKHH 3 is definitely not THAT. It does start with few sentences which has double meaning and manages to make you smile but with time, the focus of the script changes towards the plot like Golmaal or Bol Bachchan where one lie leads to many and the confusion gets build up only to get solved in the end with a happy ending. It was quite sad to see film getting off track only after few minutes of its show.  

            The biggest problem with the script is that they have no idea what they are about to make but just because they already have a brand of this movie, they moved ahead to make this worthless piece of .... . It seems as if writers created 4-5 dialogues which made the producers laugh and they asked them to build a movie around it and that produced this idiotic movie with no substance. The entrance of Krishna did create some hope but it eventually reduced to anger and frustration as to why the director of the movie didn't concentrate even a bit on screenplay and characters which could have done wonders. None of the performances look solid enough to engage you with the movie. And some characters are wasted such as of Shakti Kapoor and Mandana Karimi that you want to ask the writers that why did they add it in the story in the first place.

           Tushar Kapoor have looked totally idiot in this movie even though he have managed to make us laugh in many comedy movies earlier. Mandana Karimi does not have more than 4-5 dialogues which was quite disappointing. Giselle and Claudia are only meant to show their respective cleavages and does well in doing that. It's only Aftab Shivdasani who have managed to perform decently in whatever he was given. Music of the movie is below average and none of the songs are enough catchy to stay with you once you move out of the theater. I give this movie only 0.5 stars and that too for the cleavage of Giselle. I wish the next release- Mastizaade turns out to be a worthy adult sex comedy than this poor act. 

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!! 

Gone With The Bullet by Sheeja Jose (Book Review: 3.75*/5) !!!

1391st BLOG POST -->>

     I am just done reading 6th novel of the new year and what can be the better way to celebrate your weekend than sitting with a book for hours. Isn't it? This time I picked up Sheeja Jose's 2nd book "Gone with the Bullet" which is published by the Whitewall Publisher. This 318 pages thick book is a crime thriller about how a girl falls in love with the man who might be her father's killer. It's always wonderful to read a thriller written by a female author because there's already many men in this genre releasing book one after another. Last time, Aarti Venkatraman surprised me with her "Kingdom Come" and I can surely say that Sheeja Jose is another competitive author in our Indian market. 

    

         The writing style of the authoress is wonderful and she narrates her story very well. The best that I found in this book has been the way the past life of each character is intertwined perfectly and the way it has its reflection in their present behaviour in the social circle. Even though the book stays on its main plot but still the characters are built with each chapter and you can understand what's going in mind of each one of them. Also the curiosity of what shall happen in the end stays with you as a reader which makes this book a great page-turner. Author have researched well therefore the technical terms that she have used for explaining the backdrop of shooters, terrorists and police force is worth-reading. 

     

     Initially, it is hard to get into the flow of the story because the way the first chapter begins isn't reader-friendly but once 60-70 pages are done, we start getting used to the author's unique way of narration and start enjoying the story of two couples simultaneously. Also, Mark begins to get over you and becomes the favorite character by the middle of the book. And the final section when the task has to be executed is also well-written and you are surprised by the turn of events. Though it had become predictable at one point of time that who among the protagonists would ultimately do that final task in the climax but still the whole scenario is worth reading and experiencing.

            Coming to the drawback: I felt that the author stretched the story for almost 40-50 pages. Even after the climax when the suspense starts getting unfolded to us, it takes almost 50-70 pages and you are made to read the same scenes again with a different angle which is interesting in the beginning but starts irritating after a while and you want to skip the pages even when you want to know how exactly the real player ended up ruining everyone's plan. Also, as I have said it above, the initial chapters aren't reader-friendly which could have been written little better. Author have failed in narrating the first 50 pages and the last 50 pages of the book. Rest, it is a wonderful book which should be read if you are into thrillers. Just for this I am cutting 0.25 stars from my rating which is 3.75* out of 5. But Sheeja Jose is one of the better Indian authors away from the mediocrity that we are finding in bookshelves daily. 

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!! 

