Category: Book Reviews

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Rani Padmini – The Heroine Of Chittor: ‘She Is Real, Not An Imaginary Queen’

Rani Padmini (The Heroine of Chittor) by B.K.Karkra

Rani Padmini is someone who needs no introduction thanks to the various works that have been written about her and also Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Padmavaat released in 2018. B.K.Karkra in this latest book attempts to clear all the doubts regarding her existence. It is written with a clear purpose of stating that she isn’t a figment of someone’s imagination. How much you believe the writer is debatable but there is no denying that the book makes for a good read particularly for those who are into history.

The book is divided into seventeen chapters. It starts off with the various things that people have written about her. This includes the most popular of the lot ‘Padmaavat’ written by Malik Muhammad Jayasi. After this we move to the Queens who were contemporaries of Queen Padmini along with various other facets of her period. There are also long chapters on Alauddin Khilji and Padmini’s husband Rana Rawal Ratan Singh.  Karkra also brings in the perspectives of poets and other people.

One of the most engaging chapters in this book is about the politics of her times along with the dangers and the humiliations that the Queens had to face particularly during the wars. It is a well known fact that women were the worst sufferers of wars but the details make you feel emotional. There is a detailed chapter on this where he talks about the conditions of women of that period.

Through this chapter we come to know about how the practice of Sati, Jauhar etc germinated in our society.

The chapters on Alauddin Khilji and Rawal Ratan Singh also make for a fascinating read. Talking about Alauddin Khilji, Karkra says that he was someone who had genuine respect for brave people irrespective of which side of the fence they were on. He takes the example of Hamir Dev Chauhan who was an adversery to Alauddin Khilji. We also get to know that he placed high value on loyalty.

Regarding Alauddin Khilji’s behavior towards women the writer says that he is believed to have behaved well with women in his harem. How much of that is true is something which cannot be ascertained.

The chapter on the practice of Jauhar before and after Padmavati is another engaging chapter. In this chapter Karkra talks about how majority of Jauhars are connected with the defeat of Hindus at the hands of the Muslim rulers. He adds that no Jauhars took place when Hindus won over Hindus or for that matter in wars related to the Britishers.

In the final tally, Rani Padmini makes an interesting read irrespective of how much you agree with B.K Karkra.

https://www.primepost.in/rani-padmini-was-real-not-imagination/

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Sach Kahoon Toh: An Insightful Account Of Neena Gupta’s Life

Released on 14th June 2021

Neena Gupta’s Sach Kahoon Toh is an autobiography which makes for an interesting read at many levels. Most of all it is a book which is filled with honesty. This honesty is visible from the foreword itself. The foreword begins with her saying that “I know many readers are waiting to get the juicy bits of my life. Don’t lie. I know there’s a part of you that only picked up the book to read about my relationships and controversies that have been part of my media image for decades now.” Through the book Neena Gupta challenges the assumptions that people have about her.

Sach Kahoon Toh is divided into five parts. The five parts are her growing years in Delhi, life in Bombay, giving birth to Masaba, the downside of her career and the eventual resurgence starting with the superhit Badhaai Ho which was a major turning point in her career. In the last section she writes about her family members and these include mother, father, brother, daughter and her husband Vivek. There is also the chapter on Vivian Richards and her affair with him which resulted in the birth of Masaba, however the details are kept to a bare minimum. But that chapter has also got interesting anecdotes as she gives the background of how their paths met in Jaipur.

For any autobiography to work it is important that you bare your soul out which includes talking about your flaws and Neena does that for most part. There are times in the book where she comes across as someone who lacked faith in herself and her talent apart from being easy to manipulate at times. This comes out particularly when she talks about her early boyfriend who cheats her multiple times but she still gives him chances. Candid confessions like these make the book an interesting read.

Her friendships with Soni Razdan and Satish Kaushik comes across vividly and these portions are very heart-warming. An interesting detail has to be mentioned here regarding Satish Kaushik. He once told Neena to tell people that he is the father of Masaba if people ask who the father is. The reason being the color of Masaba and Satish matches. It is a small incident but it tells you a lot about the friendship between him and Neena Gupta.

