Testimonials
REKHA NIGAM
WRITER – ‘PARINEETA’, ‘LAAGA CHUNARI MEIN DAAG’
‘Back Seat’ is primal, searing and real in its texture. Your protagonists draw the reader into their world. I really started caring about them. And, Nikita is the first truly fleshed out call-girl in the history of Indian cinema/literature.
PUBALI CHAUDHURI
WRITER – ‘ROCK ON’
… but perhaps the strongest character in the tale is the city of Bombay itself … From the world of the newly arrived migrant to the wasted rich, from bar girls to idle housewives, Aditya weaves a strain of pathos in all his characters, revealing the diversity that unites to create the ‘sweet mess’ of Bombay. It is a world of turbulent passion and soul numbing loneliness … of a desperate struggle to be free of the past as well as a rat trap of tomorrows.
RUCHI NARAIN
WRITER – ‘HAZAARON KHWAHISHEIN AISI’
DIRECTOR – ‘KAL’
The plot keeps you glued while you still have the luxury of ambling through Bombay’s streets and homes as you turn the pages. The book will come back to you each time you look at a driver from the back seat!
ABHIJEET DESHPANDE
WRITER – ‘DE DHAKKA’, ‘MI SHIVAJI RAJE BHOSLE BOLTOY’, ‘CITY OF GOLD’
‘Back Seat’ is a stunningly acerbic story! It has its fair share of poignant and magical moments. Aditya’s characters seem to be the result of a minute observation and an in depth analysis …… visual writing at its very best!! Aditya, you’ve written an absolute masterpiece. Feeling very very proud of you. Congrats man!
RAJEN MAKHIJANI
WRITER – ‘YEH FAASLEY’, ‘TUM MILO TOH SAHI’
‘Back Seat’ is a ride worth taking’, a remarkable book. Aditya is a sponge. The book shows it. At a relatively young age, he has gained insight into psychology, religious literature, martial arts, watches(!), the life of Mumbai in all its shades and hues, life in the hinterland – be it the coast of Konkan or the Hindi heartland. Using his remarkable observation and imagination, he weaves a tale that makes you live every moment of it.
Most ‘city bred’ authors / film makers tend to either pick up ‘elitist’ themes since those are the circles in which they have moved around, or they tend to get into ‘poverty porn’, which is another form of elitism. Refreshingly, Aditya does neither. As you read, you get to know your driver, your watchman, the pan-wala, the madman on the road, the police sub-inspector of your area, a little more. You re-visit the same lanes in Andheri, Khar, Marine Drive and so on, that you still drive through daily, except that you are cussing at the traffic everyday, but when you snuggle up in the bed with Aditya’s book, you begin to walk through them, noticing every nuance, and enjoying it. At the same time, he takes you to the unfamiliar within the familiar city of ours (like the rooftop in Andheri East from where you can see the planes land) Aditya’s training as a screenwriter shows, when bang on page 10, crisis occurs (Nikita’s father drowns), and similarly how Nikita fools the sub-inspector into thinking she is giving him a blowjob. The Sindhi suppressed daughter-in-law is also structurally a classic sub-plot, from the field of screenwriting.
A real portrayal of women – not ‘real’ in monotone like ‘Slumdog’, the movie, in which basically everyone is negative – but a portrayal that shows you all the shades that women come in… from the battered mother of Vijay, to the suppressed Sindhi daughter-in-law, to Nikita herself, to her friends… and even some minor characters like the lady who opens the door to Vijay when he comes to Bombay for the first time … My favourite character was Vijay, more than Nikita. A classic underdog, who is pure of heart, and will run head on into dangerous situations, because he knows no other way.
Admittedly, from my perspective, there are areas for improvement (but then what on earth cannot be improved, and these are all subjective perspectives). While character development and choice of subject is remarkable, the plot could have perhaps packed in some more surprises. Some parts could be edited somewhat – the experiences of the druggie, his interactions with his father, the sum total of pages devoted to descriptions of the locations (I enjoyed most location descriptions, individually, but as a sum total in the book, the total length devoted to these could perhaps be lesser). Finally, the last decision of Nikita to call and report Vijay, is something that either works for people or it doesn’t. Unfortunately for me it did not.
Nevertheless, as I put the book down, it felt like it was time well spent. I felt like a layer had been added to my life, and to my understanding of the people around me, in our beloved city, Aamchi Mumbai! With Aditya in the driver’s seat, ‘Back Seat’ is a ride worth taking…! Hearty congratulations to you, Aditya.
SOURENDRA KUMAR DAS
WRITER – THE ASIAN AGE
To live in the soil of Bombay is like attaining nirvana for many. Amidst all that the city gives, it takes more from you. ‘Back Seat’ by Aditya Kripalani has shown the spirit of Bombay, through a tale of an out-of-work bar dancer with roots in Ratnagiri and a skinny Bihari boy who lands on his feet in the city of dreams.
Kripalani has woven them into an elaborate and absorbing tale whose twist and weft conveys stark realism and dark urban romance. He can be termed as the Sidney Sheldon of his times in India, thanks to the typical Bombay’s language used in the book. The book is realistic as Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire making it more pragmatic for the readers.
The protagonist in the book is Nikita who has been trapped and sold into the racket of flesh-trade in Bombay. Another character that blooms in the book is the young educated Bihari boy who under difficult circumstances ran away to Bombay and started a career as a driver. The story revolves in the mini stories that go on the back-seat of some of the posh cars in Bombay. From drugs, to prostitution, to murder – the book has it all that happens in the shinny city of Bombay.
The main protagonist in the book is perhaps the city of Bombay which has many unusual and unrevealed stories of the thousands of Bombaites and immigrants who settles in the city every year. The beautiful black and white cover of a rain-splattered car window at Marine Drive with a sunshine yellow shoe tossed carelessly to the back of the car brings alive the magic of Bombay monsoon that is an integral part of Kripalani’s landscape.
The book reveals the life of those whom we are unaware of, the likes of high-class prostitutes and car drivers in the city. Kripalani’s observations on life in different parts of the city as well as the asides about the various people in the city are true to life. Nikita’s journey from a respectable family in Ratnagiri to the life in Athiti Bar in Bombay, the story revolves around the ban of bar dancers’ way back in 1995. There were no options left for many bar-dancers hence, they had to resort to the flesh trade that is so prevalent in the city.
I had loved his story-telling and thoughts so much that I was even able to discount the spelling errors and grammar in the book, and look into its sensitive soul. Many of the dialogues in the book are in Marathi and the most used lingo of Bombay, making the book like a cinema through words.
The book revolves around the dramatic lives of Nikita, the bar dancer, Vijay, the driver, Shashank, the spoilt rich kid, Yakub, the shooter’s son and the likes of various characters in the city of dreams. After you finish the book, you are bound to feel a vacuum in your heart as you will miss the characters and the city of Bombay.
GUL PANAG
ACTOR – ‘DOR’, ‘HELLO’, ‘RANN’, ‘TURNING 30’, ‘MANORAMA SIX FEET UNDER’
‘Back Seat’ pulsates with the spirit of Bombay and draws you into the very heart of the mesmerising and haunting city. A wonderful read!
SHIAMAK DAVAR
DANCE GURU
‘Back Seat’ creates elaborate visuals in the reader’s mind and gives him a heady high! Very gripping and powerful. They say God lies in the details. Here you’ll find God!
ANITA DONGRE
FASHION DESIGNER
Nikita’s strength of character, her joie de vivre and the choices she takes make one begin to respect and love her as the Hero of this piece. Vijay, Shashank and Nikita all typify Mumbai. They all have this feeling of being STUCK but still have so much more of a fight in them!