Our Impossible Love by Durjoy Datta (Book Review-3.9*/5) !!!

1390th BLOG POST -->>

      And I spent my Sunday reading Durjoy Datta's 12th novel named "Our Impossible Love" which is my 5th book of this year and I'm very glad that I managed to complete this 289-pages book in a day. It's a very light read which makes it easy for you to keep turning pages to explore what will happen with the protagonist in the very next sentence. Durjoy Datta is a young author who knows what his young audience needs from him. He always manages to write a book based on teenagers yet touch a different layer of emotion each time. From last 2-3 years, he have begun experimenting with characters in his books which is proving him to be a writer better than many other claiming to sell more than him in off-seasons when these bestselling authors don't release their work. It is incredible on the author's part to write more than 12 books in his writing career of 9 years. Kudos!     

           Our Impossible Love is a story of Danish Roy and Aisha Paul, both different in their own way since school time, and find it very hard to compare themselves with their classmates and peers. But time brings both of them together and then how chemistry changes and twists and turns happen is what makes Our Impossible Love a book that you would ask everyone to read at least once. Yes, the initial 35-40 pages of the book are little annoying as some uncomfortable situations of both the characters are talked about and it becomes hard to accept in the initial pages itself and you assume that the whole book would carry about their trauma with their changing hormones etc. But the moment author starts introducing more characters in the story in form of Sarthak, Ankit, Vibhor etc, you know that the tale is about to begin. 

           Durjoy Datta has chosen to tell the story in first person for the main protagonists which gives a special touch to the narration. The Indian pulp-fiction writers should learn from Durjoy on how to speak about a current topic without being preachy yet speaking everything that's politically and morally correct. It doesn't bore you even for a while and you want to read the author's viewpoint on many other youth issues too. Author talks about uncomfortable sex a girl has to go through in the name of relationship, the scary days after the girl decides to stop the boy from misusing her body, an emotion of a boy who hears rumour about his sister sleeping with different boys daily, an emotional turmoil of a boy who realizes that he is a gay and his fight against daily abuses from his classmates for being something which isn't in his control, an inferiority complex of a boy who is always treated extra against his brother who's a performer and achiever etc. 

           This book talks on so many youth issues in such an interesting manner that you couldn't believe in the end that you read a story which actually opened your mind towards different kinds of people you have around you whom you don't even consider in your life. This book is definitely one of Durjoy's best attempt and the author have finally managed to find a purpose behind his passion of writing. I have always been a good critic to the author and have rated him both- High and Low but this time, it's definitely on a better side- I rate this book 3.9* out of 5. GO FOR IT! It's a recommendation. 0.1 less than 4 because I found climax little silly and not a very good end to a story which carried itself with a great stature throughout. :-)

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!! 

Review: Natsamrat: Artistic, Emotional, Dramatic, Pure!!! ****

1389th BLOG POST -->>

 NATSAMRAT: 4/5

       Natsamrat is the first ever Marathi movie I have watched in my life because I had an option of watching it with subtitles. Though I understand Marathi language but I didn't want to spoil my experience of watching any movie by not understanding even a single dialogue of it. Natsamrat is adaptation of a famous Marathi play into a movie by Mahesh Manjrekar and this man has once again proven why he is considered to be one of the best talents we have in our country. The way movie is written and presented on the big screen is worth applauding. Though the concept isn't something new as it's also made on the lines of Baghban, Avatar, Bidaai etc. But the way writers and director have given it a dramatic and emotional touch in the most unique manner makes this movie an epic experience to watch.      

            Nana Patekar is just absolutely perfect in the movie and since his first scene to the last, he is so flawless that you won't stop praising him after coming out of the theater for a week at least. His performance takes away a part of yours with it which will always bow in devotion to this actor. He makes you laugh and cry with him but along with it, he also manages to shock and surprise you with his unexpected behaviors and dialogues and the way he faces his life just as if it is a play and nothing else. This character meant only for Nana Patekar and never ever can any actor touch the same strings as Nana have, through this movie. He will always be remembered for his brilliance that he portrayed in this creative presentation.