Neena Gupta, daughter Masaba

Another good thing about the book is Neena Gupta doesn’t go overboard with details about Vivian Richards. She treats that phase of her life with respect and never sensationalizes it. You also get a peep into the personality of Vivian Richards.

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Stories I Must Tell: An Emotional Journey About The Making And The Remaking Of A Movie Star

The first thing that strikes you about Kabir Bedi’s book ‘Stories I Must Tell’ is the honesty with which the actor has written his autobiography. This honesty can be particularly seen in the way he talks about his relationships, the open marriage with Protima Bedi and the relationship that he had later on with Parveen Babi that changed his life. He also talks about the trauma of the three divorces and how he eventually found fulfillment. In short Kabir Bedi bares his soul and takes you on a roller- coaster journey.

The book begins off with his stint as a freelancer at All India Radio. We see his fascination for the famous band Beatles and how he manages to interview them. There is also a glimpse of his friendships with Rajiv and Sanjay Gandhi. They had become friends at Aunty Gauba which is Kabir Bedi’s first school In Delhi.  Kabir Bedi gives a brief insight into their personalities.

From there we move to his life in Bombay where he started his career in advertising. It is here that he meets Protima Bedi and after a brief courtship they decide to get into an open marriage. More than Bollywood Kabir Bedi focuses on his international journey with particular reference to Sandokan which made him a household name in Italy. In the last chapters he talks about the fascinating love story of his Indian father, a Philosopher in Europe and his British born mother. There is also the heartbreaking chapter on his son Siddarth’s battle with schizophrenia and the consequent suicide.

The best thing about the book is how Kabir Bedi weaves the many worlds of his life, from material to mortal to spiritual. It doesn’t look like he is a first time storyteller. There is certain eloquence to the way he writes.

Not surprisingly the best chapters are reserved for his love life and his parents. There is certain candidness in the way he reminiscences about the significant loves of his life. The first one being Protima bedi, his first wife and mother of his two children, the other one being Parveen Babi the glamorous actress. A lot of the book’s first part is devoted to the tumultuous relationship that he had with both women. He writes that he had gone from one emotionally draining woman to another. At the same time he also admits the mistakes that he did and never paints himself as a perfect man. This quality of Kabir Bedi adds more emotional heft to the book.

Coming to his parents their love story is indeed unique. Their personalities and their journeys from revolutionaries in pre- independence era to eventually becoming spiritual people makes for a fascinating read. Kabir Bedi captures all these things in a deft manner.

His childhood also makes for an interesting read. A part of his initial childhood was spent as a monk in Rangoon. From his childhood Kabir Bedi had experiences with different religions. The reason being his family lineage had a direct connect with Guru Nanak Dev and his mother was ordained as a Buddhist nun. In the chapter ‘Ramblings on the beach’ Kabir Bedi shares his understandings of all religions and these include world religions as well.

Another heartrending chapter in the book is his son Siddarth’s   battle with schizophrenia. You see the helplessness of a father in not being able to save his son in spite of his best efforts. There is no doubt that this chapter will make you emotional.

Apart from the above mentioned ones Kabir Bedi also deserves appreciation for how he sketches his interactions with international celebrities. He manages to give a character sketch of them with their traits.

The one slight flaw is that we don’t understand why Kabir Bedi had to jump into marriages so frequently! He had four marriages altogether but doesn’t talk much about the second and third ones, or for that matter even about the son he had from second marriage. His daughter Pooja Bedi acted in some movies but wasn’t very popular. His granddaughter Alaya F recently made her debut in Jawaani Jaaneman.

In totality, Stories I Must Tell takes you on a roller- coaster journey of emotions. It comes across as a deeply personal story with no superficiality.

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Twilight In A Knotted World: A Fascinating Read For History Buffs

Siddhartha Sarma’s novel Twilight in a knotted world majorly focuses on a group of Phansigars. (They are more famous as thugs. Since they used to kill with a noose the name Phansigars also came into usage.) They are a feared gang of dacoits who roamed the countryside, the highways and the river ways, and attacked the travelers. They spoke a certain kind of dialect so they could mingle with the strangers and attack them at a right time. Sarma draws upon historical accounts of these Phansigars and weaves a tale which is part history and part police procedural. Through this story he throws light on the lives of both Indians and Englishmen of that time. It is a book that makes for a fascinating read.

