The Rise of Sivagami By Anand Neelkantan

The Rise of Sivagami by Anand Neelakantan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The author is a best selling author from Kerala state of India. Known for his previous super hits like Asura- The Tale of the Vanquished and Ajaya Series of books, he ventured into this ambitious prequel to recent historic Indian blockbuster movie “Bahubali” directed by SS Rajamouli of Andhra Pradesh. Known for his fiction writing skills, the author remains as the darling of epic fiction lovers of the country.

Storyline:
The story begins with the woes of the downtrodden in the mighty kingdom of Maahishmati, somewhere in the central part of India, near the Mahishi river, protected by their revered sacred mountain called Gauri Parvat. Sivagami, a young lady in her teens , whose father has been killed by the orders of the king for treason and treachery, is admitted into the royal orphanage, by her Uncle. She under immense pressure and vengeance to destroy the royal lineage of Maahishmati patiently waits in the orphanage, only to be unexpectedly be courted by the Prince Mahadeva, younger brother of the aggressive and cruel crown prince Bijjala Deva. The later being an arrogant, tyrant, evil and a womanizer, always treats his subjects as slaves and is highly feared and hated amongst his peer groups. His slave Kattappa, a die-hard duty bound and loyal servant always protects Bijjala Deva from many threats and dangers that the later faces in his day to day life, but is never respected in return. Meanwhile, some of the evil noblemen of the kingdom like Pattaraya wants to profit by smuggling the secret Gauri dhooli, a strange powder extracted from the self glowing blue and rare Gauri Kanta stones, mined from the womb of Gauri Parvat, to the enemy vassal states of Maahishmati. The generations old secret of Maahishmati’s undefeated victory saga in wars is attributed to its weapons moulded with mixture of Gauridhooli and metal. Sivagami, the highly committed and talented girl accidentally saves the life of the king Somadeva from a sudden coup attempt by the rebel Vaithalikas, on the auspicious Mahamaakam festival day, just at the time when she attempts to recover the secret book of her father, written in a strange ancient language, from the chambers of the Prime Minister, Skandadasa. The story ends here with Sivagami rewarded with the title of a Bhoomipathi and her father’s treachery forgiven for her act, surprising her totally and giving her a chance to be in the governing system and thus plot to destroy the kingdom in the future.

Pros : The book is cleverly plotted with umpteen number of characters in a series of events right from the beginning till the end. The author’s skill to manoeuvre the reading is well maintained. The way in which lower castes and peasants were treated in the ancient kingdoms wherein only the upper castes and royal family reaped the benefits while the former always suffered and forced to a life full of sheer poverty, slavery, insults, homicide, genocide, child trafficking and forced prostitution is well elicited. The author was successful in portraying that such blind dictatorship rule of any country would lead to revolt and coups somewhere or the other. The effect of Bahubali movie on the book seemed to be very high as the reader , if already watched the movie, would correlate each and every character of the book with the real movie characters as long as he/she is reading, in the back of his/her mind.

Cons: The story started with a bang but somehow there is some loss of lustre in the first half with some boredom masking the story but picked up pace after the middle and maintained the tempo till the end. Since it is the Book One of the series, many characters in the story have been left unfinished. I find that there are too many characters introduced but hope that they will find their life in the next book. Somehow, the actual historic movie Bahubali 1 and 2 seem to have shielded the overall effect of the book. Slightly felt that the book would have had a greater punch if it was written and released even before the movie.

My rating of this book is 3.25 out of 5


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The Bestseller She Wrote by Ravi Subramanian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The author is a well known star writer from South India, also known as John Grisham of India, who spent most of his professional life in senior positions of Indian national banks, after his management degree from IIM, Bangalore. His previous books have National award winning status. His fans and film producers eagerly wait for his next creation always.

