The nation goes a step further. Amazed at the ragtag team's sudden spurt of victories, it declares her a Goddess. Pursued by international cricket boards on the one hand, wooed by Cola majors on the other, Zoya struggles to stay grounded in the thick of the world cup action. And it doesn't help that she keeps clashing with the erratically brilliant new skipper who tells her flatly that he doesn't believe in luck Twenty-five-year-old Jinni lives in Mumbai, works in a hip animation studio and is perfectly happy with her carefree life.
Until her bossy grandmother shows up and announces that it is Jinni's 'duty' to drop everything and come and contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from their sleepy hometown, Bittora. Jinni swears she won't but she soon ends up swathed in cotton saris and frumpy blouses, battling prickly heat, corruption and accusations of nymphomania as candidate Sarojini Pande, a daughter of the illustrious Pande dynasty of Pavit Pradesh.
And if life isn't fun enough already, her main opposition turns out to be Bittora ex-royal, Zain Altaf Khan - an irritatingly idealistic though undeniably lustworthy individual with whom Jinni shares a complicated history. Enlivened by Chauhan's characteristic brand of wicked humour and sexy romanticism, this is a rollicking new tale of young India. Because I swoop down on the enemy planes just like a Baaz would.
The grey eyes sparkle. As the Cold War threatens to turn red hot, handsome, laughing Ishaan Faujdaar, a farm boy from Chakkahera, Haryana, is elated to be in the IAF, flying the Gnat, a tiny fighter plane nicknamed 'Sabre Slayer' for the devastation it has wreaked in the ranks of Pakistan's F Sabre Squadrons. Flanked by his buddies Raks, a MiG Fighter, Maddy, a transport pilot who flies a Caribou, and fellow Gnatties Jana, Gana and Mana, Shaanu has nothing on his mind but glory and adventure - until he encounters Tehmina Dadyseth, famed bathing beauty and sister of a dead fauji, who makes him question the very concept of nationalism and whose eyes fill with disillusioned scorn whenever people wax eloquent about patriotism and war Pulsating with love, laughter and courage, Baaz is Anuja Chauhan's tribute to our men in uniform.
In a sprawling bungalow on New Delhi's posh Hailey Road, Justice Laxmi Narayan Thakur and his wife Mamta spend their days watching anxiously over their five beautiful but troublesome alphabetically named daughters.
Anjini, married but an incorrigible flirt; Binodini, very worried about her children's hissa in the family property; Chandrakanta, who eloped with a foreigner on the eve of her wedding; Eshwari, who is just a little too popular at Modern School, Barakhamba Road; and the Judge's favourite though fathers shouldn't have favourites : the quietly fiery Debjani, champion of all the stray animals on Hailey Road, who reads the English news on DD and clashes constantly with crusading journalist Dylan Singh Shekhawat, he of shining professional credentials but tarnished personal reputation, crushingly dismissive of her 'state-sponsored propaganda', but always seeking her out with half-sarcastic, half-intrigued dark eyes.
Spot-on funny and toe-curlingly sexy, Those Pricey Thakur Girls is rom-com specialist Anuja Chauhan writing at her sparkling best. When a hunky personal trainer is found asphyxiated to death under an overloaded barbell at the posh Delhi Turf Club, on the eve of the club elections, it is first thought to be a freak accident.
But soon, it becomes clear that one of the members of the DTC - all pickled-in-privilege Dilliwallahs - is a cold-blooded killer. As the capital bristles with speculation and conspiracy theories, Crime Branch veteran ACP Bhavani Singh is appointed to investigate the case.
Together with his able deputies - ex-lovers Akash 'Kashi' Dogra, hottie crusader for human rights, and Bambi Todi, wealthy girl-about-town - ACP Bhavani sets out to solve a crime that seems simple enough at the surface, but turns out to have roots as deep and spreading as those of New Delhi's famous Neem trees Anuja Chauhan returns with a bloody good romance set in the pulsating heart of Lutyen's Delhi.
Yet marriage has allowed Mili a freedom rarely given to girls in her village. Her grandmother has even allowed her to leave India and study in America for eight months, all to make her the perfect modern wife.