RJ JEETURAAJ
RADIO JOCKEY – RADIO MIRCHI 98.3 FM
‘Back Seat’ as a book is everything an FM RJ would want to tell you about Mumbai but cannot openly on a radio show! It’s a brilliant Mumbai, from the moralz to the quarrelz, from the underbelly to the ‘Macheewalee’ and from ‘pure love’ to all the ‘dirty shove’ literally! Yeah! Uncover Mumbai and make love to it while reading ‘Back Seat’!
SUCHITRA PILLAI
ACTOR – ‘DIL CHAHTA HAI’, ‘PAGE 3’, ‘FASHION’, ‘DASVIDANIYA’
Nikita is a very likable, believable character, a girl whose life story keeps you riveted from the shores of Ratnagiri to the big bad world of Mumbai. You want good things to happen to her. Aditya weaves his story in such an engaging way that I finished over 200 pages in 24 hours!
KAMLESH PANDEY
WRITER – ‘DIL’, ‘BETA’, ‘TEZAAB’, ‘JALWA’, ‘SAUDAAGAR’, ‘CHAALBAAZ’, ‘ZINDA’, ‘RANG DE BASANTI’, ‘AKS’, ‘DELHI-6’
In a market flooded with counterfeits, Aditya Kripalani’s ‘Back Seat’ is a genuine freshly minted voice.
SHAMITA SINGHA
SUPERMODEL, TV PERSONALITY & WINE EXPERT
… It’s brutal at times but very real. Everything is real. The setting, the characters, the story, making it almost non-fictitious. Like a rollercoaster ride, it builds up at first and then takes you down with it full throttle. By the end of it you’ve lived it yourself.
SANJAY GADHVI
DIRECTOR – ‘TERE LIYE’, ‘MERE YAAR KI SHAADI HAI’, ‘DHOOM’, ‘DHOOM 2’, ‘KIDNAP’
Intense, gripping … touches an emotional chord deep within. Characters you feel ‘for’ and feel ‘with’.
SHASHANK GHOSH
DIRECTOR – ‘WAISA BHI HOTA HAI – PART 2’, ‘QUICK GUN MURUGUN’
Read ‘Back Seat’ at one go from 9 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. Really liked the story. Well done!
NITESH SAWHNEY
ONLINE BUSINESS CONSULTANT & FOUNDER – I LIKE THE WAY YOU INK,
CO-CREATOR OF WWW.ADITYAKRIPALANI.COM
I am writing to you today with just one intention in mind, and that is to let you know exactly how much your book ‘Back Seat’ means to me.
I read your book during very unfortunate circumstances and whilst I was smack in the middle of a personal crisis. Just to elaborate a bit more (without which I will not be able to convey my appreciation for ‘Back Seat’) … this was the time when my dad was in the hospital as he had suffered from a stroke and one side of his body was paralysed. Basically, he was immovable and on the bed. And, the worst effect of the stroke was that it affected his ability to swallow. It was so bad that just so he would not choke on his own saliva the doctors had made a slit in this throat which was then used to extract the accumulated saliva every 1 – 1.5 hours.
What this also meant was that although he was under medical supervision one member of the family had to stay awake each night to ensure that the process of extracting his saliva was done correctly and on time. The consequence of that not happening was risking him choking to death.
Now, I clearly remember that night when I was leaving my house to go to the hospital. I was searching for something that would help keep me stay awake the whole night and I happened to glance upon ‘Back Seat’. My wife had already read it before and recommended to me and to most of her friends.
As I started on my personal endeavour to stay awake that night, I also simultaneously began my journey into the life of the protagonist and the other characters that you have described so well. I don’t want to bore you with the details of my ups and downs during that night, but do want to tell you that, during that dark night of my life, each time as I read your book, I was able to transport myself into a world perhaps less painful and much more interesting than my own.
I love your writing style for that reason, it made it so easily for me visualise and slip away into the story as it unfolded while I read your book through the night. I finished reading ‘Back Seat’ just as the day broke and the world was waking up. I distinctly remember feeling that I had lived a lifetime during that night.
As it happened, that was the last night I spent with my dad as he passed away the next day. So you see, your book has somehow gotten associated to a very painful time of my life but as a silver lining in that dark, dark night.
So, I hope you now understand the depth of my words when I say to you “Thank you Aditya, thank you for ‘Back Seat’!”
P.S.: On a better note, can’t wait for your next one buddy.
JASMIN LORD
WRITER, EDITOR & FOUNDER – I LIKE THE WAY YOU INK,
CO-CREATOR OF WWW.ADITYAKRIPALANI.COM
‘Back Seat’ is, by far, one of the best stories I’ve come across in a very long time. It made for a read which was refreshingly different. Gripping and exhilarating, it went to the depths of human character and emotion. The characters playing out their lives before our very eyes. The innocence, the excitement and even the silent suffering of each individual was put across beautifully by Aditya. The simple tone he chose for the book was fitting and the description elaborate.
Having known Aditya for more than ten years, I’ve seen him blossom into a wonderful young man who is charming, has a great personality and, to top it off, immense strength of character. I heard him say at the book-reading at the launch of this novel “It feels like someone is reading my personal diary out loud” and he truly has given us a glimpse into his soul through this piece of work. Aditya, even though ‘Back Seat’ was initially meant at a film script, I am thrilled you decided to release it as your first book.
As for the characters, my favourite was Nikita who feels like someone I have known all my life. Someone whom I have a very strong connection with and whose story I will carry with me for the rest of my years. Vijay’s story is the epitome of what real life is truly like, with no exceptions or fairy tale illusions. Shashank is the little child inside of every one of us who only wants to be loved and accepted. These three protagonists seem like they actually exist out there, in real life, somewhere. You have given them life Aditya. And how wonderfully vivid their journeys have been.
Being totally unbiased, I have to say the written English needs to be polished up a bit and a few punctuation and typos here and there. If I may make a suggestion, try not to use so many brand names in the book as that tends to distract the reader from what is more important, the characters and the story.
Thank you for sharing ‘Back Seat’ with us. I really enjoyed reading it. Bet you’re gonna have a huge fan following soon, so get started on your second book.
SWETA CHHABRIA
BANKER & ADITYA KRIPALANI’S WIFE
At first I read ‘Back Seat’ in various bits, each chapter as and when it was written. Loved the story even then and was waiting to read it at one stretch. When I read the full book, I fell in love with it all the more. The story is really gripping & u just want to know what would happen next & where life would take these people, what more is in store for them etc.. It is not one of those typical stories where you know what’s coming next. ‘Back Seat’ is full of surprises… sometimes pleasant and sometimes not so pleasant.
What I felt while reading ‘Back Seat’ was that it’s a story with hard hitting facts of life and a life which thankfully not many of us are exposed to. But the biggest irony here is that even though it is a story about people who seem to be living in the world of despair, drugs, prostitution etc. but still each and everyone of us who are around secure surroundings can feel for them & their emotions & struggles in life. This is how Aditya has been really successful as a story teller as he has been able to touch so many peoples’ emotional chords through this book.
The one thing that I loved about the book was that each and every character in the book even if they are not among the lead characters in the story had their own presence & importance in the story. Be it Yakub, Sharan Arasa, or even Priyanka.
While reading the book I felt a very strong bonding with all the characters & actually felt for all of them. They seemed like people from my own life & as though they really existed somewhere. It might sound funny but I used to really wait to get back to reading it & it was like I had a meeting with my friend Nikita & I had to be there for her. To know more about her & her life.