            The dialogues in the movie are so powerful that you won't stop clapping and repeating them again and again even while watching. Every monologue by Nana Patekar is written crisply and straight with a literary value which makes this movie a classic indeed. The best parts of the movie are whenever Nana and his best friend, played by Vikram Gokhale, are in conversation and the bestial comes in the last scene between them when they enact their favorite part from Mahabharata. Even Patekar's chemistry with his wife is wonderfully portrayed. Everyone have performed their best and this movie is an example of how a movie is made considering all the artistic values and creative writings. I give this movie 4 stars out of 5 for being different and special. 

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!! 

Review: Chalk N Duster: Boring, Dull & Bad Execution!!! *

1388th BLOG POST -->>

          Education system in India is a great topic to be talked upon in form of any kind of creative medium- documentary, movie or a book. Munnabhai MBBS, 3 Idiots, 5 Point Someone are the great examples of the same. Chalk N Duster is also made on the similar topic and is the 2nd Bollywood movie to be released in 2016. These days, new directors are making some powerful Bollywood movies which might not collect huge amount at the Box Office but almost everyone appreciates whoever watches it. I had thought that same would be the case with CND but the movie is very disappointing in terms of execution. 

          The idea is great and even the topics mentioned related to what happens in private school is also real and relating but it could have been done either in a very entertaining way or serious way but it seems to be inspired so much from Indian daily soaps that a non-lover of the same would bang his head on each and every scene. Definitely, few scenes are powerful and makes you emotional or aware but it's not enough for you to clap for it. These days, a movie is made on a social topic on how rich is exploiting the system - then a person thinks of standing against it - his action is then recorded by someone and shared on social media - in pre-climax, you will find a revolution taking place and mindset of people getting changed- by the climax, the rich personality's truth gets revealed and the hero gets his due importance and respect- And they lived happily after.... And Chalk N Duster is made actually in the same manner. Boring!!!

            Chalk N Duster is a movie which is made with very good intentions and that's why you won't like to abuse it. But somewhere in your heart, while watching the movie, you will feel bad for such a good message being represented in such a dull manner. The performances are good by Juhi Chawla and Shabana Azmi. But rest, all the other stars have participated in the movie as if it's a charity towards director. All the potentials have been skewed by the director which he could have utilized in much better way. I give this attempt just 1 star and that too for its intention otherwise movie has nothing for which I should give it any mark on the rating scale. 

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!! 

Imitation is not Adaptability but Our Under-confidence towards our Personality!!!

1387th BLOG POST -->>

   Each of us have got our own lives and there's individualistic propensity according to which each one of us lead our lives. And that's what makes meeting and greeting new people interesting and joyful because we tend to know things that we would have never got acquainted with. The learning that we possess after talking with anyone in this world even for 5 minutes may not be visible at that point of time but somewhere in our subconscious mind, the experience stays and makes us take a wise decision against a similar personality after years. This is the reason why when we watch reality shows like Bigg Boss or Roadies, we start identifying the contestants with few people we personally know in life. Because somewhere in our mind the person stayed even when we didn't traveled, chatted, enjoyed night-outs with him/her.       

          Don't you think we often end up remembering the people who are genuine and unpretentious? The people who fake or pretend themselves to be something they aren't do become a point of our gossips for few days or weeks but eventually we forget them and many useless people in our life after that are compared with them. That's the only time we remember them but never in the good moments of our life. The imitation of any other personality when gets imbibed into our personality- the whole existence almost gets skewed and diminished. We may think that the people around are saluting us but somewhere in the block of our mind, we know that the thing might disappear when I'll speak my mind someday- intentionally or unintentionally. 

             The pretentious personality often emerges out as an instant and spontaneous performers but after some time, their USP which made them cynosure starts fading away and as soon as they start unmasking their real side, they are been moved to that isolated part of social circle from where coming out becomes a major task of their life. Many die in loneliness then or many struggle in depression. An improvement after realization brings back that glorious life which might have started because of your pretensions but it returns to stay forever. And the feeling is not less than experiencing spirituality, peace and joy within. 