Which is exactly what Mili longs to be—if her husband would just come and claim her. But Mili is neither a fool nor a gold-digger. Since his childhood; Arun has secretly been in love with Susanna; his dangerously alluring neighbour; who becomes his friend despite the wide difference in their ages.
But Susanna has a weakness for falling in love with the wrong men. Over the years; Arun watches as Susanna becomes notorious as the merry widow who flits from one marriage to another; leaving behind a trail of dead husbands. It is only a matter of time before he too begins to wonder if there is any truth to the slanderous gossip surrounding the woman he is in love with. In this gripping new novella of love and death; Bond revisits his previously published short story of the same name; included here in an appendix.
This edition also features the screenplay Saat Khoon Maaf; based on this novella and written by award-winning film-maker Vishal Bhardwaj and Matthew Robbins. Have you ever loved so much that it hurt? Has love found you even when you didn't go looking for it? Can love be timeless, forgiving and everlasting? An Atlas of Love, edited by celebrated bestselling author Anuja Chauhan, is an anthology of romantic shorts that daringly explores the many guises of romance, from its purest form to its darkest depths.
You will find yourself in the middle of a torrid liaison in 'The Affair', revel in the euphoria of budding romance in 'Just One Glance' and discover what it means to let go of your loved one in 'The Impasse'. Love can also be brutal and unconventional as 'The Unseen Boundaries of Love' and 'Something about Karen' will show you.
But most of all, as 'Death of a Widower' and 'Siddharth' show, you will see that love is all about hope and taking the leap of faith. This book constantly pointed out about the mentality of normal Indian parents and their concerns which made this book more relatable. There was a lot of cricket in this book and every single match in this book was extremely nail-bidding and will put you on the edge of your seats.
There were lots of supportive characters in the book which made the reading journey much more enjoyable. With them around, there was not a single dull moment.
The relationship shared between Zoya and her brother Zorovar was extremely adorable and wonderful to read. There was this antagonist called Robin Rawal who also played a significant part. This made the book a little more rich and cozy in a very ethereal way.
The plot of the book was extraordinary and how the story marched forward was really amazing. The book was pretty big but that feels like it is damn necessary to get the kind of understanding the readers have now about the plot and the characters. Anuja Chauhan is just a brilliant writer whom everyone should read without fail. Like, the most in the world!!!! And this book is like the icing on top of the cake.
I have been wanting to read this book for since so many year but I only read it in At the time I loved the book so much, I was mentally dating Nikhil Khoda ever since but I had mild mixed feelings about this book because I felt like the book was kind of too big and some parts could have been cut shorted and chucked out.
But now, in , I decided to do Anuja Chauhan reading marathon with a friend of mine and we started to buddy read all her books. But while reading it for the second time, it was completely different experience. It was now, I looked in between the lines and understood what a great writer Anuja Chauhan is and completely fell in love with her, her writings and her books. Now I do not want to change a thing about this book. I want each and every single word of this book to be there forever because it adds so much color to the book.
I just loved the way Nikhil stood his stand throughout the book and how the book ended. And, oh my god! These names themselves will make us laugh hysterically.
Then terms like cute-butt ; biteable-chest just makes us go crazy. Her words are blush worthy, drool worthy and it simple elates my soul. In between, there was a lot of newspaper articles present in the book, which talks about cricket matches, players performances and few gossip and rumor filled articles which was very interesting to read.
And these had a totally different voice and tone to it from the other parts of the book and that is simply damn good.
It is very intelligent of the author to come up with this kind of an idea and distinct and authentic writing style of tabloid articles.
I love this book so much! To be very frank the movie was quite disappointing and that was solely because of the great Sonam Kapoor. She is definitely not my Zoya from the book because Zoya Solanki in the book was witty, humorous, strong and bold and she had chubby cheeks which she hides consciously with the curls of her hair and Sonam Kapoor was none of that. She acted like a crackpot, typical bollywood stupid heroine. Oh please!! My zoya moya is so much more better than that.
The thing that I loved the most about this movie was Dulquer Salmaan!! Damn man!! The casting was just beyond perfection and he charmed his way right into our hearts through his acting skills and everything about him. If have already watched the film, please forget the film altogether and read the book to simply understand how great and wonderful this book is!! I loved this book very much, I cannot stop myself from saying this regularly.
