Chaturanga book cover

True to the title the novel often plays out like a game of chess with numerous power games. A strong aspect of the novel is that we see a different shade of Shivgamini on the flipside though the character of Kattapa’s brother Shivappa leaves a lot to be desired, he doesn’t carry the same weight as the first one. The novel also has some good political commentary

The impact of SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali movies is something undeniable irrespective of certain issues that both movies have. The two films have become a significant part of our pop culture altering the landscape of mainstream cinema significantly. Noted writer Anand Neelakantan novels based on the Bahubali movies serve as a prequel to the character of Shivgamini, how she comes to the kingdom of Mahismati and her back story.

The first book The Rise of Shivagamini focused on the turbulent childhood of the majestic queen. She was orphaned at a young age and also cruelly taken away from her foster family. Shivgamini is waiting for the day where she can avenge the death of her father blamed as a traitor. Running parallelly is the track of budding resentment against the Mahishmati kingdom, Kattappa much like the Baahubali movies is a devoted slave, however the younger brother Shivappa has a different personality he is much more of a rebel. Alongside this there are numerous other mini stories within the main one.

The second part of this series named Chaturanga is centered around Shivgamini’s rise to power and how she continues to pursue her goal of clearing the father’s name. Shivgamini is given the title of Bhoomipathi, the title Bhoomipathi essentially refers to a person owning or governing a piece of land in the context of feudalism. This position gives her more power, on the other hand Mahismati is amidst a major political turmoil. Chaturanga much like the first book is a mix of various elements like politics, ambition and loyalty among others.

A strong aspect of Chaturanga is undoubtedly the characterization of Shivgamini. Unlike the first part which was more of a filler here the character graph is much more interesting and layered. On numerous occasions a certain tender side comes out beneath a strong facade that she maintains. The writing is more much detailed on how a teenage girl evolves into a strong-willed woman due to the circumstances around her. The tender side of Shivgamini specifically comes out in the portions with the king Mahadeva. There is some nice, understated romance between the two.

What also works for the book is how the writer has depicted the political games in the style of a chess game. Many characters in the book come with interesting layers apart from Shivagamini. A very good example of this is king Somadeva. On the surface he may appear to be a good-natured person with certain serenity however he also has a very calculative nature. Another character worth mentioning here is Pattaraya. Pattaraya is a rich nobleman who is known for his ruthless and cunning nature. He is one of the evilest characters in the book at the same time Anand Neelankantan humanizes him with a psychological insight on how his actions are driven by the social milieu he was born in along with the adverse circumstances.

Through the character of Pattaraya there are some important dialogues too reflecting the current political atmosphere. For example, there is a dialogue where he says nothing sells like nationalism and religion in our country. This is very apt in our current socio-political atmosphere. Similarly, there is a dialogue about make up stories and repeating them so often that people will fall for it.

As an absolute contrast to the likes of Somadeva and Pattaraya there is the character of Mahadeva. The readers will like him immensely for his soft nature and overall kindness.

As already mentioned the character of Shivappa lacks the fire of the first one. This comes across as a disappointing aspect since he was the soul of the first one. Also, the novel suffers from a certain rushed nature in some scenes. There is an abrupt nature to the novel on some occasions. However, for most part Chaturanga is highly recommended for fans of Baahubali movies.