Review- I am M-M-Mumbai by Rishi Vohra

I am M-M-Mumbai on Goodreads

 BOOK SUMMARY:

An intelligent, good-looking young man, Rudra should have been going places, except wherever he goes, he faces ridicule and humiliation because he stammers. His stammering has only ever brought him the wrong kind of attention and he has never been able to overcome it or move past it. Now at 25, he feels completely stifled and embittered that Mumbai, the city of dreams, has always crushed his own dreams, particularly his long-cherished one of becoming a film actor.

Then he meets Richa and love gives him a ray of hope. But heartbreak devastates him and he spins into a downward spiral that eventually pushes him to rock bottom. Now, his only way up is to conquer his fear and insecurity once and for all and speak.

Will Mumbai finally listen? 

Release date: September 2018

Published by: Vishwakarma Publications

Page numbers: 192

REVIEW: 

I always enjoy reading author Rishi Vohra's books. I have read and enjoyed his Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai and Hifi in Bollywood, so when the author contacted me about his latest, I Am M-M-Mumbai, I was elated. 

All of Rishi's books are set in Mumbai, a city I don't visit frequently and one that I'm not fond of either. But there's something so charming and engrossing in the way the author describes his beloved city that manages to bring a smile to my face. 

I Am M-M-Mumbai is the story of Rudra Talpade, who comes from a simple family and has dreams of becoming an actor but he stammers and that is what keeps him from achieving his goals. Rudra was a very realistic and lovely character and it was difficult not to like him. There were times when I felt he was naive or he was being really stupid, but he always had his reasons for doing what he did and that's admirable. 

Rudra's struggle from being an assistant director to reaching the goals he set for himself was great fun to read about. His family and love interests played an important role and there were some amazing side characters who left a mark. All the people that our hero comes across end up helping in making him who he eventually becomes. 

As always, it was wonderful to try and get to know the fascinating world of Bollywood which Rishi Vohra always nails. Overall, this one is a complete entertainer that I enjoyed oh so much and would highly recommend. 

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by author Rishi Vohra in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.

Buy the book: AMAZON

Review- Hifi in Bollywood by Rishi Vohra

Goodreads Summary:

"AN ASPIRING FILMMAKER. THE DIZZYING HEIGHTS OF BOLLYWOOD. AND A STRAINED FATHER-SON RELATIONSHIP"

Rayhan Arora’s long cherished dream is to be a filmmaker in the Hindi Film Industry but his formidable father has other plans… a successful financial career in Corporate America, and a marriage of convenience with Vanita, a medical student in the US. 

In a final act of desperation, Rayhan abandons his promising life in California and secretly returns to Mumbai to work as an Assistant Director in Bollywood. The characters he encounters along the way become part of his journey of self-discovery - a self-proclaimed local goon with a penchant for acting; a powerful local politician who wants to marry Rayhan's part-time domestic help, who in turn covets stardom; an angst-ridden, homosexual film director; ego-ridden film stars with twisted agendas; and the mysterious Viola who captures his heart. 

HiFi in Bollywood takes the reader from the streets of Berkeley to the film studios of Mumbai; from red-light areas to police stations, and from reality to dreams and back to reality again!

REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of Hifi in Bollywood by Rishi Vohra in exchange for an honest review. We thank Rishi for the book! 

The story of a young boy Rayhan Arora and his journey of pursuing his dreams of being a filmmaker by being a rebel and a true heart follower, Hifi in Bollywood, contrary to author Rishi Vohra's debut Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai, was a very conventional and stereotypical story, although it was quite an entertainer as well. After having read and really liked the author's previous novel, I went into Hifi in Bollywood with expectations of course, which unfortunately, weren't always fulfilled. While this review may sound mostly negative, like I said, the story was an entertaining roller coaster ride with lots of zigs and zags. It is definitely not bad as a one-time read; it is, in fact, worth it actually.

Hifi in Bollywood, as the summary pinpoints, takes the reader on a ride from the streets of Berkeley to Mumbai, the city of dreams. The Berkeley part was quite fascinating, and it was especially fun from Rayhan's point of view. Once the Mumbai part kicks off, the narration, like the city itself, speeds up, for the better of course. Another point that the summary suggests but fails to adhere to is the reality of the Hindi Film Industry which wasn't anything different from what we are used to reading in gossip columns. For me, the story itself was a Bollywood movie with the very typically Indian middle-class setup and the character portrayals. The book reminded me a lot of the movie I Hate Luv Storys. 

Coming to the main character Rayhan, he seemed like a decent, nice, simple, well mannered and easy-going guy, and it was really disappointing to see him succumb to not so pleasant measures at some point, especially when his own conscience pricked him someway or the other. His change in attitude regarding marriage and his rather chauvinistic demand towards the end were disappointing as well. At the same time, however, Rayhan was quite a cool and almost level-headed person who was very passionate about his passion. And like he himself says, it's all human nature. The other characters in the book were average in their buildup, and at some point, I saw the major spoiler coming, and it bugged me to no end, because it was way too obvious. Some characters like the local Mumbai goons added a comic element which was fresh and funny. 