But when I finished reading the book, for some days I actually felt a vacuum in my heart as I was missing all of them: Nikita, Shashank, Vijay etc. I was myself amazed at this feeling. In the past I have felt like this for certain characters in some amazing films where I have felt bad once the film is over & the character has stayed with me for a few days that follow but this is the first time I felt that same attachment to the characters of a book.
I also loved the way Aditya has described every minute detail about his characters including their appearances & also the surroundings. Each & every situation is so well described that one can actually visualize it and so the reading becomes more delightful.
Another thing which was lovely to read was the way Mumbai city was described. The big pleasures that we can derive by doing the smallest of things in this city was what appealed to me the most.
Aditya I am really proud of you & very happy to be a part of your life.
PALLAVI RAUT
Media professional
Backseat … when I saw the book with this title I was little surprised what will it have which would b interesting to read about… because for me backseat till I read the book was just a place we get in with all the friends & have lot of fun on long trips out of Mumbai.. but then after reading the book I now understand that the character in the book, Nikita’s complete life was connected to that title…. The backseat had given her misery, pain,embarassment.. & she also got wings to her dreams, her luv what she always wanted & dreamt of …
The book is fantastic to read… I could relate everything in the book.. each & every place, the people, the situations, the conversations, the plot almost everything……when the book starts the author mentions a place by the name of ATITHI which is located at Grantroad.. as I was a resident of Grantroad & had spent my life’s 17yrs there & had heard so much about the place & the way it had the days of glory & then the way it shut down by .. the place yet falls on my way back to my home… but now when I see it the whole story & situations come back to me..thn the places where Nikita & Vijay have their night out was so much identical to things I that I have also done.. every place, the feel of it i was able to picturise the places in front of me .. the way beauty of Mumbai was described.. the places where Nikita had taken Vijay to see Mumbai were all the same places where I had been with sum one special in my life & done the same things as well sum years back & I was able to feel the exact emotions they both might have felt …the story about taj was also something I was not known to & then learnt about it after working with them… The place from where Nikita was from is also something I can relate coz even I belong to a similar small town in konkan & the life there, the beach in ur backyard is exactly wat I yet have in my home town…the slow life, the craze of people there abt the city life, the way time runs at our speed is all incredible.. the author has described it so nicely that at times when I used to read the book on my way back home in train.. I have even gone ahead of the destination where I was supposed to get down..
What I luvd completely about the book was the emotions, the innerself of a small town girl which has a very strong white & black side inside her, which is so attached to her origin, her roots that her day life, her food preferences, the child inside her.. never changed.. she was always in sink with her real image or her real self which was of a girl from a very nice family with her small dreams & expectations from life & on the contrary
The way she fights the evils in the city, the way she pulls up a mask in front of others, the way she deals with injustices happening with her & many such things which the author has put them in words is incredible..& so true with almost every girl or even with me coz the real me is known to very few people.
The bus ride that they have to goa, the feelings which she has within, the emotion about crossing ones hometown. is something that got tears to me when I read it…then
I hated Aslam when she came to know his reality, & then hated her for the stupidity which she did in fit of anger..luvd Vijay who luvd her selflessly..Sumthing which is not seen or is rare these days & then the end of the book which I m completely Speechless about… some thing so very true, not just some happy ending or some sympathetic end bt just the true & real one..coz I strongly believe that no one can kill their selves for anyone ….bt you can kill others to save yourself or your luved one…Last but not the least .. I wana thank Aditya to give us such a fantastic book to read which has touchd me so much coz I feel im exactly almost 70% like the girl Nikita & it has helped me understand myself better after reading the book.. Aditya thanks a million to write such a fantastic book & helping me find myself, my beliefs, my joys & give a different perspective to life……
I learned one very big thing from this book..
Life Is Not About Crying , Cribing For Things U Dont Have OR Cant Get But Its Surviving With What You Have, How Much You Have & Keeping Urself Happy In Which Ever Condition U Are .. & Cherishing All The Time, People U Have OR Meet In This Journey Called LIFE Coz They Will Help & Inspire U
To Keep Going ……
ROSHNI RATI MULCHANDANI
WRITER (US)
So I finally did it! I read it. About half way though the book I realized that when I was done, I was going to sit and type a long email reviewing the book. But then I realized that the ‘Back Seat’ is more than just your regular novel; in some strange way, it’s an experience. Where do I begin? Do I tell you that strangely I related to Nikita in the most oddest of ways? I felt her loneliness, her need to be wanted and accepted even. And that is strange considering that she is a bar dancer after all. Or should I tell you that while I complain to you nearly everyday about how much I miss Mumbai, the descriptions of the city only made me more nostalgic. I could hear the noisy traffic, the hot monsoon rain and the intensity that is Mumbai. In fact I think that was what I loved most about the ‘Back Seat’. The fact that even if you had never been to Mumbai in your life, your descriptions were so deep and graphic, you were immediately sucked in and put in the middle of Colaba only to become a part of the novel as a bystander even. I simply adored how the book is basically a Bollywood film in words. There’s pretty much everything you can ask for, a book filled with anger, passion, love, make up sessions and a bit of erotica – and no one doesn’t want some erotica. All I needed was a song or two and I would have been in heaven!
While I simply adored Nikita, I couldn’t help but realize that every single person in the book had a reason for being there. What would the ‘Back Seat’ be without any of them? Basically nothing. Shashank was a necessity for the relationship of Nikita and Vijay to progress into one that was beyond a bar dancer and driver. Which brings me to the one of the highlights of ‘Back Seat’ – the Nikita-Vijay angle. By far, theirs is one of extreme passion in a secretive way. That very secrecy was what kept me going; the anticipation of what would happen next kept me turning pages. Would they get caught? Or would Nikita realize she wanted money over love?
But but but, ‘Back Seat’ is Nikita all the way. If there was an award for best performance in a lead female role for novels, Nikita would win and how! She is just one of characters that you immediately gravitate towards because she is not afraid of anything. She loves who she is, even if she is a bar dancer. Strangely, she even has morals in a weird sense of the way. But her zest for the good life is what I admired most. Irrespective of what progressed in the novel, good, bad, beautiful or ugly, all I became concerned about was Nikita. And I know you’re looking for the book to become a film (crossing fingers) and I guarantee if I was an actress, I’d do a number of auditions for the role.
‘Back Seat’ is a real hard-hitting novel. As a reader you can’t help but relate to one, several or all of the characters in one way or another. You are faced with a reality that is true but not necessarily relatable in our lives because of our societal status. Bar dancer or not, you realise how hard it must have been for those women who are not only tagged with an ill-reputation but are then thrown out of work with no credentials behind them.
Such insight was much-needed for ignorant readers like myself. What I personally took away from the novel is more love for the city of Mumbai and a trait or two from Nikita.I look forward to reading more from you and hopefully soon. Until then, power and more power to you. Congrats Aditya, you’ve proved yourself and how with ‘Back Seat’.
I believe and know you are destined for bigger and greater things. All the best!
MEGHA HARIA
FILM DISTRIBUTOR – PERCEPT PICTURE COMPANY
In a word to describe my experience after reading is “SPEECHLESS”. Let me thank you as I could relate to so many of the places and incidents mentioned by you. The three characters Vijay, Nikita & Shashank were picturised in such a way that 3 different flock of birds running together to form a nest called “LIFE”.
Any Mumbaikars would be so touched to read this book … as it’s a actual picture of Mumbai life with all masalas in it … Aditya you have not left a single stone unturned to make it a real story… As a writer you have understood the in debt of all the three characters to make them a HERO in their own path of life. It is very easy to write about anyone who is famous, but a true writer is a person who can write on any unknown character to make him famous. Aditya you are one!!