Storyline:

Aditya Kapoor, Director of Branch Banking of National Bank in India, is a successful banker and also a successful writer, as his favourite past time. In one of the Alumni guest lectures of IIM Bangalore, he encounters a young beautiful student, Shreya, in the audience, who aspires to be a star author herself. Their unsolicited frequent encounters later, evolve into a passion filled romance, surpassing all limits from both sides. Shreya, cleverly uses Aditya’s lusty love and stature in getting a job in National Bank, simultaneously paving her way to achieve stardom with her debut novel. Ignorant of this plot from the innocent looking Shreya, Aditya goes all out in helping her achieve her goal even by cheating her faithful wife and son. One day, his wife Maya discovers Aditya’s amour with his colleague and confronts him by evicting him out of her house. Just at that time, she accidentally, gets infected with Ebola virus in France while attending an international training program. Aditya, soon realizes his blunder and pleads Maya to forgive him, while she is on her death bed. He now also realizes how Shreya used him to achieve her goal and also discovers another shocking fact how his close friend and colleague, Sanjay used Shreya to distance Aditya from Maya, out of the former’s teenage love on Maya, before Aditya met her. Aditya waits for a right chance and strategically makes all the plots against him public, in front of the Police, thus ending the careers of all his opponents. He re-unites with Maya and quits banking to lead a peaceful life by joining Maya in educating poor slum dwelling children and also pursuing his dream profession of writing.

Pros: As usual, the mind twisting imagination of the author awes the reader in this book also. The author brought out this bold story in times when such situations like lusting for beautiful and sexy colleagues in the office, by seniors, has become a norm in the professional world. It is also true many times, that young women like Shreya, use their sensuality to seduce their seniors in achieving their goals in the organization or personal lives, destroying the values and ethics of marriage, friendship and camaraderie. On the other hand, we still have faithful wives like Maya who break emotionally and lead pathetic lives even after their husband come back to them, as the trust once broken is always broken. The author is successful in highlighting the pristine purity of love in trust filled marriage and dirty ambitions of lust filled temporary extra marital affairs.
I seriously recommend this book to all professionals in today’s world, just as an effort to save the last remaining traditions and cultures that bind two people and later, families on a larger scale. I bet that there are many such victims of such extra marital adulterous affairs in the professional world who are living their remaining lives in hiding or in utter shame, after having lost, all their name and fame. This book is a lesson to many out there who choose wavering girl friends over conscientious wives.
Lastly, one gets to know the nitty gritties of publishing industry in India

Cons: Though the author brought the best of his abilities in using technology (mostly I Phones) to solve the plots in many of his books, I somehow feel that it is becoming routine. There is no notable emotion or wild hatred shown by Aditya, in the literature, after he discovers Shreya’s motive behind using him, like the same shown in the words of Maya, after she finds out Aditya’s affair. It should have been harder, at least after the book launch session, for better result. The author might have felt that the book has a happy-ending but I felt that it has bitter ending as it is a Lose-Lose situation to all the characters though its presentation appears as Win-Win to all.

The best quotes in the book:

“In relationships, particularly those that are adulterous in nature, the first time is always the most difficult. That’s the point in time when one’s conscience makes its presence felt the most and people are consumed by regret. Once that bridge is crossed regret is often forgotten.”

“The instincts of the wife, when it comes to issues that concern her husband are stronger than those of even the best astrologers”

“The problem with trust is that if it is broken, then all acts committed by the perpetrator come under the purview of suspicion”

“Nothing in life can put you in an inextricable position unless you yourself want to be in such a position”

“There is more strength in forgiveness than in walking away”


My rating is 3.75 out of 5


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The Mahabharata Quest, The Alexander Secret by Christopher C Doyle

The Mahabharata Quest: The Alexander Secret by Christopher C. Doyle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The author, who started his career in the corporate world as a top notch business executive running businesses across the country, also has a passion for writing science fiction. His books have a peculiar blend of science with ancient historic events that evolve into a gripping page turner with sequels.