I would like to recommend this book to every single cricket freak like me out there. I just absolutely love the cricket in this book. If you are into rom-coms and keep on reading foreign authors like Sophie Kinsella, Marian keyes and Lauren Weisberger. Then take a breather and check out this wonderful author from India who is raising her yardstick with every single book of hers!!
Check this book and the author to know how great an author this country has got!! When I read it for the first time, I only rated this book 3. Is this even normal to change your views and rating about a book after few years? Please let me know, this is normal. Happy Reading Folks!! Aug 17, Anshita rated it really liked it. This Anuja Chauhan's book contains all the ingredients for a masala Bollywood movie- unique plot, comedy, romance.
It is a rollercoaster of cricket and love! The dialogues and one liners are just hilarious ,the hinglish language used is like cherry on the cake. Each character is funny and different The fairytale romanc This Anuja Chauhan's book contains all the ingredients for a masala Bollywood movie- unique plot, comedy, romance. The fairytale romance between Zoya and the Indian skipper is a delight! Indian skipper Nikhil reminded me of Mr Darcy of pride and prejudice.
The continuous breakup and patch is a bit of a turn off and also that Zoya's character is so much messed up in the second half. After finishing the book, every girl has to remind herself that its just another fiction novel. Guys like Nikhil don't exist is reality! Happy Reading! May 05, Arpita Dey rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorites.
Anuja Chauhan's brilliantly hilarious debut had me in tears. There are pages and lines I kept going back to just for the sheer joy of the inane way in which she writes.
I have been on a streak this year to read more "meaningful" books. Having said that, nothing could prepare me for the simple pleasure of reading something as mundane as a filmy love story full of puppy-like romantic gestures and a constant eruption of giggly, swooning teenage crushes. All the characters in this book are lovable and Anuja Chauhan's brilliantly hilarious debut had me in tears. All the characters in this book are lovable and cute - even the slightly negative ones the villians in this love story.
The protagonist Zoya's eccentric joint family, her brother Zoravar, her spunky friend Monita along with the agency nut Neelo. The Men in Blue each I feel personally inspired from the real boys on the field are a wonderful parade of cute butts, washboard chests, dimply smiles and copper curls. Zoya Solanki and skipper Nikhil Khoda might just be some of the most memorable characters I have read. She is oblivious, stubborn and awkward. He is dark, brooding and cocky.
A classic fantasy of boy and girl can't figure each other out, boy and girl are each other's throats, boy and girl are passionately in love. It is a heady and combustible duo - what fun! You just want to be Zoya or most likely you were that girl at some time and Nikhil - someone should just serve him on a platter already.
But enough about my rekindled romantic escapades, the book runs on an ordinary plot with predictable twists and turns and a much-deserved happy ending.
Apart from the sporadic grammar typos that editing missed, the language used is simple and colloquial. I personally got into this story expecting it to be a one of those "Indian author who tries too hard" kind of books. However, it is clear that Anuja Chauhan has written for the Indian masses, for that segment in particular that is cool enough to bar hop while watching saas-bahu serials for guilty pleasures.
Her metaphors have an evocative quality that ensures the story happens in a more real way to you. I'd go so far to say that anybody born in a middle class Indian household in the early 80's would feel it was written about them.
Nikhil's character however, is portrayed as a suave, contextually witty, smooth-talking 30 something guy compared to the other "sports quota" bumpkins on the team. My question: did the writer write perfect and clever English lines only for this guy so that Zoya could see him as desirable?
In the end the typos and triteness of plot don't matter though - it's just pure delight to be swept off in a whirlwind romance and be in denial about your real, very plain life. They don't make them like that any more. Oct 02, shruti rated it liked it. And it doesn't help that she keeps clashing with the erratically brilliant new skipper who tells her flatly that he doesn't believe in luck… This is one of my favorite books of all time.
I ca read it again and again and never get bored. The writing is funny, witty and at times I laughed so loudly that everyone gave me this whats-wrong-with-you look. The author's descriptive power is commendable, even the smallest of this have been described in the funniest and awesomest manner possible. All the characters are uh-mah-"Zing". Zoya is like your everyday girl, and wants to become a Truly Spiritually Evolved Person. She loves SRK, worries about how chubby her cheeks are and eants to be 'cool' at all times.