              An introvert personality may act little overtly or an extrovert personality may start his journey with silence and isolation at a new environment but that's called adaptability. Pretension occurs when a person changes his whole personality to fit into the society to make people believe that he belongs to the same society as them and become a part of the group and get an identity. That's actually an identity crisis. You are not believing in yourself which makes you less prone to impress anyone and become anyone's favorite, not even of the one whom you are idolizing in your movement of imitation. Some people follow their superstars so much that they almost start wearing and walking and talking like them but even for a minute or two when their real self is displayed, people get enough annoyed to not even cross the road they walked by. 

               Stop imitating anyone and be yourself. If you find it hard to let your real self get presented in front of new company, take few weeks but eventually come into the zone in which you find yourself at ease without any pressure of always proving yourself to be someone you are not and cannot be. I am someone who finds his solace only when he cracks joke on everyone and makes his environment a live demonstration of a stand-up comedian's stage. But whenever I join a new institution, I am the one who would seem to be the most boring and isolated personality but after knowing the people and getting to understand what each one of them are like, I start displaying myself gradually and I come into my avatar within few weeks. And only then I feel that I am living the life I am proud of. I feel so confident about my personality. Many people might feel few of my jokes offensive and demeaning but I know that the way to anyone's heart is to enter into their life with my real self with however complex and avoidable it is. :-) That's all I had to talk with you today.

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!! 

Heart of Bullets by Nikhil Kushwaha (Book Review: 2.5*/5) !!!

1386th BLOG POST -->>

      I am done reading the 4th book of the year this weekend and I am quite happy with the way it's moving right now. And this time I picked up Nikhil Kushwaha's 3rd book, "Heart of Bullets", which is published by one of the recently founded publication- Petal. The cover page of the book is indeed appealing and even the title. The book is basically about story of a soldier and his past life. It is spoken by one of his friends who also joins the army along with him and has been his friend since 2nd grade. I liked the idea of how author chooses one of the friend who always lost the race against his friend as the protagonist to tell the story and still kept the main hero of the book in the character of the friend who wins every time but leads a sad life through out.      

           I liked how the book begins with a scene based at LoC which gives a feel that we are about to read story of some great characters. A life of soldier during their vacations is also narrated in the initial chapter itself and you can surely relate with it if you know someone who is in army. And later on when the book moves towards the hero of this book- SAM, the tone of the story telling changes and becomes little mature. I liked how author has developed his character as intense and someone who keeps quiet with out letting anyone knows what pain and loneliness he feels within. And after a point of time, the book goes into a long flashback where his life is talked in detail. 

           And that's when I found this book going into the right direction but got really disappointed to read the whole teenage and immature love story once again. And author has narrated the whole thing in such details that it becomes irritating and unwanted after some time. Few scenes are surely worth reading but over all, I feel that it could have been cut shorter by almost half the length at which it is currently written. Coming to the climax, it is quite filmy which does not sound realistic from anywhere and therefore, you do not relate with it. Yes, indeed it is emotional and you will find yourself emotional but something that you'll soon find funny as it's quite like Bollywood of 90s when such things were done in the end to make you become emotional and feel good about the creation of the artist. 

           Nikhil has a great talent of writing which definitely gets proven in few of the scenes that he have written. The poems in the book are also very nicely woven but I felt they are inserted more than they were actually needed in the story. His passion for writing can be surely felt whenever he wrote regarding the life of soldier at the battle field and all the scenes he have written related to them are better and worth reading. Coming to the editors and publishers, I feel that the book is very badly edited with lots of grammatical and spelling mistakes. Also, the same story could have been completed successfully in about 240-250 pages but it seems nothing is edited out from what writer submitted as the final draft. Little effort on this front could have helped this book. I give it 2.5 stars and it surely reflects author's pure intention towards writing it. Kudos to that!

