Why I did not like Karl ...

Freaky topic for a post, but I just finished Cyrus Broacha's Karl Aaj aur Kal. Started reading the book with huge expectations hoping that it would be a laugh riot considering Cyrus is the most famous funny man in India.

Cyrus on the screen is unbelievable, his comic timing, imagination and the innovation with words that he comes up with is rather good. Few can match him, at least I do not see anyone who is anywhere as good as he is on Indian television. Though he is not a stand up comedian on the lines of a Robin Williams or a Russel Peters at least on screen the genre of fun he brings to the screen is tough to match.

Enough said, alas his book disappointed me. The story is about two boys Karl and Kunal who are langoti yaars. There is sense of camaraderie which they exhibit during their years of growing up. What am i doing here ?? This is not a book review column and no one pays me for reading and reviewing books. So lets the get the facts straight

The books gets off to a nice start, especially the references to Amitabh Bachchan. The part where the boys grow up have been presented in a nice light, something that I have not read before. The Indian adolescent, his obsession with porn, women, cigarettes and bunking classes. The humour is a bit dark in certain places but worth the read.

The book wanes away once these guys go the US of A to some acting school. Maybe Cyrus was under some sort of pressure to meet some deadline form his publisher or he simply ran out of ideas, the chances of the latter being remote. The plot goes haywire from here and their meeting with the famous Bollywood star who take a liking for them, his obsession of remaking a Night at the Opera is rather uninteresting.

This is where the book loses out though the way he presents the politicians love for glamour is rather humorous, the book for some reason cannot keep you glued to it for a very long period of a time. It is more like a sine wave with a very short time period. As soon as you reach the crest, he takes you on a downward spiral and then picks it up again. I would say that he tends to be good in paragraphs.
Enuff now this book had the potential of being an Indian comic classic considering the way he delves into the darker comic side every now and then. Sigh, I hope his second effort would be infinitely better.