Before
I start…I just have to say one thing…most people thank IPKKND for introducing
them to the world of…ASR and Khushi…and their wonderful romance…well…I have
something more to be thankful for….it introduced me to writers and works of
fiction that I would have never ever read…had I not one random evening decided
to find out as to what is the big deal about this play called
"Khushi"! In all fairness, how could one be expected to know that a
daily soap on satellite television could play muse to such talent…well I now
know better!
I
purposely saved this review for the weekend..as there is much to say.
Well
for starters…this piece has my two favourite "L"s…Louboutins and
Leela….! Admittedly not my beloved Leela Palace in Delhi…but a
"Leela" nonetheless…a mention of Leela is good enough reason to make
me smile…and well Louboutins…come on now…which woman in her right mind does not
turn into a Cheshire cat at the thought of red soles!!
And
then also while reading it I couldn't help but say…"Thank You God! Finally…someone
has decided to add the missing piece"…you see, there was this one thing
that always and always, sort of, bothered me…ASR is supposed to be this
tycoon…right…so why does he not live the life of a tycoon…why does it not show
in the non existent splendor of his life…(the only expression of wealth in that
house is in Mami's lust for jewelry)…ASR the poor rich boy uses a Cross pen, to
sign the papers in that scene where Khushi pulled the property papers'
switch…that just got me so disturbed for some reason…it is so random a thought
and I suppose irrelevant in the bigger scheme of things…but then thankfully we
have this piece that plays out like the life of the Rich and Famous...and I
breathed a sigh of relief…a heartfelt thank you to the writer for providing the
missing element…[I am sure no one has ever thanked Mad Maxine for something so
random…but at least for me it was important to put things into perspective and
as far as that scene goes…well hey…if not a Visconti or an Onoto at least they
could have used a Montblanc for ASR to sign the papers..I know its petty…but
its called keeping things in sync]. But this comment is not meant to detract
from the piece…I am trying to get all the nonsensical stuff out of the way so
that I can concentrate on the "deep" "meaningful" stuff coz
I am sure that's all that you guys must be interested in :)
So
lets get cracking…shall we…
This
is by far one of the best pieces that I have read on the IF Forum. Should by
any chance there be somebody out there who has not read it…than they should
leave whatever they are doing and make a beeline for it right now….why you
would ask….well the reasons are innumerable…but to mention just a few…
It
is a perfectly crafted story and while reading it you actually feel that there
is a master story teller at work here…for the manner in which it intricately
weaves in and out and involves the life of each character that appears on the
pages...no single character is left hanging about…they are all involved and
have a role to play...whether it be the incorrigible Freddy or the oh so
different from screen Anju…or Mrs. Murthy...each and every single character
just gels beautifully. But more than anything else…its the dynamics of each
relationship that just leaves you hanging on to each word and wanting more…it's
the dynamics and how it plays out…whether it be Athos Porthos and Aramis and
their amusing antics…or the protagonists themselves…and the children…or the
Guptas and Khushi…or Khushi Freddy and Adit...or the surprising one of all ASR
and the tango namesake.
I
fell in love with Freddy…the oh-so-human-but-not-gonna-show-it Prima Donna was
my favourite character..i just love Freddy. The amazing thing is that despite
being an ASR / Khushi piece, each and every other characters is equally well
sculpted so that they have personalities that stand out and are not a mere
backdrop for an "ARHI" romance….how else could I make a statement
such as "I fell in love with Freddy"!
I
simply loved ASR's silent thoughts at every ASR / Payal run-in….they were so
ingeniously entertaining….and you couldn't help but feel for the long suffering
ASR! The author's wit deserves a standing ovation.
Every
Khushi that appears on the pages of fan fictions is different…and sure there
are some out there that have outgrown the "ji" complex and
"serve with a smile" attitude (no pun intended!!)…but surely nobody
has landed ASR on his back with a vicious taekwondo technique or left him
motionless with a kiss (why else would it be just 2 on a scale of 1 to 10!!!
Duh-uh!) But this Khushi was something else…what I loved most about her were
the walls of detachment! Invisible yet tangible…and then the gradual undoing of
Minnie! It shows the control of the writer that from absolute detachment in the
beginning she has introduced us to a softer sweeter and somewhat more toned
down Khushi.
It
would be highly unfair if the Tango and its namesake were to go
un-complimented…..! Its these little things…the tango…the Neruda's poem…that
makes this piece brilliant. Not just the tango..but the introduction of its
namesake as well. I for one really enjoyed that turn in the story. There have
to be different elements cleverly put together to make a story
interesting.
Now
about the writing style…there are enough pieces out there that have interesting
concepts, good story lines, characters aplenty…yet fall flatter than a blowdry
on a humid evening in Lucknow…simply because the narration is lacking in the
spirit of story telling…I always think of Haroun and the Sea of Stories when I
read good concepts and bad writing. Storytelling is an art…or perhaps it's a
science…its importance perhaps can be gleaned from the fact that there are
bazars in certain cities in the sub-continent called "Qissa
Khwani"…(literally not story teller…but someone who narrates)…the spirit
of tales is lost in todays world…but in the days of yore "dastangoi"
was actually an art…dastaans were narrated and not read…and now we find it
difficult to even read the heavy tomed Tilism-e-Hoshruba leave alone engage in
the verbal art of narration (minus ofcourse the revivalists in Delhi)...all
thanks to our microwave lives I suppose…which is why when you come across
people who can tell a good story..it sure need to be appreciated…oh hell…I am
off on a tangent again…bad habbit…sorry…so anyways.
Highway
to Hell is great because the writer writes it so well. Right amount of humour,
correct element of pathos, just a slight tweak of curiosity (lets not forget
the dream sequence, shall we), a dash of….well…arrogance…(that's not bad) and
all held together with words that find their mark….with a penchant to
use…err…interesting words…for e.g…"perspicacious"….(by the way
darling….what do you think is the percentage of your readers who would be using
that word?!?!?)
So
to put it in a nutshell…Highway to Hell…is a great story…if I may take the
liberty of saying so…of being to hell and back…and living to tell about it…and
should be on the list of "must reads".
Special
Note: Loved the haircut touch!
[originally posted in IndiaForums on July 21, 2012]
No comments:
Post a Comment