The best thing about ber was that she never lost her self-esteem. Her family is funny , embarrassing and awesome. From Meeku to Anita chachi-the hag, her irritating brother Zoravar Nice googles, can hardly see your face gaalu to even Rinku Chachi who believes that everyone is gay. Eppa was awesomee, so was 'Kattu', Zoya's father was like your everyday father- sweet and protective. At the office Monita was so cool, her son Armann was a total amazingg with his wierd songs.
Neelo was a total pervert and Sanks was the totally rude boss. In the TEAM Zahid Pathan- HOT. Nikhil Khoda- Idealistic, yummy biteable chest , one of the best male characters I have read about.
Hairy and Lakhi and the rest of the team Rawal the creep fall perfectly into place. Lokey and Ritu Raina- funny and cunning. Even Jay and Beeru were very well described. An amazing read but a bit slow in some parts.
Highly recommended to everyone. I was looking for some light reading after failing to get through a description ridden Arthur Hailey medical thriller. This book tells the story of Zoya, a chubby-cheeked client service rep in advertising, who turns out to be a lucky charm for the Indian cricket team.
The plot was like a fairy tale; absolutely absurd, extremely predictable and rather dragged out. However, her spo I was looking for some light reading after failing to get through a description ridden Arthur Hailey medical thriller.
However, her sports covering colleague is in the I. U so now she has to fly to Dhaka to shoot with the Indian cricket team. Then ordinary girl meets extraordinary boy - captain of the cricket team, tall, dark and handsome. But of course, handsome skipper doesn't believe in a love or luck, only in hard work. Somehow a painfully prolonged romance springs up, which mainly revolves around ordinary girl wondering why extraordinary boy loves her. Not to take away from the writing though, it is witty, tongue in cheek and the lingo and satirical descriptions are pure genius.
Zoya's character was really appealing and identifiable. Her human insecurites and lovable blundering border on self-depracating but can be endearing at some points. In fact all the characters are really colourful. Zoya's best friend Mon and her naughty son Armaan, Zahid, Hairy, the eccentric president of the cricket board and of course Zoya's traditional family living in Karol Bagh are all so believable. I also loved the way it mocks the internal politics of the game, and brilliantly portrays the struggle to stay balanced in the high flying world of cricket while being wooed by advertising companies.
All in all, a frivolous but fairly entertaining read. Sep 21, Vibha rated it did not like it. If I were to describe this book in one word, it would be 'dumb'. This book was recommended to me by two of my colleagues who generally have a good taste in books.
Alas, they both were wrong this time. I think I lost few of grey matter while reading this book. The facts looks like thoroughly googled and put together. Nothing wrong in that but looks obvious. The dialogues are loosely put, the narration horribly written. The hinglish did not have that kind of charm. In fact, I usually like a good mi If I were to describe this book in one word, it would be 'dumb'.
In fact, I usually like a good mix of hindi and english in writing but this one looked super imposed. The book is not at all funny, nethier is it crazy. There was only one dialogue which really cracked me up. That too because I think I have heard it from someone before. It is a typical advertising agency thing I guess. I have read better chick-lits, by Indian writers too. I am not a big fan of Cricket, neither do I have much knowledge about the sport but this book is thouroughly disrespectful.
The writer has no idea what so ever she is talking about Cricket. She seems to have a very different opinion about the game itself.
I generally don't ask people to NOT read something. There is always a first time for everything. Do not pick this one up. And it seems it has won awards. For a country that makes Chennai Express a crore film, anything is possible.
Jun 18, Vrinda Agarwal rated it it was amazing. The Zoya Factor is a funny, refreshing read. It rises above scores of books by confused writers who desperately try but fail to portray the changing Indian society. Well, this book makes no pretences. It is an account of the cricketing world in India through the eyes of Zoya Solanki, an advertising executive who becomes a lucky charm for the Indian Cricket Team.
