"Since I had had the misfortune of laying my hands on the cursed telescope my life had gone berserk, I thought miserably. I had witnessed a murder, been shot at (by a supari killer, no less), spent a night in the slammer and seen a man killed right in front of me. But having my story and screenplays stolen — that really took the cake."
How far would you go to get what you want?
a) Steal
b) Scam
c) Seduce
For Kkrishnaa, the 20-something, impulsive, gutsy and unapologetically ambitious scriptwriter of television soap operas, the answer would be d) all of the above.
And what she wants most right now is to retain her long-running, hugely
successful primetime show Kkangan Souten Ke. Unfortunately for her, she
has writer's block and knows it. What is worse, her Creative Director
knows it, and is threatening to hand over the pen to Kkrishnaa's erstwhile
love and current adversary, Dev Trivedi.
Kkrishnaa must find inspiration if she wants to keep the show. So she
decides to spy on her neighbours, a decision that unfortunately leads
to her witnessing a murder. And thence ensues a rambunctious, rollercoaster
ride as Kkrishnaa desperately attempts to keep her job, resist Dev Trivedi's
charms - and oh yes - avoid getting killed….
A wickedly funny, rip-roaring read.
- TimeOut (Fortnightly) , New Delhi , 24 July 2008.
Take a single young professional, place her in Mumbai's
TV soap industry, throw in a murder and lots of (traffic-jammed) chase
scenes, introduce a handsome ex-best-friend and voilá –
you have a piece of desi chick-lit....Despite the broad strokes with
which Jain paints her characters, this book is an engaging and offbeat
caper. Like Kkrishnaa's scripts, it's "convoluted enough to guarantee
viewer interest, but not to the extent of leaving them confused".
As the protagonist overcomes a case of writer's block by weaving the
murder investigation into her serial, the reader also notes that the
book's characters are thinly veiled allusions to actual dons, gangsters
and film stars. Jain liberally cartoonifies her characters, but Kkrishnaa
has the right blend of wit, sex and twists to keep this reader interested
– at least for a few hours.
Read the rest of the review here.
- Deccan Chronicle, 15 June 2008.
Move over Bridget Jones, We now have our own Kkrishnaa, writer of
TV soaps, young, attractive, single, and living alone in the big bad
city of Mumbai. Indian writing in English has discovered chic lit
and Kkrishnaa's Konfession by Smita Jain is just what the urban English-speaking
professional young woman was waiting for.The style is clever, irreverent
and witty.It is an action filled page turner. Kkrishnaa's Konfessions
is an unpretentious, rollicking romp through the lanes and by lanes
of Mumbai. Considering the fact that there is a twist and turn in
every page, the author Smita Jain has shown great skill in untying
the knots, and giving the book a somewhat intriguing end."
Read the rest of the review here.