Making films
on politics has always been the fancy of many directors. It is a genre which is
loved by people. However when the same comes to books, it doesn’t always hold
true. There are very few novels on politics which manage to remain gripping
till the end. Most usually sink into deep depression and lose track midway.
Fortunately,
Kota Neelima’s latest offering “The Honest Season” manages to stay above all
these clichés and turns out to be a page turning novel.
PLOT
It all
happens in the city of Delhi where politicians reside, where the country’s most
renowned news channels have head offices and where all the leading newspapers
have their reporters vying to outdo each other.
Amidst the
rivalry, the novel focuses on the life of “Know journalist” Mira Mouli. Along with
a detailed offering into her personal and professional life as well as her
thoughts, we are also introduced to the two main male characters Sikandar Bansi
and Nalan Malik.
Both have
their own traits, plusses and minuses. When Sikandar Bansi disappears and
starts sending tapes to the news company, hell breaks loose. Each tape consists
of hardcore evidence of corruption within the entire political system – be it
the ruling party, the opposition party or even the country’s defence system.
With each
tape, Sikandar sends a clue specially addressed to Mira, in order for her to
find him.
What happens
next? Does Mira succeed in finding Sikandar? Will she be able to fight her own
inner demons and find that man who seems to know her inside out?
WRITING
Unlike Kota
Neelima’s previous novel “Shoes of the dead”, this one is more pacy. She gets a
brilliant grip on the entire political backdrop, effectively creating the right
and apt amounts of tension whenever needed.
She also
shows why journalism and politics are so interconnected in today’s world. She tells
us that even today, there are both good as well as bad people in journalism as
well as politics.
POSITIVES
The characterizations
are superb. The characters of Mira and Sikandar are brilliantly sketched. That strong
affinity between them is brilliant. The tension is so real and palpable. You almost
want Mira to come out from that rented flat and meet Sikandar.
The other
characters too are well done – Nalan Malik, Munshi, Bhaskar, Salat Vasudev,
etc.
The monsoon
is depicted so well by Kota Neelima. It is my favorite season and she only
enhances my love for the rains. The title of the book is so apt. there is no season
as honest as monsoon.
The ending
of the book is perfect. With a Christopher Nolan like ending, the author leaves
it to the readers’ imagination and intelligence as to what Mira actually does.
NEGATIVES
This is a
near flawless book. The pace is good, the content is very good, but there are
portions when the romantic angle gets too much. Priorities shift and the focus
shifts from politics to a little too much of indulgence.
Apart from
that, I hardly found any minuses in the novel.
OVERALL, Kota Neelima’s book “The Honest
Season” is for those who love political fiction works. Along with being a
fictional work, it very deftly exposes the loopholes in our own political
system. It shows us that inspite of being the world’s largest democracy, we are
miles behind when it comes to having a clean, moral and ethical political
system.
It does
require a lot of efforts. The cleaning up process is not so easy. But atleast
people are being made aware – be it by a novel or by any other means.
Great work,
Kota Neelima!!!
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