Storyline:

Vijay Singh, a prolific, intelligent US returned MIT student, is part of an Indo-American Task Force, that has been formed to explore the dangerous mission of a secret society called The Order, which has its origin in India thousands of years ago. He one day is suddenly visited by his ex-girlfriend Alice, a student of Archaeology and expert in Hellenistic (Greek) history. She narrowly escapes a murder hunt by some unknown professional killers after having discovered an ancient cube and artifacts, during the excavation of the tomb of Queen Olympias, in Greece, connected to her son Alexander’s, expedition to the East, to conquer the world. Coincidently, Vijay’s fiancée, Radha and her Indian Intelligence Bureau friend Imran, accidentally discover a secret, illegal genetic testing facility in New Delhi. This lab is later found to be controlled by the same secret members of the Order, involved in testing the effects of a dangerous bacteria and retrovirus on innocent people to make a drug that can cure all diseases and proclaim Immortality to humanity. Through this drug the Order wants to control the entire humanity, wiping off powerful Governments, across the world. The twist of the tale is that this particular bacteria and virus were found in the ‘mummy’ of Alexander centuries ago, who is said to have been infected after his consumption of a mysterious liquid in an ancient cave near the banks of Indus. This liquid is interpreted as the sweet nectar ‘amrita’, also called as secret of Eastern Gods, mentioned as that obtained through “Sagarmanthan” or “Churn of the Ocean” in the verses of ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. It is said to imbibe immortality to anyone who consumes it. But, unfortunately, Alexander could not benefit from this ‘amrit’ since he hasn’t consumed the right potion containing the retrovirus mixture. The members of the Order, kidnap Radha and force Vijay, an expert in solving riddles and clues, to follow a tedious path in present day Afghanistan and Kazakhstan, leading to several ancient caves containing this Amrit and the right mixture of the bacteria and retrovirus. Finally they gain access to the same and escape with the original samples of Amrit to test for viability, leaving Vijay and his team mates in the dark. To be continued in the next sequel.

Pros: A hair-raising thriller churned with scientific facts behind the great fairy tale of SagarManthan, mentioned in the Indian epic Mahabharata. The linkage of the tale to Alexander’s motive to conquer the rest of the world after defeating Darius of Persia, is really fabulous. The author must be appreciated for his extensive research on the facts behind this great secret. The description of the human genome and the various permutations and combinations of how genetic structure could have been re-engineered thousands of years ago with the help of such bacteria and retroviruses, leaves the reader awe-struck. In fact there all chances that the reader forgets about the fiction behind the story and would have been compelled to accept the logic explained as the real fact and not as a myth. The stark realities of how science was used by our ancestors when there were no considerable equipment related to finding microscopic organisms, have been strikingly elicited. A must read book by mythological fiction lovers. Bet that they shall remember the story for a long long period in their lives.

Cons: The excessive usage of medical jargon on genetics, could be difficult to understand to many non-biology students. Though there is a perfect sync between the story of Alexander’s conquest of the Eastern world and greatest Indian mythological fantasy story of Sagarmanthan mentioned in Mahabharata, there should have been some more emphasis on the Indian side. The story should have been completed in this book itself for better effects.

My rating is 4 out of 5


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JOY (A HOLLYWOOD DRAMA)

Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Edgar Ramirez, Bradley Cooper and Diane Ladd. Directed by David O Russell and Produced by John Davis, Megan Ellison, Jonathan Gordon, Screenplay by David O Russell and Music by West Dylan Thordson / David Campbell.







Storyline:

A simple story of Joy Mangano ( Jennifer Lawrence), a young divorced lady who had been subject to failures in her career, marriage and family. Joy, daughter of a foundry owner Rudy is an enterprising girl right from her childhood, trying to invent and innovate right from her childhood times. She always wanted to invent something on her own and patent the product on her name. Her first failure starts with her marriage to Tony (Edgar Ramirez) who is a failed singer. Next she fails in her career due to the disturbances at her home with divorced parents. She gets bogged down with her tired and burdened life when one day she gets an idea to invent a highly absorbent, self-wringing mop for a regular woman in an American household. She somehow ropes in investment for her product from her dad’s (Robert De Niro) new fiancé Trudy after making an entry to the country’s best home selling television show QVC., run by Niel (Bradley Cooper). Unfortunately, here again she fails as she will have to sell her mortgaged house for not having registered a proper patent right to her product and falls into a huge debt trap. Here’s where she decides to take life head on and transforms into a highly determined woman who will not accept defeat, henceforth. She studies the Patent law and visits her manufacturer to know the nitty gritties of where it actually went wrong. There she discovers that she has been cheated and threatens the manufacturer with law suites, for his false claims and cheating. She not only gets back her lost money but also emerges as a confident, successful businesswoman to establish her own business empire later. The story ends with Niel waiting for Joy’s appointment outside her plush office, which happens to be the reverse of how Joy waited for Niel outside his cabin years ago to sell her mop.

