Kahani Poori Filmi Hai

One Night @ the Call Center: A Book Review

This is the latest book by Chetan Bhagat, whose last book - Five Point Someone - was an instant hit among the youth. If the initial sale is any indicator, this one too can cash in good money. But I doubt if it'll reach the heights of its predecessor. It's mainly cashing in the good rapport Bhagat made among youth after his last book; with time it'll run out of gas.

It might not turn out to be a "contemporary classic" but this book is surely enticing. Once you pick it up, you can't put it down, it captures the reader in it's twists & turns. The writer has thought enough to put all the masalas to keep reader bound. I'm told they are making a movie on this book. I'd say once the movie is out it'll be very hard to guess which came out first among the book & the movie; the entire book is so filmi. To start with, the central character, Shyam, is our typical underdog hero. He might remind you of Amol Palekar in Chhoti Si Baat. You will also find a saas-bahu drama, casting couch, an angry young man, old parents-young daughter-in-law angle, heartburns, NRI groom, extra-marital, pre-marital, divorced parents - covered the entire Bollywood infact. And to top it all, in the end the author has put a rather out of the world twist to ensure a happy ending.

The book is about six people who work at a Gurgaon call center. Although it's about just one night, but using dialogues & flashbacks details about their lives are provided. All of them are painfully distressed & depressed with their lives & most of the pages cover this despair in details. While its not a typical Bollywoodish "..and they lived happily ever after" ending, its not really very far from it. The book leaves a bit of depressing aftertaste. Imagine reading 250 pages about their despair & then in 20 pages it evaporates - who'd buy it? Bhagat has done good research about call centers and tried well to connect with the youth. He has used his professional experience too to make it authentic (and he has vented his anger on one of his old bosses too ;-)).I'm sure almost everyone would find something in the book to relate with. But at times he appears to be trying a tad too hard. The Bollywood effect is evident on almost every page of the book.

In the end, I'd say read the book if you can lay your hands on it. Better borrow than buy, but even if you buy it you won't regret spending just 95/- on it. Another option is to wait for the film, its surely gonna be full of masala :-).