We have so many problems in our life … and we crib on it … not realising that … different people have hidden stories in them which we are unaware. And those are worse then ours.
It is worth reading the Novel ‘Back Seat’ … as every time you read … it makes you sit back and actually think about life … and its ups & downs … and I am so proud I am also the one who got an opportunity to read it. Thank You Aditya … ALL THE BEST!!! 2day & 4ever!! 🙂
SNEHA SAPRU
WRITER
‘Back Seat’ is a colourful novel of three different lives woven together to form a unique texture on the cloth called ‘life’. The three characters are: a bar dancer from Ratnagiri, a driver from Bihar and a spoilt rich producer’s son from Mumbai. They represent the various hues that come together to paint the pretty picture of Mumbai life. For anyone who loves the streets of Mumbai this book is sure to bring a smile to their face. It’s a travelogue and a testimony of the romanticized “Bombay” life that you can never get enough of. One of the strong points of Aditya’s writing is how relatable the characters are and the beauty of their contradicting chemistry. Not only do you fervently pray Nikita and Vijay get a new lease of life but you also feel the pain and emptiness of the abyss that is Shashank’s life. That perhaps is the strongest point in Aditya’s writing. He understands the world of “grey” characters. He applauds their subtle differences. The true challenge for any form of writing lies not in establishing a hero and a villain but in constructing heroes who live with demons within and villains who have attempt to be heroes, both of whom you empathize with. It is easy to hate a character that is all out bad; but how do you feel for a character that is neither good nor bad? For a protagonist who is both selfless and selfish, for an anti hero who is both a bully and a victim. For a first novel Aditya has done a splendid job of juggling with these characters and interlinking them with each other, the three of them are both: each other’s support systems and each others doom and it is this chemistry and parody that make reading the 320 pages of the ‘Back Seat’ seem like a pleasant summer breeze.
ABHISHEK ARUN SHARMA
MEDIA PROFESSIONAL
Yesterday, I completed one the fairest journeys on ‘Back Seat’. I called it ‘Fairest’ because it is one of the most ‘Honest’ tales I’ve ever come across.
Asawari a teenager girl standing on the threshold of puberty but interestingly, or I ought to say intriguingly, she likes feeling the breeze. Her adhesion to her father and her calf love, the depiction is poignant and tangible. Vijay, a youngster messing with his graduation, but combat-ready with Kishore Kumar as a soul mate. Two decade long domestic violence but He had the love of his mother. Mercury rises leading to horrendous consequences. The most commendably told ebullition of emotions.Life of a bar dancer to most of us is what we have seen in ‘Chandni Bar’ a movie made to win awards (only). I came to live in Mumbai in 2007, so I have no acquaintance with dance bars.
I found the whole journey of Nikita like a painting of Roberto Ferri; you may find it barbarous and steep but it has the most convincing aesthetic sense of life.
Eagerness for a better life and facing constant rampages, Shattered dreams but a wish to dream more and your rendition of Mumbai made it a tale to tell. You are honest and ‘Back Seat’ is a discovery, a discovery discovered from behind the windshield but with a feel of the BREEZE.
TRENDY.in
BLOGGER
I’ve been reading. And I’ve just come out of the trance that a new fiction novel, ‘Back Seat’, put me into. The spirit of Mumbai, an out-of-work bar dancer with roots in Ratnagiri, a scrawny Bihari boy who lands on his feet in the ‘City of Dreams’. They’re all convenient clichés. And yet, first-time author Aditya Kripalani has woven them into an intricate and gripping tale whose warp and weft conveys stark realism and dark urban romance.
Perhaps it’s his Film Institute background and screenplay structuring skills that make this an evocative book. ‘Back Seat’ is much more intense than your average chick-lit, even though there are liberal doses of bittersweet female bonding and the pointing out of male foibles. The beautiful black-and-white cover of a rain-splattered car window at Marine Drive with a sunshine yellow shoe tossed carelessly to the back of the car brings alive the magic of the Mumbai monsoon that’s an integral part of the author’s landscape. I can almost hear the swish of the windshield wipers and the patter of raindrops as the story unfolds. The little girl on the beach turns into a savvy call girl only to regain her innocence as love blooms in the ‘Back Seat’ of a car, right in the midst of her misery and the calm-chaotic Mumbai rains. Kripalani’s insights into individual dreams, intense loneliness, passionate romance and soul-searching bring the protagonists truly alive. His observations on life in different parts of India as well as all the sides about the various people in the city are true to life. I found that the action (and there’s lots of it!) is like a masala movie mix of friendship, love, sex, angst, anger, frustration, pathos, adventure, fights and even a makeover of sorts. And surprisingly, I loved his story-telling and thoughts so much that I was even able to discount the amateur edit of the book, and look deep into its sensitive soul.
KARIN & MANFRED
OWNERS – PALM PARADISE CABANNA (SRI LANKA)
You wrote a very captivating and interesting good book. We wish you, that the movie will become a success. Good luck and all the best for your future, write more books like this.
PHILIP HUDSON
OWNER – UK ACCOUNTANCY FIRM
My feelings towards Nikita (the protagonist) changed in the course of reading the book as you would probably expect. She was tough but pragmatic but you brought out her softer side & her ultimate wish to conform. I thought her final call to Shashank slightly implausible as the reader was by that stage witnessing her return to a normal life. But perhaps you were demonstrating the fact that she could not return? As for Vijay, he was adorable & naïve. The relationship between Vijay & Nikita was very well portrayed. It is a book I could re-read & discover a different slant perhaps.
ANJALI SETHI
ACTRESS, PROFESSIONAL DANCER, BANKER
‘Back Seat’ is the hard-hitting story of the life of 3 individuals in the ‘big bad city of dreams’. How their lives intertwine with a twist of events is depicted beautifully by Aditya. One can actually imagine and feel the life of Mumbai with his fresh style of writing. The absolutely realistic narration and use of words makes the story more alive! Feels like you are almost watching a film.
All the characters are believable and real … somewhere you can relate to them and feel for them at different points. A small town girl trying to make it big – the turmoil and tribulations she has to go through to make her dream survive, a home bound housewife who suppresses her dreams, a drug addicted attention seeking son or a troubled small town boy who comes to the city to make a life of his own … on his own terms.
The details, the precision with which the story is written keeps you longing for more (especially for those who are still trying to get to know the ‘raw Mumbai’). I actually felt there’ll be more to it even after I finished the book.
RAJIV KALRA
BACKPACKER, ENTREPRENEUR
Yes, I have finally read it, and it is SUPERB! I learnt about ‘Back Seat’ about a year ago, but kept coming up with some excuse or the other to not read it … one of which was that I don’t read fiction. Although I love to read, I have probably read two, may be three, fiction books so far … and that was probably five years ago. It’s just not my thing. As a completely non-fiction reader, I must say ‘Back Seat’ has been one of my most enjoyable reads so far … very real, yet written with the imagination of an artist!
I read ‘Back Seat’ at a time when I had returned to Bombay after being away for 6 years. Although I was born and brought up here, and lived and breathed Bombay for the first 23 years of my life, I struggled to identify with the ‘Bombaiya’ in me when I first got back. Reading ‘Back Seat’ was like reliving my time in Bombay, while I was getting to know her all over again … real places, real names, real experiences that I had, even characters who seem like people I have known or met! I can’t believe the number of times I just sat back and chuckled, thinking – “Yeah, I remember that.” And I was reading a novel!
Another aspect I enjoyed thoroughly was the characters in the book. Aditya paints his characters not in black or white, but in beautiful shades of grey. His characters are real people – complex, cruel, funny, brave, fragile, ambitious, naïve, and always flirting with your own sense of good and bad. He unveils their various facets throughout the book, always tempting you to want to know more.