However, everyone on t The Zoya Factor is a funny, refreshing read. However, everyone on the team, particularly skipper Nikhil Khoda, does not believe in lucky charms. He believes that Zoya takes away credit due to his 'boys'. They are instantly found crossing swords and the increasing attraction between them adds to the intensity. The Zoya Factor is written in a remarkable manner combining two languages beautifully. The characters are people one meets in everyday life. Anuja Chauhan has used her experience to add thinly veiled irony in her writings that accounts for much of the humour in the book.
It is young and contemporary. This book is not a chick-lit with a damsel in distress. I found it simply un-put-downable and therefore strongly recommend you buy it!! Mar 21, Indrani Sen rated it really liked it Shelves: india. This is the story of Zoya who was born the moment India won the cricket world cup in ' She is so lucky that a cricket team supported by her never loses.
She discovers this fact about herself and ends up becoming a lucky charm for the badly struggling Indian cricket team. Now we follow along and enjoy Zoya's antics and dive into the whole crazy circus-y world of Indian cricket. There is the dishy Indian captain of course.
This is a romantic comedy. A rom-com that is very well written. The chara This is the story of Zoya who was born the moment India won the cricket world cup in ' The characters are real and well-etched. You can very well see and smell the Karolbagh family. The dialogues are crackling, hilarious and absolutely real.
The world of advertisement and the world of cricket come alive wickedly well. I have been out of touch with the cricket madness for some time now but the book brought a nostalgic indulgent smile on my face and often I was laughing out loud. Highly recommended as a light read. Also you can have some fun trying to match real life cricket incidents and characters with the ones in the book. I am going to go through the rest of Anuja Chauhan's books soon.
Nov 10, Suman rated it did not like it Shelves: reads. Reading this book is going to be an existential question for the rest of my life. Why did I choose to continue reading a book which went on interminably - about pages - based itself on a superstitious premise - a girl can be lucky for the Indian cricket team and should accompany them on the World Cup tour - to realise only in the end that the Zoya Factor did not even count since the team won the finals without her. Zoya is a lowly advertising executive who makes a total ass of herself Reading this book is going to be an existential question for the rest of my life.
Zoya is a lowly advertising executive who makes a total ass of herself believing that she's the lucky charm for a country and getting involved with the captain. Megalomania at its best. The writing is sloppy and I had to literally flip through 50 pages pages at a time towards the end to get to the end.
I hear that Sonam is in the movie version of the book and I think she's a perfect fit to play someone imbecile and immature - since she proved she can do that so well in Khoobsurat.
One of the best contemporary Indian books. Wickedly humorous, couldn't stop laughing, though a bit raunchy at places. On the whole I thoroughly enjoyed this light comedy involving a middle grade advertisement executive, a young cute female with chubby cheeks, who is forced to spent her time eating breakfast with the Indian cricket team as she was born at the auspicious moment in when India stuck the last wicket and gained the cup.
She falls for the dishy captain and suffers many ups and dow One of the best contemporary Indian books. She falls for the dishy captain and suffers many ups and downs in their so called romance. This book is meant as a light read, it wont teach you life's lessons, but will make you laugh a lot.
Nov 13, Rohan Ranjan rated it it was amazing. Read it.. And if u not a cricket lover I suggest u still read this.. One of my best books off all time.. Hopefully the cast parineeti as Zoya.. But all in all.. Anuja chauhan is a genius Dec 15, Selva rated it really liked it Shelves: favorites , rom-coms-chick-lit. A very good rom-com and an impressive debut by the author. Loved it. Romance n Comedy in equal measure. Sep 14, Shweta rated it did not like it Shelves: desi-lit.
I was high on them, So I picked this and boy, was I wrong? It was the cringiest and most racist thing I read in years Can Indians be racist about Indians?
It was bad on so many level. I was just about to die with second-hand embarrassment, if not by cringe. Literally all of the stereotypes are bundled together to produce this mess. Many a times I was irritated and enraged instead of amused.
The way this book depicts toxic relationship between protagonist is quiet irritating. At one point, I was convinced that both of them deserve each other, they can be toxic together.
The goddess thing was so annoying. Reviews see all Crystal. Other books by Romance. Red Dirt Heart 4. Hearts of Fire. Give It All. Other books by Anuja Chauhan. Battle For Bittora. Those Pricey Thakur Girls. Related articles. The Killer on the Wall — Emma Kavanagh. January TBR.
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