It's not like I didn't like Hifi in Bollywood. It was a nice, quick and entertaining read. I just felt that it wasn't anything different. As always, the one aspect I really liked was Rishi's description of Mumbai. I don't visit the city often, but even I can say it was apt and spot on. While the epilogue was satisfying, I didn't feel like smiling once I shut the book. I was a teeny tiny bit disappointed with Hifi in Bollywood, especially seeing as it is Rishi Vohra's book, and he is definitely a great author who has really interesting stories to tell, which I will still be looking forward to in the future. 

RATING:

Winners- Once Upon The Tracks Of Mumbai giveaway

It's time to announce the winner of another successful IN only giveaway, Once Upon the Tracks Of Mumbai by Rishi Vohra. 

The winners are- 

Rose, Shaili and Moulee

Congratulations to all the winners! 

Emails have been sent out to winners and I hope to hear back from them soon.

To the rest, thank you SO much for participating. And a big thank you to author Rishi Vohra for all his help and support! 

We have an INT e-copy giveaway going on right now and you can still win by going here to participate. 

Thank you and happy reading! 

Review- Once Upon The Tracks Of Mumbai by Rishi Vohra

Goodreads Summary:

"Autistic. Schizophrenic. Psychotic…" 

"They" use these words to describe Babloo - the doctors, his family, his teachers everyone... except Vandana. She treats him the way he wants the world to see him. 

Mumbai... the city that defines his ultimate desires. Will it allow him the love and normalcy he so craves? 

Vandana... yearns for a soul mate to rescue her from the confines of the Railway Colony they all live in. Is she looking in the right place? 

Rail Man... a fearless, real-life hero who succeeds in doing all that Babloo secretly wishes to do... is Babloo his inspiration or... is it the other way around? 

A random twist of fate on Mumbai’s endless, serpent-like, jangling local train tracks ties all these characters together in a complex weave of love, heartbreak, and courage. 

Babloo draws the reader into his fascinating, heart-rending journey through the twisted, choked lanes of Mumbai, into an open space where he can finally exhale, be born again.

REVIEW:

I had won Rishi Vohra's book, Once Upon The Tracks Of Mumbai on my buddy Ankita's blog, Booklok Coffee. When I first saw the cover of it, I thought it might be a regular run of the mill, Bollywood type romance. I'm not saying that it wasn't entirely unlike a Hindi movie, because it was. 

We have a hero, a heroine and a villain and everyone, in the end, gets what they deserve. But the way in which author Rishi Vohra has written the book makes it look more like a real life story than something that solely happens in movies. 
The story of Balwant Srivastav more fondly known as Babloo, Once Upon The Tracks Of Mumbai has a clichéd and happy ending, but the entire story from start to finish was something very different than anything I've read before, and it was different in a good way. 
Babloo has taken a place in my heart as one of those very few, special and unique characters that you don't normally encounter but when you do, they just make you want to love them. As we figure out later in the book, there are certain reasons why Babloo is the way he is. A major part of the book is from is point of view and it was refreshing, simple and utterly impressive. I loved how accepting, alright and natural he was about his quirks. Ignored as a child, he turns out to do things on his own and only returns home for food and sleep. Because of his differences from "normal" people, no one really pays him any heed and he doesn't know what it is like to be loved and wanted. 
The only love he has ever felt is towards his friend and railway colony neighbour, Vandana. Vandana, when she meets him, is with Babloo like she would be with any other human. She is kind, soft spoken and sweet. As an ambitious and mature working girl in Mumbai, she faces quite a lot of problems along her way. She had flaws, but who doesn't? There were times when I liked what Vandana did, and at the same time, there were instances when I wasn't very fond of her. 
Once Upon The Tracks Of Mumbai takes us straight into the daily life of Mumbai- the hub of India. Both Babloo and Vandana's fathers are working in the Mumbai Railway Office and have their homes in the Railway Colony. I really liked reading about the railways since as strange as it might seem, I have never used the Mumbai local trains but heard and seen lots about it. 

Aside from that, I also liked getting a glimpse into the genuine life of a lower to upper middle class Mumbaikar, equipped with all things good and bad. 
There were many secondary characters in the book and Rishi Vohra does an excellent job of giving each of these characters a strong role that ultimately weaves it's way into making the story real. Sometimes the book went from different point of views and it was thoroughly demonstrative to read from those POVs. Author Rishi Vohra's clear, easy to understand and simple writing meticulously changed pertaining to the thoughts of the character from whose point the reader is reading. 

Once Upon The Tracks Of Mumbai, apart from being a story about family, friendship and love, is also, in a very unique way that I find difficult to express without giving away too much information, a story about justice that's going to stay with me for a long time to come. 

RATING: