Archive for February, 2009

Zoya Factor Is A Breezy Read

First of all,  no complete review here, as I am just half way through Anuja Chauhan’s debut  novel, Zoya factor.

Just bought this book a few days back and ended up debiting my account by a good 295 bucks. But half way into the novel, and it definitely seems worth the price.

AnujaChauhan picks upon the superstitious and cricket nausea that has infected our country and weaves  quite a creative story around it.

Zoya, a 27 year old ad agency worker, has suddenly got cult status after the Indian cricket team believes that she is their lucky charm. Having a breakfast with Zoya, is all that it would take to get over their bad form, after all Zoya was born on 25th June 1983, the very day India had won the World Cup. So off goes Zoya  with the Indian Cricket Team to Australia, to bless India with all the luck they need to win the coveted World Cup. Will Zoya prove lucky for the team and help them win the World Cup? There’s also romance brewing between Indian skipper, Nikhil Khoda ( if u cann’ t fig. out this to be Dhoni..u ain’t no any cricket) and Zoya.

While it can be predicted to where the book is headed for, it’s Anuja’s casual writing style that makes this one perfect, if you are looking for a light weight fun read.

Anuja the brain behind the Oye Bubbly and Yeh Dil Maange More campaigns for Pepsi is in full form with cheeky one liners, wicked jokes and an interesting bunch of characters.

Apart from a quiet little page which says that, “All characters in this book are fictional”..and all that crap, the entire book screams real life characters, be it cricketers, celebrities or the board executives. Anuja has a dig at all of them and invokes much humor.

zoya factor

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Luck By Chance : A Peek Into The Film World

Without building up any suspense, Zoya Akthar’s directorial debut is indeed a good watch. Making three hours in a dark room, not seem like three long hours but three entertaining hours is a task in itself. And Zoya does manage to pull it off.

luck by chance

Armed with a lot of insider knowledge about the film industry, Zoya does a superb job of providing a glimpse into it. Most importantly Zoya has managed to create wonderful set of  characters, the successful manipulative producer Romi Rolly ( Rishi Kapoor) , a struggling actress (Konkona Sharma) and Farhan Akthar’s struggling actor friend are the ones that stand apart. The characters are full of life and blood and not just mere caricatures.

The dialogues by Javed Akthar are surely the backbone for the film and perhaps Luck By Chance would not have worked that well had it not been for those wonderful lines.

Present in just a few scenes, Hrithik Roshan gives a stunning performance as the superstar Zafar Khan. Farhan Akthar gives a sincere performance. Isha Shravani impresses for once playing the dumbwit starlet daughter. Konkona Sen Sharma is reliable as always. It’s always  a joy to watch her on screen.

But it is Dimple Kapadia and Rishi Kapoor who you yearn to see for. Rishi Kapoor who plays the successful good at heart producer and Dimple Kapadia who plays the yesteryear’s starlet are simply superb. And once again credit has to be given to Zoya for the wonderful characters she has developed.
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