There is another book called confessions of a thug by Phillip Meadows Taylor. The plot of the book revolves around a fictional anti – hero protagonist, Ameer Ali, a Muslim thug. The story lays bare the practices of the thugs, or ”deceivers” as they were called who murdered travelers for money and valuables. The book is not to be confused with the Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan starrer Thugs of Hindustan.

The protagonist of the book is the real life British officer William Henry Sleeman. He is an administrator of Jabalpur district in the central province. He is a man of wide ranging interests like linguistics and archeology and also someone who is keen on understanding the culture, history and geography of the country that he stayed in.

One day Sleeman is urgently summoned by the governor general. The reason being that Scindia of Gwalior is upset that a nobleman who was bringing him a prized horse has vanished without a trace on the highway; he’s suspected to have fallen victim to the Phansigars. The issue threatens to boil over and the responsibility of catching the dacoits falls on Sleeman. As Sleeman digs deeper into his investigation he realizes that there is a vast network of men (and women), intricately organized and operating across huge acres of land hunting and killing their fellowmen.

Through this investigation several questions are raised by the writer. For example are poverty and hunger leading to this sort of crime? Are a few powerful men controlling the destinies of many?

The best part of the book is how the author gives a psychological insight into what makes them do the things they do. We also get an insight into the intricate strands or types of Jati, Varna and Biradari which holds good even today. I quite agree with what the writer wrote.

However the book is not just about the Phansigars and their deeds. One of the most tender and touching accounts in the book is that of a little wolf boy from the forests of Seoni. Sleeman’s deputy, who is investigating a series of cattle killings, comes across a pack of wild dogs and wolves, and with them there is a boy who is naked and feral. He is captured and brought to the civilized world, where Sleeman’s wife tries to care for him. Months later he loses his fear and begins to roam the grounds, but still tied to a rope.

Ideas of governance, law and justice is another important thing which runs through the book, as does the question of the validity of the colonial enterprise. There is a chapter in the book regarding sati. You have an old woman who is determined to commit sati. Her words to Sleeman show what it is to be a woman caught in a patriarchal and unfair system where mere laws cannot bring much change.

Siddartha Sarma’s etching of characters deserves a special mention. They have been sketched well starting from the primary character of captain Sleeman. What makes his character very likeable is following the rule of the law and at the same time choosing the right thing while on a crossroad. Another character which deserves a mention is that of Amelie who supported her husband in all his endeavors and acted as a moral compass during testing times. What adds even more strength to her character is that she brings in the much required human touch. On the whole Twilight in a knotted world is a fascinating read which shows how ideas evolve and change with time.

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Not Villains; Victims Of Circumstances – Hussain Zaidi Books And Movies

This post is about three Hussain Zaidi’s books and the movies based on them. For people who are not familiar with his background it needs to be mentioned that he worked as a crime reporter in Mumbai for a very long time. These three books are: Black Friday: The true story of the Bombay blasts, Dongri to Dubai : Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia and Mafia Queens of Mumbai. Out of these two have already come as movies. The name of the first movie is same as the title of the book directed by Anurag Kashyap. Dongri to Dubai was made into Shootout at Wadala movie directed by Sanjay Gupta. It was about the first recorded police encounter in Mumbai of Manya Surve, an educated gangster. From Mafia Queens of Mumbai book the story of Gangubai  Kathiawadi has been taken for the upcoming movie titled with the same name. She was sold into prostitution by her boyfriend Ramnik Lal and later she becomes the madam of a brothel in Kamatipura. Gangubai did a lot of work for the well being of the sex workers and also orphans. Famous gangster Karim lala considered her as his rakhi sister and gave the command of Kamatipura area to her. This film is being directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and is likely to be released in the later half of 2021.

Mumbai avengers

All three movies have taken only one chapter of those books respectively. Apart from the above mentioned there is also a  fiction book called Mumbai Avengers which was made into Phantom movie directed by Kabir Khan. The story of Mumbai Avengers is set five years after 26/11 Taj attacks on Mumbai. It is about how a retired Indian army officer Gen. Sayid Ali Warris masterminds an operation to kill the conspirators of 26/11 with the help of policemen, tech experts etc. But in the movie it was portrayed as a one man mission played by Saif Ali Khan.  

