Book Review: Just the way you are by Sanjeev Ranjan

Introduction

ISIN: 978-81-8400-634-6
Genre: Romance/ Fiction
Publishers: Random House India
Price: Rs. 175/- ( I received the book for review from the publisher)

Love happens when you least expect it…

Sameer is a Steve Jobs fan, a consultant at an investment bank, and a confused soul looking for love. As he moves cities to study and work, he falls in and out of love,but fails to find the one person who belongs with him. In comes Shagun, whom he marries. But he leaves the very next day for Switzerland…to start a dream Job. In the meantime, Shagun starts reading his diary! What does she find in there?

Will this spell the end of their marriage? With Sameer not around to defend himself,what is the future of their relationship?

Just the Way You Are is a humorous, heart-warming story about one man’s quest for true love.

Behind The book

Source: Google Images

About the author

Sanjeev Ranjan is the bestselling author of "In Course of True Love!(2012)" and "It's No Longer A Dream! (2014)"An ardent lover of western classic and instrumental music, he enjoys reading. He has a keen interest in understanding human behavior and relationships."Just The Way You Are" is his third novel published by Random House India.Currently he resides in New Delhi.

Me thinks

The blurb, the cover - everything about this book is inviting make me want to read it the moment it landed in my hands. And that is what I did. I ripped open the cover and began to read it, finishing it in a span of 1.5 hours.

After reading it my initial reaction was maybe I have really grown old! For beyond a point I couldn't connect with this story. I didnt warm up my heart as I had expected it to. It seems more like a coming of age story of today's youth, whose definition of love and marriage is marred with varied opinions on it. And by the end of the story the true meaning of love and marriage comes out making it a happy ending.

If there is something I really loved in the book then it has to be the narrative - the author has managed to bring out the confusions of a youth very well. The varied thoughts on marriage, career, love, relationships, parents , friends... everything is so well narrated that there comes a point where you are nodding your head in approval with the author.

I would say I was a tad disappointed in terms of the plot and the storyline as it is a bit cliche and there is no newness it has to got to offer. The simplicity of the plot is what catapults this one into the mass appeal category because of the easy to connect characters and storyline.I am sure this book would be loved and liked by many who enjoy reading light hearted reads.

Overall, surely recommended as a one time read!

Foodie Verdict

This book is like mulligatawny soup - comfort food!

Source: Google Images

Movie Review: If by Tathagata Ghosh – A Tender Portrait of Love, Loss, and Possibility

If , a 26-minute short film by acclaimed Bengali filmmaker Tathagata Ghosh, is a sensitive, evocative piece of storytelling that lingers long after the credits roll. Set against the everyday rhythm of life in Kolkata, the film delicately unpacks the story of a lesbian couple torn apart by the weight of societal expectations and dares to imagine a different future, one where a mother's love might just change everything. What struck me first was the film’s raw, grounded realism. The characters feel like people we know, middle-class families navigating a complex world with quiet resilience. The world of If is filled with silences, glances, and stills, rather than heavy dialogue. Ghosh masterfully uses these moments to speak volumes, allowing viewers to sit with discomfort, interpret the unspoken, and feel deeply.

Book Review: The Story of Eve: Selected Poems by Zehra Nigah

Few voices in Urdu poetry have carried the weight of history, resistance, and deep personal introspection quite like Zehra Nigah. One of the first women to break into the traditionally male-dominated world of Urdu poetry, Nigah’s work stands as a testament to the power of words to illuminate, question, and challenge. The Story of Eve: Selected Poems, translated by Rakshanda Jalil, brings together some of her most powerful nazms and ghazals, showcasing both her literary elegance and her unflinching gaze at the human condition, particularly through the lens of gender, social injustice, and political turmoil.

The Urban Gaze : Reimagining the Village in Contemporary Indian Cinema

Indian cinema has long been fascinated with the village. From the earthy, socialist realism of Do Bigha Zamin (1953) to the melodramatic lament of Mother India (1957), the village once stood as both heartland and hinterland — a space of moral clarity, rustic struggle, and often unyielding fate. But as the urban middle class began to dominate cinematic production and consumption, the depiction of the village increasingly came to reflect an urban gaze, that is, a perspective shaped by distance, nostalgia, condescension, or even outright fantasy. In recent years, this urban gaze has taken on new shades, evident in the way mainstream and indie filmmakers alike have re-engaged with rural India. While some have tried to explore the village as a site of resistance, authenticity, or even horror, others continue to reproduce sanitized or exaggerated versions of village life that serve urban sensibilities more than rural realities.

Reviews & Musings

Search This Blog