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Review: Wazir: Emotional, Magical, Thrilling and Unmissable! ****½

1385th BLOG POST -->>

WAZIR: 4.5/5

       I am just done watching the very first movie of 2016- WAZIR and I am so delighted that I am unable to express how much this movie has impressed me. Not everyday do you watch a movie that makes you a part of it. And talking about Bollywood, very few movies manage to create this effect on its audience. I can only remember Drishyam and Badlapur in recent times which had managed to involve me so much into it that I couldn't stop thinking about the characters even after a month of watching them. Wazir is added into the list and the fact that it is the first movie that released in 2016, it gives quite positive vibes about this year's movies. Well, I am aware of the fact that Mastizaade is releasing soon but let's see...   

              Bejoy Nambiar have created a wonderful ambiance in Wazir that does not stop you from falling in love with it. It begins with a soft and sweet music giving you a romantic flavor and slowly moves towards tragedy and then introduces a character which is played by Amitabh Bachchan and the game of chess and DIALOGUES begins. The tragedy still holds you and the beautiful music in background and face of lovers in the fore turns you emotional for quite lot of times. And whenever Bachchan interferes between the two, the scene becomes quite sweet and a great filler in this movie. The revenge attitude against the people who ruined the live of all the 3 main protagonists and their fiery replies keep making you angrier as an audience until the last few minutes when the final action begins. 

            The film is only 100 minutes which is a rare phenomenon in Bollywood and even then leaving its mark on the audiences is what makes Wazir a special movie. The performances are rock solid. Amitabh Bachchan just makes you forget his previous great performance in Piku. It's unbelievable that even after 42 years in industry, the Superstar of the Millennium is still able to bring on some of his best performances. Farhan Akhtar is again another factor of this movie which makes it look good. His facial expressions speaking of sorrow, depression, revenge, emotions, love, rage and anger makes you fall in love with his acting. Manav Kaul is a surprising element in this movie who carries it on his shoulder equally even after being a villain. Aditi Rao Hydari looks sweet and gives a fine performance. 

            The music is extremely good. The two songs are unforgettable and defines what we actually call as soulful melodies- Tere Bin and Tu Mere Paas. The dialogues are also powerful in the movie. Amitabh Bachchan's voice in the climax makes you feel that you are experiencing something divine. Overall, this movie does magic upon and it's something I can watch again and again. I give this movie 4.5 stars out of 5.

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

My Gita by Devdutt Pattanaik (Book Review-3.75*/5) !!!

1384th BLOG POST -->>

          I had read a lot about Devdutt Pattanaik but finally read his first work which is also his latest release- "My Gita", published by Rupa Publication. First of all, I must say that the cover page is very excellent which makes you curious to know what exactly is written in the book and you will not want to keep it aside until you are done with all the 18 chapters. I took almost 3 weeks to complete this book as I wanted to remember most of the events and understanding of the Hindu mythology. I must say that the reading experience has been great as the way Devdutt has made the concept easier for the novice readers isn't an easy task. The effort gone into research, translation and conversion can be easily deciphered. 

          The book starts with the introduction of Gita where the author tells about the numbers of Gita that are available around us and which one is the most popular among them. He also tells us about the connection between each one of them and during which era some of them originated to let us know their reliability. Also, the arrangement of chapters in Gita is also discussed along with what motive it serves. And then Devdutt continues telling us how he has written his version of Gita and what exactly is his purpose to write the same. The good thing about Devdutt's Gita is that he didn't focus only on Hinduism but also discussed other cultures too. He also tried explaining why cultures differ with each other.

           In the book, Devdutt have not only given references of Mahabharat but also Ramayana and the period between both the major events. He have also made us understand how Krishna, Hanuman etc are related with both the epics. The verses and their explanation with diagrammatic representations make the experience of reading interesting, joyous and exploring. Devdutt have managed to not compare two cultures and prove which one of them is better but leaves it upon reader to find his own ideology among the two and go with any one of them. Talking about the drawbacks, I would say that the book is not even that good the way it is been over-rated on social media. It is just a fine attempt and not something I would recommend people every time someone asks me a good book on Hinduism. I would give this book 3.75* out of 5. 

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!