Pros: A clean motivational story of a middle class woman in today’s society who faces the burden of continous challenges and failures in her day to day life. It’s a movie that everybody should watch and learn from the determination of Joy to excel in life without accepting defeat. A compelling mindset driven by constant innovative thought process despite the hardships of a disturbed life which ultimately forces success to embrace anybody unconditionally. Excellent screenplay by the Director and stunning performance by Jennifer. Every modern woman can clearly reflect herself in this character of Joy and one gets to imbibe the inspiration that is generated from this simply powerful character. I appreciate the guts of the Producer for having picked up a story like this in today’s Hollywood scenario where high quality graphics driven action thrillers are ruling the box office collections. Sure this movie will be nominated and win atleast one or two Oscar awards.

Cons: Joy’s lone meeting with her manufacturer in his town and getting back her money with interest by openly threatening him with fraudulent activities, seemed to be little out of the groove to me, in this crime filled world. I don’t think he would have budged so easily for a simple threat from a lone woman in his town, without harming her. Moreover, his consent on a simple white paper doesn’t hold good in the court of law, if at all he contests it at a later stage. Joy’s continued friendship with his divorced husband Tony again, seems to be adverse, even after her runaway success.

My rating is 4.25 out of 5

LAUGHTER IN PARADISE (A 1951 BRITISH COMEDY MOVIE)

Directed and Produced by Mario Jampi, Music by Stanley Black, Cinematography by William Mc Leod.
Starring : Alastair Sim, Fay Compton, George Cole, Guy Middleton.
A 1951 British classic comedy movie which marks the introducing role of Audrey Hepburn as a cigarette girl who later matures to receive many Oscar awards in her later life a star heroine.

Storyline:

A wealthy practical joker called Henry Russell leaves a ‘Will’ to his four cousins Deniston (Alastair Sim), Agnes (Fay Compton), Herbert (George Cole) and Simon (Guy Middleton).
The will mentions that the law abiding, fictitious writer, Deniston has to commit a crime and stay in jail for 28 days, the arrogant Agnes needs to work as a maid servant for 30 days, the timid and good natured banking clerk, Herbert, has to surprise the bank manager with a toy pistol and the playboy Simon has to marry the first single woman whom he speaks to after hearing the will. The story unfolds into a hilarious episode where all the four try and achieve their respective assignments which are quite opposite to their natures, for the sake of the fortune of 50,000 pounds, to be inherited after completion of their respective tasks.
In the process of doing so, Deniston had to break the marriage with his fiancé, a constable in Police department and the arrogant, snobby Agnes finds a new kind nature inside her by helping her master’s daughter to get married to her lover. George Cole becomes the Manager of the bank he is working in after accidentally foiling a bank robbery, and Simon gets cheated in marriage to his butler’s niece. Eventually, the movie ends with a loud and hearty laughter from everyone on screen, when the final page of the Will is read out to mention that there is no such money to be given to anyone and it happens to be another practical joke from Henry.

Pros: A classic comedy of the yesteryears wherein the beauty of script and screenplay coordinated to the best output to produce a clean and healthy entertainment for the viewers. Utmost care has been taken on the makeups and outfits of the actors to result in a classy outlook. The best of the action has come from Alastair Sim who stands out among the rest in giving one of his best comic performance. A truly hilarious movie even todate, that can be watched again and again. Kudos to the cinematographer and Director for bringing the best of the talents out of the actors and actresses.

Cons: As per Simon’s task in the Will, he needs to marry the first single woman he comes across after hearing the Will. He happens to talk to Frieda (Audrey Hepburn), the cigarette girl in the bar first, but marries Beatrice, whom Simon meets later on the road. I feel that this is the technical mistake the Director missed.

My rating is 4 out of 5