Crime Thriller is a genre which needs absolute perfection when it comes to writing. The minutest details, the hero, villain and supporting casts and the plot should be woven well enough to test the reader's mind. Author Piyush Jha in his novel "Mumbaistan" brings three stories for the readers set in the streets of Mumbai to test the taste buds of readers. So is he successful in bringing out the best in terms of crime thrillers? Let's find out.
Mumbai, a city of dreams for many. But for others, a nightmare. Behind the façade of lustre and glamour churns a seething underbelly of squalor, corruption and crime.
Mumbaistan’s three explosive crime novellas unravel the subterranean secrets of maximum city—from the teeming maw of Dharavi and the wanton streets of Kamathipura to the swank high-rises of Bandra.
A prostitute, her lover and a policeman play for high stakes in Bomb day. Injectionwala exposes chilling medical malpractices and a lovelorn vigilante’s twisted game plan. In Coma Man, a man awakens from coma after twenty years, and sets out in search of his wife—and himself.
Macabre love stories, conniving cops and hard-boiled slumlords form the backdrop of a schizophrenic city that is brooding… dying.
Welcome to Mumbaistan; a gritty, compelling take on the megalopolis that lives on the edge.
The title suggests about three stories set in the heart and the streets of Mumbai. The cover image goes along well with the title. The blurb gives an indication of three plots which will be later unveiled in the book with their titles in tandem with the one liners. The title of the stories is enough to generate a fair amount of interest in the book.
Story No. 1: Bomb Day
It's about a prostitute and her lover and Alamzeb a third person who is madly in love with the prostitute. It's a story of Bombay bomb blast set in the lavish buildings of Mumbai and moving to the darker red light areas of the district.
The plot has been woven with a good bit of surprise for the readers in its initial narration. The story exploits all the necessary elements of a crime thriller to the fullest and with a lovely twist in the end to keep the readers hooked and mesmerized by the sudden change of events in it. It's worth the time spent by the readers in reading it.
Story No. 2: Injection Wala
It's about Dr. Porus who is out on the streets of Mumbai to revenge the death of his father because of a heinous kidney racket involving high profile Dr. Jeth and others. He slowly and steadily plans his revenge and goes on to dish out justice for the poor and innocent people. Inspector Virkar with his rough experience in a metro city gets a sniff about the whole plot and then proceeds on to catch the killer termed as Injection wala. What role Dr. Saakshi plays in the entire story and what happens to the most sought case in the media in the end is the entire focal point of the book?
The story again involves high octane drama involving high profile people, a killer on loose, a lustful lover and not to forget the rough, ragged and tough Inspector Virkar. The mysterious air surrounding the actions of the killer and the lengths and breadths which Inspector Virkar will go in order to unearth the killer are the most entertaining elements in the story. Absolute justice has been meted out in terms of the plot and it will arise the curiosity of the readers time and again with a very different end to the story. The love, the revenge, the deceit and the darkness of a man are well exploited in the story.
Story No. 3: Coma Man
Samir Khanna has been in deep coma for 19 years in a hospital and he suddenly rises up screaming recalling events of his past. He's there after on a run and with a victim of his own judgement and flurry of people after him he goes on to rediscover the reason behind his cryo sleep and what happened on that fateful day. Tagging along Raghu Nadar and few local goons who are unknowingly harmed in his quest it turns out to be quite a fest for many a feast for people like Raghu & Samir.
The story is slow paced as compared to the other plots in the book but it has enough elements of its own like the washed memory of Samir, the corporator Raghu, the police on a blank trail and local goons who are in pursuit of an innocent looking Samir for his wife Bahaar and his ever eluding past. It picks up pace in the latter half with glimpses of his past reoccurring again. The edginess and innocence in his character are the main exploits in the story. The end though a sad one in terms of a crime thriller but a heart wrenching one is enough to make people remain shocked for sometime.
All in all it's been complete justice done to all the three stories by the author and he has not left any stone unturned to entertain and enthrall crime thriller fanatics. The characters, their roles and the plots twisted time and again will help people witness another new aspect of writing in this genre which is still blossoming in our country.
RATINGS:
4 OUT OF 5.
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