‘Back Seat’ celebrates the essence of Bombay and the people she nurtures. I have known Aditya for almost 20 years now, and can truly say that this is his masterpiece (hopefully, one of his many). Proud of you my friend!
RAHUL AHUJA
ACTOR, MC, BLOGGER, ENTREPRENEUR
I decided to start writing my blog reviewing this book by my friend Aditya Kripalani, who got me into reading the book, I was helping him get in the market. The man inspired me to start reading, which was a long gone interest and this was the first book I read in 2009.
I had not read a fiction novel in almost 6 years, but this man’s passion made me start for once, but again every time I started I had to gift the book to someone for some or the other reason. So this time I decided that I am going to keep 12 books with me, and finish it off as soon as possible, just so that I know about it completely as he told me to.
’Back Seat’ is a story of people, people of Mumbai city. Some of who are very fortunate and have everything in their lives but peace, some who escape from situations back home and come to the land of dreams in hope, some who hope that one day they will live in the city, like they deserve to and get out of the vicious circle that others chose for them.
Nikita the protagonist, an out of work bar dancer in Mumbai, is that woman in the story, who goes through a lot all her life as she grows up and tries to get out of all the miseries she’s faced all her life.
Not revealing much about the story, it is Nikita and the other two characters that every human can, in some or the other way, relate to. Their behaviour, attitude, problems, likes and dislikes, and all the characteristics of these life-like characters are and become a part of you.
All-in-all, ‘Back Seat’ is a story with a soul … it has its own heart. The way Aditya presents this novel is impeccable. It is a visual treat, you see everything happening right in front of you, like a motion picture, such is his writing; especially if you are from the city of Mumbai (Bombay) or have been here, there will be an instant connect to the story.
’Back Seat’ is a 330 odd page novel, but once you are through with about 30 pages, this book will involve you with its content that you will not be able to get away with the magnetic content of the story, where every chapter gives a new revelation to the story and the characters.
All-in-all the book is a must read for people who are interested in long format fictions and life like stories. It is now available on flipkart.com and all major stores across the city, go grab a copy and tell him if you liked it.
My Ratings: 4/5
NOTE: I would not recommend the book to anyone under the age of 18 for strong sexuality, violence and language, drug abuse.
SAI PRASAD NARENDRAN
LAW STUDENT (MANGALORE READER)
First of all, accept my best wishes for writing a mind blowing book. I should thank my friends Vishnu and Quiien for introducing me to this book, else I would never have read this, I actually took it from Vishnu the day he arrived from Bombay. On reading the first 10 pages of the book I was not very impressed, I had come to think of it as normal Indian literature with elements like poverty and prostitution embedded in it, a few days later my friend had to leave so I had to give him back. I had completed a mere 30 pages back then, sometime later in November I bought this book at Land Mark, Chennai or rather some thing was pulling me towards it. I completed the book in a week’s time, it hit me hard. I regretted for not having read the book earlier, this is one book which amidst having a very dark plot makes you enjoy the way it goes. It makes your heart go out for Vijay!
This is the era where the urban youth churn out chaotic autobiographical books that are not capable of getting into one’s head; you stand out as a youth who can actually let people into your world of imagination. Many a times one can find works of literature very self indulgent, in the case of ‘Back Seat’ the reader is given a one way ticket to watch the story unfold, its like the book is a mere medium or a language between the reader and your superior imagination. Like the cover of the book shows the reader gets into a car which takes him places, the car of desire, the car a car which one fails to get down from. It’s like you watch Asawari evolve into Nikita and you feel you have grown up with her, brilliant characterization. Nikita a.k.a. Asawari blew my mind. I have read the book twice already; have started reading it for the 3rd time! Will keep reading it till you write your next book ;).
SHWETA NADKARNI
OWNER – SHEN REFLEXOLOGY
A quick note to thank you for one hell of an interesting read. I loved the characterisations and the little details that you managed to capture. I loved the fact that I could relate to so many of the places and incidents mentioned by you. I really did like Nikita’s character and it’s really quite amazing that you could bring forth a woman’s perspective so well.
The only thing that was a bit upsetting was the end which I’m sure was intended to be that way and again the fact that it manages to have so much of an impact on the reader just goes to show that you’ve done a great job of connecting the reader with your characters.
I hope your next novel has a happy ending thou. Am eagerly awaiting it. Congrats once again on a brilliant first novel. All the very best!
NAINY SAHNI
BLOGGER
This is about Aditya and his book, ‘Back Seat’. It’s the perfect book for the Mumbai Monsoon. You know those books which keep you engrossed on those rainy days … curled up in a blanket. Nikita’s story is, well, really for her to tell. But as for Aditya, you can tell by reading it’s a film-maker writing the story. There are ups and downs and quick recoveries, it’s not those typical books (read: all books) when the tragedy goes so excruciatingly slow you almost suffocate in the pain, and if you’re like me, skilfully skip pages. This can be cast into a movie, or made a sequel of (off the point: Aditya, you did think of a sequel right?) (Devilish smile).
What I loved about this book is Aditya’s way of storytelling. His little stories, which seem disjointed, come together in the end, tactfully. Moreover, his writing has a visual sense to it which I have rarely come across. It’s been sometime since I’ve read the book and I can still so vividly remember the portrayal of the little girl, the Ganpati Visarjan and her father at the beach. Although, to me it seemed at the end, there were a few strings un-sewn and some emotions undealt with, but then again, he shows what he wants to show, it’s his story and it’s only fair that he leaves us asking for more.
It’s a simple read and a no-frills book. Anyone who likes chick-lit, inter-cultural portrayal, Mumbai, drama, storytelling, story reading, bonding, hope and Aditya would love it. I enjoyed it. Give it a shot!
ASHUTOSH SANKHWAR
ASSISTANT CINEMATOGRAPHER – ‘3 IDIOTS’, ‘GUZARISH’, ‘ISHQUIYA’
Your efforts towards launching your book and further on pushing it to the shelves of book stalls in Bombay and now a preparing for a national release, is something I respect. And then coaxing people to at least go through the copy once says a lot about your vision. I value your presence in my life. And seeing your efforts towards this deed makes me respect you more.
I read your book. I’d say Nikita would be my favourite character. To an extent, I identify with her indefatigable spirit. Her spirit kept her going till her last breath and even when she left all hope, it was her spirit that got her back to life. Bombay was never a home to me. It is a place that I look at with a problem- solution attitude. and that’s something I noticed, starkly, in Nikita. Her attitude towards things, towards people she loved and wanted work out of, everything I could identify with.
Your efforts towards getting this work known, is something I admire the most above the work itself. the phone calls, repeatedly asking people and making sure that they read it, emails, SMSs and a lot else is something that I’d remember you the most for. It’s something I can identify with. May this work would also be made into a feature film someday besides getting known everywhere. May your efforts bear fruit.
SHRUTI JOGLEKAR
DOCTOR
This week was a bit light for me in terms of work and I got back to reading ‘Back Seat’ which I had barely started weeks ago…I started all over again…and finished the book in three working days…I must say you have done a commendable job!….I just could not keep it down … The narrative is amazing…and your characters are so real I had to convince myself time and gain that this is a work of fiction born in your mind and not from the real world. I feel that your knowledge and passion for the world of cinema helps you as an author making your story very imaginative and almost a film like experience.
The story is a very real and sensitive one, of course me being me would have loved it if it ended with Vijay and Asawari (I like calling her by that name) would have settled in Goa and the book ended with them running their own little Konkani lunch home in Palolim…but I somewhere knew it was not to be!