1. Black Friday: The true story of the Bombay Blasts

This book mainly deals with the bomb blasts that happened in the city of Mumbai on March 12th 1993, how the blasts shocked the entire nation, its aftermath and most importantly the backstory of why they happened. Black Friday begins off with people going about their business as usual completely unaware of the calamity. Afterwards we see a detailed account of the blasts and from there we move on to the incident of Babri Masjid demolition and how it led to the blasts. There is a lot that Hussain Zaidi packs in the book from police officers who would break the law in the course of the investigation to the innocent and illiterate young Muslims who were dragged into this. Hussain Zaidi writes all these things in an engaging manner and makes you understand the root causes for these blasts. 

Anurag Kashyap did absolute justice to the book with his outstanding direction. It also helped that the film had powerhouse performers like Kay Kay Menon, Pavan Malhotra etc. 

2. Dongri to Dubai: Six decades of Mumbai Mafia  

Dongri to Dubai is an attempt to chronicle the history of the Mumbai Mafia. It is a story of many gangsters like Haji Mastan, Karim Lala, Chota Rajan, Varadarajan Mudaliar and above all Dawood Ibrahim, a young man who took the crime route in spite of having a father in the police force. It talks about how Dawood Ibrahim was used as a pawn by the Bombay police and eventually how he became the nemesis for them. His story is primarily about a boy from Dongri becoming a don in Dubai. As earlier said Manya Surve’s life is a brief chapter in this book and this was expanded by director Sanjay Gupta in his film Shootout at Wadala which was a sequel to Shootout at Lokandwala. An interesting thing about Manya is that he was a graduate who was looking to lead a normal life but he gets falsely implicated in a murder. He escapes from prison with the help of a muslim friend and later rises to huge prominence. He was known for his strategic planning and daredevilry. Manya Surve’s encounter was the first recorded encounter in Mumbai, as mentioned earlier. The book is divided into two eras and writer Hussain Zaidi’s narrative style is very gripping and engrosses you thoroughly. The stories of all the gangsters are very interesting and through them the writer tells you about how they operated their networks with the help of police officials themselves. 

Shootout at Wadala may not be as satisfying as Black Friday but it is still an engaging commercial entertainer which manages to successfully capture that period. John Abraham as Manya delivered a committed performance. 

3. Mafia Queens of Mumbai

Mafia Queens of Mumbai talks about a few female gangsters who made their way up in the world of male gangsters. The book was a collection of stories both from Kamatipura and Dongri. Recently there was an interview of Hussain Zaid where he said while researching for the book he found that female gangsters are more courageous, brave and manipulative than men. This feels quite true when you look at some of the stories in the book particularly Sapna Didi and Gangubai. Sapna Didi was the wife of a gangster who worked for Dawood Ibrahim. After her husband gets killed by him she decides to take revenge for his death with the help of another gangster. She takes two months of training at the place of Hussain Ustara by learning to ride bikes, using gun etc. She plans to kill Dawood at a cricket stadium but gets betrayed in the last minute and it is said that her murder was the most brutal murder in the history of gangsterism. Though she failed in killing Dawood there is no doubting of her bravery and courage.

Champion of sex workers’ rights

As far as Gangubai she actively championed for the rights of sex workers and their empowerment. There is a famous speech of her on sex workers and she even had a conversation with Jawaharlal Nehru to discuss their problems. In the book there is a conversation between her and Nehru where Nehru asks her why she ended up in this business when she could have found herself a nice husband. If true, Gangubai’s reply to this is very bold. She asked him whether he would marry her. This leaves Nehru red faced and she goes on to say it is easy to preach but tough to practice. All  the stories in the book are very unique in their own manner and you never feel any boredom. It is one of those books which can be rightly called as a page turner. 

With Sanjay Leela Bhansali helming it and a talented performer like Alia playing the title role it is expected to be a solid film.  I would end by recommending both to read Hussain Zaid’s books and see the movies based on those books. The specialty of Hussain Zaidi is he never caricatures any of the gangsters. He in fact humanises them. Portrays them as victims of circumstances rather than outright villains.