BACK SEAT - A LITERARY MASTERPIECE

 

Wow, Wow, wow!! Aditya Kripalani's book 'Back Seat' has left me speechless. It took me two nights to get through 244 pages and when I came to the last and final page I continued to scroll down wishing that there were more pages that I could read. Aditya has an excellent command of the English language and lots of effort is placed on detail in the book. There are a number of colourful characters within the story line and each character is described in much detail. Every character can be visualized in terms of physical appearance and personality.It is almost as though you know the character on a personal level. I have visited India and I loved the vibe of Mumbai city. Aditya does an excellent job in describing Mumbai city as it is in reality.He simply brings the city to life. There is one scene in the book where Vijay stops the car opposite Shatranj Napoli and Olive and I had a huge smile on my face as I remembered having a sumptuous meal at the Italian restaurant during my trip. I recalled my experiences on Carter and Linking road as I read through this adrenalin pumping roller coaster ride. The only negative aspect of the book is its abrupt ending. I wanted to know more.I guess Aditya's rationale behind this, is to allow the reader's imagination to run wild. A more thorough spelling check could have been done as I picked up a few typos. Back Seat is a story that revolves around 15 year old Asawari Jog also known as Nikita who lives in a beach town called Ratnaghiri. Due to unfortunate circumstances she makes her way to Mumbai where she works as a dancer at Atithi dance bar, that is until a local politician imposes a ban on all bar dancers causing many of the girls to turn to prostitution in order to earn a reasonable living. Nikita's dream is to have her own restaurant so that she can escape from the body trade industry and after much effort she secures a restaurant premises by handing over a deposit to Mr. Louis for this dream venture.In order for her dream to materialize, she now requires to make up the rest of the money as soon as possible.

Nikita was never comfortable with the idea of prostituting herself to many men. She therefore,chooses the lesser evil by becoming Shashank's escort for one month . He is the troubled son of Mr. Inder Mehta, a Mumbai based film producer.I loved the way Aditya portrays Shashank's character. There were times that I actually felt sorry for him. I could feel his pain, hurt and all the emotional turmoil within him. The plot takes a twist when Nikita falls in love with Vijay, Shashank's driver. Vijay's past is equally painful and traumatic. Mumbai for him is an escape route, an abode where dreams come true. At this point in the book, you are desperately trying to get to the end of it to find out if Nikita's dreams do reach fruition or not.The book is captivating and Aditya does well in revealing bits and pieces of Nikita's life, leaving the reader constantly intrigued at every moment.Back Seat is a well written, thought provoking realistic tale that reaches the depths of human character and emotion. It has all the ingredients to turn the book into an award winning Madhur Bhandarkar type film. If you have not read a book in a while, I suggest that you get hold of "Back seat" right away. This is one book that you just have to read. My heartiest congratulations to Aditya. I wish him all the best and I am looking forward to his next book Front Seat

 
About The Author ( As taken from his book)
The author, Aditya Kripalani, has a passion for writing in its myriad forms—short stories, poems, scripts screen plays and magazine write-ups, on topics as varied as watches, films, fashion and fitness.He is a post graduate, qualified in Script and Film Screenplay writing from the Film and Television Institute, Pune, and has also taught screen writing at St. Xavier’s Institute of Communication, Mumbai. He currently heads the Script Department of one of the film industry’s established corporate film houses, I Dream Production. Thirty one year old Aditya is fond of cooking, music, travelling, observing and analyzing people. He has the ability to get into the psyche of the characters, male and female, and view situations from each one’s unique perspective. He has spent a major part of his life in Mumbai city which has moulded and influenced him tremendously. Multi-faceted Aditya has a degree in fitness training from the Reebok University and is a Karateka practicing Karate in the GoJu form of Karate.
Readers can interact with him by email at backseat.theauthor@gmail.com