Book Review: Oh My Goddess
For a person who thrives on heavy subjects of the human mind, last week has been a change of sorts. But sometimes it is relatable, given that not many people take a liking for dystopia and melancholy.
I happened to watch ‘The Archies’, a story set in 1964 about a mythical Anglo-Indian town in North India, and portrayed by star kids — Sridevi’s daughter, Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson, and Shahrukh Khan’s daughter. The move follows the original Archies. The theme was light, chocolatey, and with no violence. The best part was the light music. It was like a tip-toe ballet. While the world may take serious offense, my wife and I liked the movie —it was the much-needed feel-good experience that we were craving.
This context is important as I write the review of ‘Oh My Goddess’, a quick-read novel written by Rohan Govenkar that I carried around for my Dubai trip. This book was part of my birthday gifts by my dear Goan friend, Anagha Fernandes. We both are part of a book club that exchanges books and shares reviews.
I loved the cover art by Rohit Chari, refreshingly capturing the caricatures of the characters in an Archies-type poster. I expected a smooth read without pain and so it was. The story held a straight path till the end with one big twist at the climax. Anagha had told me that the story was ‘linear’ and I would agree as I closed the book after a few breezy sessions of reading.
The Plot:
The plot is about a smart guy Naveen Joshi, who is obligated to a local goon Altaf Bhai, who in turn works for an underworld don Sudhakar Shetty. He ends up working his way up to the top three employees of a diamond trading company, Zaveri & Co. The proprietor of the company, Ashok Zaveri (my first namesake), trades diamonds in cash and Naveen is entrusted with one of the transactions where he exchanges diamonds for cash.
He also happens to fall in love with Zaveri’s daughter Jessica, who has a picture-perfect frame and behaves like an entitled one. As Naveen plots Jessica’s kidnap, he aims to spend time with Jessica in an obscure cottage with Goa. This entire plot is enacted by Sudhakar’s underlings.
This cottage happens to be the setting of an amateur filmmaking group, comprising two friends — Jackie and Kalpesh, whose brother is Vikram, a bank manager. They hire two girls, Shabbo and Naaz, two sex workers, but treat them well, as they aim to play the roles of two couples in a cottage setting. The owner of this cottage Pervez Batliwala owes the bank, and hence agrees to a two-week shoot, but is forced to turn over the cottage to the kidnappers.
Meanwhile, the search and rescue operation begins with Ashok Zaveri relying on his police friends SP Vaz and PI Surendran. But his secret weapon is Dexter, a gadget guru, who manages the security of the diamond firm. He uses GPS devices to track and trace the kidnapping affair but falters at times. He has a thing with PI Surendran, but between them, they trace the bungalow and finally pin the blame on Naveen. Meanwhile, Dexter is mysteriously kidnapped with his wife and daughter.
Naveen’s parents, being Sai Baba’s worshippers, tell the antecedents of Naveen to Dexter who in turn shares it with the police. The movie-makers meanwhile release a movie that includes the tryst of Jessica and Naveen, and his phone call that reveals his connection with Sudhakar Shetty.
After the rescue, Naveen is interrogated by the police, and his carefully planned ‘love life’ with Jessica evaporates as she walks away from him. Disappointed, he travels to the cottage for one last act.
The plot twist comes when the actual perpetrator of the crime is revealed on the main roads of Dubai.
A Bollywood Novel:
The plot is ‘linear’ as my friend Anagha says. The story is action-packed and the author is in a hurry to bring the details of the scene and dialogue. The pace compensates for the lack of depth, and detailing brings the scenes to life. The knowledge of Goa and Dubai, the diamond trade and the underworld, and the detailing of gadgets are excruciating but don’t affect the flow of the story. I could strip many characters away and still, the plot could hold on its own.
If I treat this as a light read — like the way the movie ‘The Archies’ is to be consumed — then the novel is a winner as a typical Bollywood plot.
And that is what I did.
~Ashok Subramanian © 2023
