Mumbai Unraveled

It’s a tough task to write a review of a book especially when you open a book and find first three pages containing rave reviews from across the world. But yet I found the courage to write about this book, sole reason being after finishing this book 2 months back I can still recall Ganesh Gaitonde evolving form a young lad to become a vicious and most fearsome gangster of Mumbai . I still remember Sartaj Singh’s loneliness in city of thousand people Bombay. And I still can recall Mumbai’s chowpati, slums, skyscrapers etc. Scared Games is not just a book about gun chase between a cop and super villain. It’s more then that, Scared games is a book which reveals the dark secrets of the city Bombay. And if ever a movie was made on this novel than Mumbai will have a major a role in the movie.

A book which is about Sartaj Singh a lonely police officer in his forties on blink of career as a cop and nothing to cheer about. But then one day he gets a tip about Ganseh Gaitonde’s(Indian most wanted gangster ) hide out place. But then fate decides to play its part and where, Ganesh Gaitonde who is on blink of death deicides to share his story with the forty year cop. So the book takes you back into the life of Ganesh on how an innocent child became the most wanted man by police world. Ganesh that plays out all the card about his life form his childhood stories, betrayal by his best friend ,losing his wife and kid in the a gang war, spending kingsize life in the jail, fleeing to Thailand spending time and helping out young Indian actress to establish in Bollywood, becoming producer of film, finding a spiritual guru. On other hand we have the Life of Sartaj singh who is involved in medicore case about a husband and wife fight, his quench for love, guilt of been laid down by the man he admired the most, losing his co worker ,and last but not more importantly trying to figure out the mystery behind Ganesh Giatondes’s death .

Sounds complex to write but then that is where the Chandra’s narration helps, it is uncomplicated and he has kept it as simple as he could have . And never does one loose the grip of book. Chandra shows us Mumbai in manner never seen before, he takes us to high society of Mumbaikar’s , shows us the dirty world of politics, shows us the dark side bollywood , narrates about the police world and then puts a new light on the struggle of slum dwellers. But what strikes me most about the book is how Chandra has managed to pen down and managed to switch between the past and the present. As you start to turn the pages then you begin with Sartaj the police inspector and very next chapter you get deep into the world of Ganesh.

Each relationship in book has been beautifully penned down. Relationships with complexity, love, guilt, and hidden secrets you will find it all in the book. Sartaj’s relationship with his mom is especially beautifully crafted. Also Sartaj’s mom’s past is is revealed beautifully where Chandra takes us from metro Bombay to Punjab that of pre-independence era and deals with social dilemma that the Indian society faces even today.

Vikram Chandra does not try to tone down the narration in what so ever manner whether its use of the slang language use dirty tale he tells us, about bollywood, crime in high society etc, but instead Chandra hits you straight in your face . Sometimes even making you feel like yuck. The book is not for those who have a pampered heart. It’s not a goody goody book which will make you feel good about the city of dreams, but this book deals with real Mumbai with the world that which we have only heard of but with this book we live it.