Heartiest congratulations to you for this amazing book! And wish you the best for all your future endeavours! Proud of you!
ASHWIN AND MONICA HIRA
CONSULTANTS – MCKINZEE US
Both Monica and I loved your book. The only complaint is that it was so gripping we missed out on sleep. We literally read it cover to cover in 2 days.
You have really captured the spirit of Bombay. I could smell Bombay, taste the food (Elco pani puri, Bade Miya), feel the dust and heat. Very well done. Good luck with your future literary endeavours.
PRACHI SINGH
WRITER
I read your book recently and honestly it was a wonderful journey. Looking forward to many more amazing pieces of writing from you.
SONI BHASIN
STYLIST, DESIGNER & MOTHER OF A 16 YEAR OLD
Hey, your book is amazing. I have almost finished 3/4th of it and I am eager to know what’s in store for d characters for me they are just not characters from a book but they are people who I can relate to. The names of the places used in the book are so familiar that they make me feel as if these characters are all around us and I know them. I have left watching my programs just 2 read your book coz it is very interesting. Best of luck, keep it up!
THOMAS KOSHY
FILM EDITOR
I haven’t read much of books, just about here and there. The book starts at the forked tongue tip and leads you into the beauty of the monster’s belly. It’s a trip alright, a trip alternating between a breeze on the streets of Mumbai, the beaches of Ratnagiri, and the hot alcohol tinged breath on your neck. Nikita sure as hell is a woman who somewhere gets by with the utmost strength, her practicality is heartbreaking. The others are casualties as her tornado of a life takes turns and twists.
The unbelievable thing is, the son of a gun can so detailedly write how and what a woman feels. I’d like to figure that out, and I will Kripalani, I’m heading your way!
NEETU MEHTA
REAL ESTATE BROKER
I really don’t know where to start but the only thing I can tell u is that I actually finished reading the book in 2 days. I was completely hooked on to it. This in itself says a lot coz I am not a voracious reader.
I loved all the characterisations especially Nikita’s cum Asawari’s never die attitude. Each and every character is so well defined and they grow on you so much so that one does not want a break and is keen on knowing about their progress. Every emotion has been described as if one is actually seeing it happen face to face which is incredible and well identified. Even the language used even though derogatory does not cause conflict cause it justifies the environment of the character. The only expectation towards the end was a wish to have witnessed some positivity in Nikita’s life. Without meaning to take away from your vision. Just my point of view and expectation……!!!!!!
To be able to grasp the attention and interest of a non-reader and make her fall prey to your very first effort of expression of your art and talent in the form of a book is kudos to you!
May you be the recipient of stupendous success, accolades, popularity and internal bliss which every artiste deserves. Keep the sincerity going and many more to come. God bless!
MEGHA ZAVERI
FINANCIAL ANALYST – CRISIL
Congratulations first of all, for achieving the first milestone of your success. It was truly a great experience reading your book!!! So well done!! You have spun the plot quiet interestingly. It kept me intrigued as to why would have Nikita entered into such a profession. I liked the minute details that you captured about the “Sweet Mess” of Mumbai. It shows that a thorough research is done behind it. Vijay and Nikita were absolutely amazing. It was good to see how two extreme personalities fall in love with each other. Nikita who wants get out of her profession as soon as she can and Vijay who really loves her and can’t stand her being with Shashank. The story paints a vivid picture of one’s emotions and thought process very well.
Shashank is another strong character of this story that yearns for his father’s love and is unsuccessful at that. This feeling is described quiet well. But what I as a reader felt that, since I was being told so much about this character, he must be of some crucial importance in the entire story. However I found his end a little abrupt.
The title justifies the plot of your book. Actually I really liked the title a lot more after I finished reading the book.
JAEE PANDIT
ARCHITECT
You are a professional! I like that 🙂 I have almost done reading the book. You must be surprised at the speed with which I am reading it and the amount of time I am taking to finish it!!
Let me admit, the kind of novel it is, is not my obvious choice when it comes to reading. I am more into classics and that sort and have conveniently decided to overlook the fact that world is more of a ‘shit hole’ than a ‘fairy land’. I feel better and stronger this way to go on with life. It is quite obvious that I read it because it’s by you and I have no qualms to admit that I liked it.
I liked the way you write. Its very detailed and elaborate and somewhere very modest. The descriptions about the city have made me hate it even more. May be that’s somewhere the success of it. I didn’t find liking the idea of calling it sweet little mess.
All the time while reading I kept messing up with the fact that the character Nikita or Asawari, is not a real one, but at the same time it somehow ended up hurting even more. A very composed and strong character. I have come to the point where she tells her story to Vijay. So I am hoping to find a little bit about what made her take the way she did and so would be clearer about the proportions of her age and her earnings and achievements.
The description where Vijay leaves his house and the reasons behind it are really very painful. Honest. I went mute over it for a long time. It’s the way you have described it and of course the way the reality is, makes it a great pain to read and even to imagine it. (I hope you are not thinking that I am criticizing it. I am not. Rather an effective read!)
Dance bars, brothels, prostitutes, horny and cruel men, disturbed families, lust and greed… you tired me out through your words Aditya!! I don’t know what you wanted or thought as a reaction to your book from me. I am being just too honest. You know I am.
The mention when Vijay starts his first job and handed over all the home duties, that he realizes that how painful it must have been for his mother to look after the house, was a very touching mention.
You showed me a typical Mumbai life without having to go there to specifically see the shit. I have a very deep relation to the city since I was born there, but even then my life has never gone beyond a certain boundary when I used to be there. Not that I am sorry for it. One need not be in the shit to feel it. One just needs to be sensitive enough and you are in a truck load of it. In the years which matters the most in our life I have seen and experienced a very sophisticated version of Mumbai. … But perhaps I am too positive to see the negative and that was the reason the reality in it disgusted me to the core. Teenagers or youngsters and their attitude towards girls, the desperation for sex, life ending or threatening indulgences… it’s all such a contradiction when I think of you as a writer behind it. Contrast.
The way Shashank roamed around the city and the kind of routine he led. You have succeeded in making people engrossed in the plot to a very positive extent.
This all and a lot more. I found it gripping slowly. Somewhat the way you would eat a chocolate. Not all of it in one go but enjoying every piece of it. Each time I read it and if we meet later, I get into a strange feeling that this world is in your pocket in its literal sense and it’s not real but it is real. For example, today I ended up thinking: ‘oh, it was all in his mind. Don’t worry nothing real!’ And then when I saw a man fallen on the road, I remembered the incidence where Nikita and Vijay with a man fallen in the middle of the road. Heartiest congratulations!! 🙂 BTW finished the book.
TASNEEM RUPAWALA
PAEDIATRICIAN
I read the novel over 3 days … just for the lack of time!! But I have to say… that all these days I have dreamt & thought about the story…. how it will progress… what will happen to Nikita…. Nikita became a part of my life as if an old friend… I could connect to her pain, her sorrows, her joys, everything about her!
I must say it’s a dark story & that out of all the 16 chapters… almost all of them build up to a positive note in the middle… but by the end they all have a sad ending!! Or rather no fantasy & Yash Chopra type endings but a REAL ending!! Sadly whether one accepts it or not but that’s how life is!!
Very tough!! … That’s the kind of bonding I have developed with Nikita, though in my heart of hearts I am aware that she is not real… she is just a fragment of your imagination!! Just a fictional character!!Too much sex, violence & abusive language… Was just thinking if one was to make a movie … more than 90% would be beeped & distorted…. So in a way it’s good that it’s a book!!
