RAM C/O ANANDHI BY AKHIL P. DHARMAJAN (TRANSLATED FROM THE MALAYALAM BY HARITHA C. K.)

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BOOK NAME: RAM C/O ANANDHI

AUTHOR NAME: AKHIL P. DHARMAJAN (TRANSLATED FROM THE MALAYALAM BY HARITHA C. K.)

GENRE: CONTEMPORARY FICTION 

PUBLISHER: HARPERCOLLINS INDIA

BOOK BUY LINK: https://amzn.in/d/073PlwJ

BOOK RATING: 3/5


BOOK COVER IMAGE


BOOK REVIEW

Ram c/o Anandhi is a lighthearted romcom exploring the lives of people Ram comes across in Chennai. Sriram, aka Ram, is a Malayali who visits Chennai to pursue film studies with the aspiration of becoming a writer and director. From the moment he steps into Chennai until he leaves, he is amazed by Chennai, its people, and its lively surroundings. Ram befriends Anandhi, Reshma, Vetri, and Malli, aka Kalidas, who all have their own stories. Ram falls for Anandhi over time after turning friends from foes, but she is hiding something bigger beyond comprehension. 


The best thing about this book is the author’s note, where he genuinely admits that the prose of the book is cinematic and warns us not to expect a perfect literary narration. The book started very well, inducing some chuckles here and there and creating a sense of nostalgia. Though translated from Malayalam, it felt as good as reading a Tamil book. In my mind, the book always reverberated in Tamil, so it was easy to get through it faster than I had thought. 


Whenever there was a loophole in the beginning, I reminded myself about the author’s note and let them go. But after a certain point, the repetitiveness started wearing me out occasionally. This was a full-on masala movie script. There was chasing, romance, banter between the main leads, songs and even dramatic action sequences. I felt this one could have worked great as a movie and I would have loved it more, even with the cliches and cheesy dialogues. 


The storytelling could have been more animated than being linear. It felt like listening to someone narrate the story of the movie they had recently seen. The saving grace was Malli and Paati, who had some character growth compared to the rest. The theme of Tamil Eelam and transgender struggles incorporated inside a romcom was appreciable.


I have a lot of questions about this book. I still can’t grasp how Reshma and Vetri, who hated Anandhi with all their might, suddenly started getting inspired by her and befriended her. How many rowdies in Thanjavur carry shotguns and local bombs in their lorries as they navigate through villages? How often does someone miss a train and get to stay in a lodge with a friend who gets mistaken for a couple? The protagonist, Ram, had a lot of potential but was reduced to a very unidimensional character who was loved by all, naive, and easygoing. He even falls in love with the girl who once slapped him.


You may like it if you love rom-com movies and are willing to let go of the cliches. The narration is simple and, hence, very quick to read, and it is for all. But is it for you? That is for you to find out. Don’t forget to read the author’s note before you start the book. 


This review is powered by Blogchatter’s Book Review Program

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