Book Review : Figmented Reality by Zuko

Introduction

ISIN: 9789352016167
Genre: Fiction / Drama
Publishers: Leadstart
Price: Rs. 150/- (I got this book from the publisher for a review)

Addiction blurs our hold on reality; people say. But what if addiction becomes our reality? Siddharth had a fair few addictions in his wake. The challenge now was to differentiate between the ideal world and the real world. Will Siddharth be able to overcome his addictions and find true love. Or is it just another addiction? This book is not a biography of the author but is written in a way that author is the protagonist.

Behind the book

Source: Goodreads.com

Me thinks

This book's blurb talks about addiction and overcoming it - to be honest that is what made me want to read it. It is a different subject and something that is not commonly written about.

The book deals with multiple themes addiction being the primary one. The others are childhood trauma, abuse, complexities of relationships and life in bigger cities. Though to begin with it felt the author had it all going good it all fizzled out somewhere in the later portions. The ending was hugely disappointing as it took me a while to understand what just happened. Honestly that can be attributed to two things - either the author had written it so well and in complex words that I couldn't grasp it or it was very unclear and not explained well enough to understand it. Either ways the point is, the ending was supposed to catch me unawares which it did but somehow it didn't suit the whole flow of the book. It looked more like a forced ending given to end the book on a high.

Added to it the book is full of editing errors which makes reading very uncomfortable. It is not a pleasant experience as you try to get used to a flow and then are stuck on one word which is mis-spelt or grammatically incorrect trying to understand the correct meaning of it for a moment before proceeding ahead.

Though I must accolade the author for daring to try something so different and he was successful to an extent in execution except perhaps where he tried to make it bigger than what it already seemed on paper and that is where the plot got lost. However, the book still holds promise as it talks very deeply about addiction and how it impacts the lives of not only the addicts but also the ones around it and the speeches used in the book are really very powerful.

A decent one time read, I would recommend it if you are keen on trying something new.

Foodie Verdict

This book is like Pindi Chole - spicy, tangy and different from the usual chole.

Source: www.ticklingpalates.com

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.

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