Not recommended for people who are already depressed & the ones who look at life through rainbow hued spectacles … but for people who are real & who accept strength with weakness … I surely recommend this book … Go live the life of Nikita, Vijay & Shashank.
It’s so true that this city of ours … our Mumbai (Aamchi Mumbai) takes much more in return than what it offers!! Highly recommended!! I wish you all the success & happiness…. Hope to hear about your next book launch very soon.
HARSH THAKUR
OWNER – FABRIC RETAIL STORE
Firstly let me introduce myself. I’m Harsh from Bombay. You met my parents in Goa at Britto`s when they were on holiday a week back .You handed the book to my mum, Marylyn … dunno if you remember though. However, she told me that you would really appreciate it if I mailed back with my comments.
I really enjoyed the book and thought it was a great read .What I enjoyed the most was the characterisations. Each an every character in the book grows on you as it progresses. They seem so real it’s hard to believe its fiction. Had me thinking about the characters even when I took a break from reading.
All in all a very good story and I thought the end was absolutely fantastic and was absolutely shocking. Great stuff and I wish you all the success.
ANUMEHA IYER
LAWYER
Read the tome. Nikita is some protagonist. Loved her feisty spirit and never say die attitude. Just her take on everything is so refreshing and nice.
Very delicious prose too, especially when it relates to this sweet mess of a melting pot of a city. Like I said … loved it.
UMESH RANGLANI
OWNER – RHOMBUS TECHNOLOGIES
Authentic! That’s my one word review of ‘Back Seat’. The sights, smell and sounds which the book wanted to convey came out of the pages and touched me … the end touched me … poignant. The fiction was blended so well with the non-fictional, that after a point it all blended into one and when one went with the flow, it does not strike at all that one is reading fiction.
Philosophies and ideologies of various kinds were oozing from the dialogues the characters were rendering and that made interesting reading. That made the moments come alive…the sudden surge one feels when you see a character thinking like you, talking like you, behaving like you would have…even if she is a prostitute or a driver…just re-affirms the fact that being righteous, rational or just pleasant is not the exclusive domain of the elite, a common fallacy we hold while having our social interactions and judgements of people.
If there was one thing which was common streak across all characters … it was the fact that their life sucked! Everyone was struggling to find a purpose … in a life which has been dished out to them mostly by chance. This struggle got each one of them my sympathy vote.
The book stood out in its brave stance of not worrying about set norms…abuses galore were fun! … Nikita sees it all … but yet grapples for that last breath to die another day! This ‘will to live’ when there is actually no sound reason to do so, is the central tenet of the phenomenal success of the human species!
Wish you all the best bro! You have a long way to go … I will be around to congratulate you then too!
NANDITA CHOUBEY
HOUSE WIFE
The first thing that struck me about the book was that it was pleasantly easy to read. It was straightforward and simple. This is actually a nice thing! The story progressed easily and the characters just kept getting deeper.
Aditya, in his own style, gave the characters life. You could actually understand what they were feeling and what they were going through. Vijay and Asawari / Nikita became real. Their pains became real and their small achievements became milestones. I am not going to quote parts or incidents from the book so I don’t ruin it for those who haven’t read the book!
What I liked about the book was that he built the story gradually giving the reader time to grasp the emotional nuances of the characters before he went ahead with the story. And he didn’t complicate the story by adding unnecessary characters. He had just the bare minimum for him to tell the story like he wanted to.
Although the book was a delightful read, the fact that it was Aditya’s first book came across to some extent. There were times when he made certain characters speak in heavily accented English where I thought there was no way that person could have know those English words! But I guess that’s the author’s creative liberty.
Also, for me as a reader, I found the ending a bit too abrupt. I wanted to know more. All in all, it was a lovely story told in the most simple and delightful way. I didn’t want to put the book down until I read it all!
Looking forward to his next book and hoping I get one of the initial copies! Well done, Aditya, and good luck for your next book!
ARJUN
Backseat. Ah, Backseat. I won’t deny, the first time I saw Mr.Kripalani, I presumed he was a pompous dick with a friendly demeanour. That was of course, before I started talking to him (that one train ride played a major part). I realised my presumptions were quite off. He was friendly, yes, but not pompous. He was real, with a slight dash of well oiled tadka.
And that, to me, describes Backseat. If I were to give an awful analogy, I would say backseat is like a perfectly made glory-filled Punjabi dish. With the right amounts of masala, sweetness and raw taste. (bear in mind, I’m south Indian, so my idea of punjabi khana might be a little different than yours.)
It drew me in extremely quick, Backseat did. Asawari, in her pristine, unspoilt town. Her ‘ordinary’ everyfamily. The parallel story of another young man going through his own set of troubles. Yet another one about the struggles of being almost parentless. Backseat made me smile, it made me frown, it made me angry, it disturbed me. Backseat made me feel it.
Mr.Kripalani’s incredible knack of creating believable, full-rounded characters shows and how. I never once saw Nikita straying from being Asawari. And yet felt her need to forget her past. I felt Shashank’s sense of negative freedom. For a change, I wasn’t pissed off with the antagonist. I just felt sad for him. I wanted to reach out and give him a hug and it wasn’t because he was cute.
The story with its many turns is often stark and shockingly real. Newspaper articles keep jumping at you. I won’t deny, I did have certain problems with certain areas (which I HAVE discussed with Mr.Author), however those were far and few. The research is extensive and Bombay, in all its glory, forms a major
character.Backseat. Ah, Backseat. I won’t deny, the first time I saw Mr. Kripalani, I presumed he was a pompous dick with a friendly demeanour. Mr. Krips, you faker.
KANIKA SHARMA
Copywriter
Kriplani has taken 3 marginalized characters from society and taken layers off them, one page at a time, till all we’re left with are three people, extremely relatable in their pain and joy. Definitions lose meaning and we find ourselves confronted by personal questions through their journey. It’s very tough to not get involved. It’s very tough to not relieve people from roles imposed on them by society after reading this book. It’s very tough to not relieve yourself from these roles. Here’s realism at its magical best.
Vansikha Kapoor
Teacher
A lifetime comes and goes …..BACK SEAT …….A breath of fresh air !!!!…..Brilliantly portraying the masks upon masks one needs to wear to survive in this cut throat ..dog eat dog society ….the author lays bare the hypocrisy riddling the modern day world ..a world of double standards and split personalities …..effortlessly peeling off and baring each persons soul ..so to say …a foray into lustful passion and lost compassion ….has one longing for at times for childhood yearnings of nooks n brooks n fairy tales than this stark reality …it ‘s a deja vu kind of experience …so palpable are the emotions of each character written ..that one starts relating n resonating with them.
The story is a candid appraisal of three main characters ….their naive n innocent childhood gone astray in the vast inhuman sea of humanity .The harsh n cruel reality is interwoven with vivid n myriad hues of nature in all its glory creating scenes in one’s mind verily like a film churning in one’s mind so gripping is it woven….. thus giving a brief respite from turbulent emotions.
Nikita the Queen …is a true warrior ,fighting n surviving in spite of all odds stacked against her .Her portrayal has one riveted to her only .Her journey seems to be each one’s……Her doting father ..her joy ,her sorrow ,her silent shrieks , her fear…her molestation’s ,her venom , her being lured n duped into the ‘profession’,is an eye opener ,her revolution ,her realization of dormant dreams begging to be let loose from the cage is an exhilarating experience ..the caterpillar sure does turn into a butterfly n how !!!!! Leaves one gasping n astounded by her grit n determination…of rising n building from the ashes again n again ..
