Author: Dhruva Nalla | Genre: Contemporary Fiction | Pages: 98
Meeting A Star is a fast-paced novella focusing on relationships in the oddest of places. The novella takes off with Rajesh, a budding writer and Ramya, an established actress and how their lives are intertwined into each other throwing them on the cusp of falling in love with each other. The story is about their interactions during ten days when Rajesh comes to live with Ramya as he intends to write a book on her. They discuss about their experiences as a scriptwriter and actress respectively, and that pretty much shapes the mood and pace of the novel. It is a the story that captures the struggles movie stars, scriptwriters, and those of the glam world face and how it makes or breaks them.
Ramya is from a small place in Hyderabad and is estranged from her family owing to her desire of being an actress. Living in a new city, battling her fears and failures, and eventually becoming a super star all came at a price – loneliness. Over the course of time, Ramya and Rajesh become close allies who share everything about work and life. They are closer than friends but never let their feelings materialize into anything more. There is something comforting in having a confidante who wouldn’t forsake you and the chemistry between the two captures this feeling well.
The central theme of the book is the inequality in the society. The book focuses on women’s struggles who put their ambition and career before anything else. Ramya’s character is a strong portrayal of the complexities women face in society and from family or relatives if they chose to deviate from set standards. It pushes the society to acknowledge women’s efforts and dreams and support them in their endeavours. Women usually face a lot of backlashes if they are vocal about their passion and hardly respected; except in metro cities. Irrespective of the social strata, society should respect women’s dreams and decisions and not ridicule or undermine them, and Ramya’s character establishes that.
The language used and overall content is pretty basic and primitive, devoid of novelty, in other words nothing new or unheard of, but forces introspection nonetheless. The author has constructed the plot in such a manner that any reader can easily grasp the message and be inspired to imbibe it. At 98 pages, the book is a fast-paced read and can easily be finished in a sitting. Suitable for any age group.
About the Author
Dhruva has done his master’s at the University of Texas, Arlington, U.S.A, and currently, he is working at Tech Mahindra. From his childhood, he was intrigued by epic stories like Mahabharata and Ramayana. So he loved the idea of creating a story of his, and that feeling was strengthened when he was doing his bachelor’s in RMK engineering college. He still remembers the 200-page blue book, which was filled with his short stories. Writing and editing those short stories gave him confidence that he could write a book. And whenever he writes, there is a smile on his face. He can’t express the happiness that he feels when he looks at the work he created.
P.S.: I received a review copy from the author, but the review remains unbiased.
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