When I first picked up Death of a Gentleman by Riva Razdan, I won’t lie—I didn’t have high hopes. The title sounded pretty generic, and the author was known mostly for her work as a screenwriter on Nadaaniyan. The plot summary seemed a bit bland too: a rich kid who’s had to make his way without his father, the same father who abandoned him and his mother years ago. The kid is engaged to another rich kid, life seems better, and then suddenly, the father dies. The kid gets pulled into the investigation, and it all seemed very predictable.

A Troubled Hero?

To my surprise, the story quickly grabbed my attention. The plot kicks off when Rana Khanna, a wealthy hotelier and a man who was mostly absent during his son’s life, has a heart attack in a fancy restaurant. His second wife and younger son are present, but the real twist is that Yuvraaj, his estranged son, just gave a scathing interview criticizing his dad earlier that day. As Yuvraaj’s startup is gaining attention and funding, Rana’s hotel empire is losing steam.

Things take a turn for Yuvraaj when he learns that his father’s properties—mansion included—have been mysteriously bequeathed to him. Naturally, suspicion falls on him, especially since he was nearby when his father died. The plot evolves into a tense investigation that keeps you guessing about what really happened.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the book is Razdan’s sharp observation of Mumbai’s elite. You can almost picture her grinning while writing, fully aware of how ridiculous these rich folks come off. The narrative touches on the glaring disparity between the haves and have-nots, the privileges that come with wealth, and how easily the rich toss aside their loved ones when the going gets tough. Yuvraaj, the protagonist, despite being the ‘hero,’ has many flaws. He seems vain, selfish, and overly concerned with money—much like the class he claims to despise. His resentment towards the rich is rooted in anger at being cut off and feeling unworthy. He can’t help but feel trapped in middle-class Thane, even as he pretends to embrace it.

His fiancée, Sanjanaa, who shifted paths from a party girl to a doctor, often holds back from calling him out on his behavior. Yuvraaj’s ignorance and patriarchal expectations extend to her too. There were moments in the book where I couldn’t help but think, “Someone should just give him a wake-up slap.” And who better than Sanjanaa?

Drama and Intrigue

Despite its incisive commentary on society and relationships—be it romantic, parental, or workplace—the book begins to lose some steam midway. At certain points, I found myself wondering where the story was heading, especially when it seemed like everything could resolve well, and yet half the book remained. Razdan throws in more and more twists to keep the plot alive. Unfortunately, it ends up feeling convoluted, leading to Yuvraaj making poor decisions as a fiancé.

Things take an overly dramatic turn, reminiscent of typical Bollywood films. You’ll find plastic surgeries, double-crosses, a wedding gone wrong, and affairs, all wrapped up with everything magically falling into place at the very end. If only this happy conclusion had come about a hundred pages earlier! Yuvraaj doesn’t really undergo a complete transformation either; after a brief moment of introspection, we’re left to hope he’s become a better person for Sanjanaa’s sake.

In the end, Death of a Gentleman almost hits the mark of being a good book, but it loses its focus towards the climax. The sheer number of twists means that the rush to resolve them overshadows a more thought-out conclusion. Despite these shortcomings, the book is brave enough to face its flaws, and I must say, it makes for a fun read.

If you enjoy stories draped in satire with a sprinkle of drama, you might just find Death of a Gentleman worth the read.

MumbaiDiaries #BookReview #IndianAuthors #DeathOfAGentleman #RivaRazdan #WealthAndPrivilege #BollywoodTwists #MustReadBooks #MumbaiElite #SatireInLiterature

Original Text – https://scroll.in/article/1085819/death-of-a-gentleman-a-largely-fun-tongue-in-cheek-satire-about-mumbais-elite?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=public