The subdued diffident Bihari boy …his childhood opens up to dead marriages …wherein the woman/his mother.. is just a doormat so degraded n subjugated is she by despotic male…the God !! her husband …!! to be used at will when the desire arose in usage…..men of this calibre are sure unfit for human consumption….failure as a mate n father ….befitting end of the devil incarnate !!!
The spoilt rich brat of Mumbai…yearning for his fathers love ..takes the wrong alley in life for which the entrance has no return path…utter helplessness at his plight makes him take the easy way ..from wrong friends to booze to drugs to sex …he does it all ..so lacking in self worth is he ….a life wasted for want of a niche ..a word of appreciation….from a Dad…who is busy climbing the ladder of success in the money crazy world !!!
A story of the tinsel town with all it’s dirt n grime BUT it can be the story of any town …belonging to all segments of society ..wherein money ,lust n greed are the three Supremos of our times ..a world of decaying values in the true sense of the word ….crumbling crumbling n all we are left with is just ashes ..n then we have the gumption to blame when we are the creators !!!
A story which tugs at your conscience n pulls your heart strings alternatively … it compels you to look at the hidden latent pain n delve into the deep recess of your mind …all the while enjoying a ‘tonga ride ‘in the wee hours of the night or having ‘bhelpuri’ from the footpath ….but herein too one is exposed to the duality n corrupt plight of the have nots by the so called ‘rakhwaalas’ of society …exposing the exploitation n suppression in a subtle manner …something which is rampant all over .A story which leaves the choice to the reader to be or not to be ….a story between the have n have nots …a story which exposes the fake morality in all it’s glory …
A book which makes one wonder ..are we emancipated ??? or has the veneer just become more polished n gruesome ..so deeply entrenched it is in our blood stream..a pervading complacent malaise which is too difficult to shake off ..makes one think n ponder …..a revolution of pure unadulterated love is the need of the hour a fact which is aptly woven by every incident in the novel….story upon story !! laying bare the bitter ‘truth’ in a most electrifying manner having the reader in it’s thrall !!It’s a gripping saga of truth n dreams gone awry and as the curtain falls only silence prevails ,a floating like sensation as it simultaneously soothes n saps …ending in standing ovation to the author !!
Jas Kaur
Sr. Executive producer with Sahara One Television
Finally managed to finish ur book…frankly after the 1st chapter it took me a while 2 get back to the book…only after the 2nd chapter i got glued in…then again in between i was off t book since got a bit busy but always kept wondering whats gonna happen in nikita and vijay’s life next..finally got back 2 the book and finished in t next couple of days flat. Its a very nice book aditya…i felt am watching a total bollywood masala film…it has all the ingredients for one…love sex dhoka + good doses of action rona-dhona…well u even managed 2 include t daily soaps ka saas bahu drama…wow u cant get better. Have a feeling some director is soon gonna pick this up as their next subject !!! Loved reading about 266, homestead…brings back old memories of lokhandwala …tat vidya mandir school trip was damn cool haan…wherever i felt that u have added some bit from ur life, those parts made me smile..i guess all writers must b doin that but i toh know only 1 writer na Aditya, i think u know Bombay really really well or u have excellent observation or both i guess…njoyed reading all about bambai. Your book really helped me see migrants in a different light…now i wonder when i luk at some watchman / driver what his story mite be..now i know y they also never go back . Shocked at the way some men can think n speak about women..always knew these kinda people exist but still…but yes thanks i learnt a lot of interesting gaalis…i use them in my head sometimes on necessary occasions hehe There were jus 2 things i dint like one u dont worry about caus its just me …m too impatient 2 read thru all the beautiful descriptions and all that lovey dovey stuff..but thats just me…bachpan se only read mystery n thriller novels so cant help…dimaag kharab hai mera ..and yes one thing about the ending…but i think that i shd leave out caus its ur book and ur imagination but overall its a naaaaicceee read..i’m already recommending the book 2 all my friends around to read this very interesting book with an even interesting title “backseat” …all t very best for ur next one
Preeti Srivastava
Screenwriter
‘Back Seat’ – True & Bitter… so what? That’s how it is!
Truly captivating from the beginning till end, while beginning reveals layers of multiple characters beautifully with details telling a hell lot of their back story, end reveals their destined destination giving it a brutal percept, but real. Nikita, a girl who is not torn in any given case may not be desirable but she is admirable. Dark it is, but we all know that’s how it is. Aditya… you have touched the characters deep and congrats for this achievement. I simply loved the Marathi touch over all, which makes it more bona fide. Honestly, Nikita inspires me as a person and that makes me feel that even every girl is surrounded with such situations where we have options to go down, it’s the situation that allows us to avoid going down, or enforces to really go down. Let‘s face it, world is brutal, but ideologically people are not. Everyone is surrounded by tons of complex situations and its worst in metro cities. It feels that we are made of circumstances, not by our parent’s choices or up-bringing, isn’t it? Yes! I know I am making a sense here, so as Aditya made in ‘Back Seat’. We just don’t admit that we all have a back seat, which is very much occupied by classified facts, the unwanted and censored ones. Nikita may be a bar dancer, but she equally struggles to survive just as we do. Be it any sector – corporate, film industry, or a flesh sector. It all ends at one place, survival place. You can never know a person, unless you are with them genuinely with open-empty cascade like heart to fill in as exactly as they are, and Aditya has been with Nikita throughout, so was I. I am talking more about Nikita, because I could not relate with any other character more but her, for a simple reason, I am a girl, who sees the world from a girl’s point of view. Honestly, one Nikita lives inside me, who always struggles between right and wrong and sometimes squeezed to chose begrudging. Really. No kidding.
Story has drama, crisis, helplessness, misery and greed, but there is still a hope, a hope of rising to what we wish, a wish- carved in stone, and this makes it very intense at times. Another factor that makes it more real is that the vast knowledge about the city and the culture. Let me ask the writer, did you really know it so well, because I am wondering as how much time you must have spend in knowing the darker areas so deep!!! It takes millions of thoughts to narrate it word to word, moment to moment and exact to exact. But ultimately, I thoroughly loved reading it entirely and will look forward to the sequel very much. I truly feel that this book required what it had already and even the second sequel will be much more intense, inciting and inspirational, in other words – more facts that needs to be addressed and accepted.
Congrats Aditya. I am proud to be a reader
Tavinder Soora
Working Mom, Toronto, Canada
BackSeat is a heart breaking and heart warming story of Nikita and her love for life and the things in life that are real, true and loving. It inspires the woman in all of us to keep going no matter how hard life gets, and she reminds us that “YES” there is light at the end of the dark tunnel that life makes us walk through. I found it to be very powerful, especially for our ‘Traditional Indian Women” who under-estimate their value in themselves and their role that each one plays in life as such. There is a part of Nikita in every woman in this world…hopefully it will inspire all women to “value” their existence in a ‘Man’s world”!!! A book so worth reading…to the point that I let my 14 year old daughter read it too, she may have been a little young for it, but they say education starts at an early stage in life…hopefully she will be fighter in life and come out at the top as did Nikita!!!
Nalini Jindal
Image Consultant
Hi Aditya..Just finished reading BACK SEAT. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and it kept reminding of Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho which is one of my favourite books and of course a new addition to my fav list now is BACK SEAT :). Loved ALL the characters and as I am new to Mumbai..it also gave me some insight about this “sweet mess” which I seem to be falling in love with :). It is a complete package – a great moving story, the way it unfolds and the climax.!! I will definitely read your next one and eagerly waiting for it. I also plan to recommend BACK SEAT to couple of friends :). All the very best Aditya, God Bless! It is great to have writers like you.!! Love your work..!
