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Blurb View:
“I’m sure you can do a much better job than Bhagath!” When BB hears these inspiring words from his sexy lady boss, his staid life as a successful analyst in an MNC goes into a tailspin.
Bitten by the ego bug and smitten by her, BB sets off on his quest to write a book that’s better than India’s greatest writer Dr. Bhagath’s blockbusters. Nothing unusual about this for BB, who likes a good fight. Except that he and Bhagath had been classmates and friends at college.
What follows is a roller-coaster voyage of the debutante author and his book, with all its twists and cul-de-sacs. Brushes with publishers, celebrities, retailers, book chains, and competition with the alliances among giants, mark the challengers journey, upping the stakes at every stage. Will BB catch up with his famous friend?What will their encounter be like?Written from inside the ring, Beaten by Bhagath is a gripping tale the first-ever about the unseen side of the wonderland of Indian fiction.
Review:
This one was doing rounds in the virtual book bazaar when I started as a book critic. I had checked the blurb and wondered about ‘reality fiction’ as I didn’t know much about the concept then. The title surely invokes a feeling of recognition about the parody done on somebody. However, I didn’t get a chance to review it in the first edition and then came the pleasant surprise that a second edition has arrived in the market. A book in its second edition in these tumultuous times of Indian Publishing? Well then, it surely has stirred quite a few souls.
The beginning is a tad drab, I must admit. The first few chapters with the introduction of our idol K-10 and the ragging period reminded me of the original Bhagath’s book. The first thing you would notice in the early chapters is the nomenclature of K-10. Like my fellow bloggers, I too wondered whether the author was aware of the existence of Ketan Bhagath, the writer. After the initial jitters, the story picks up its pace when BB completes his manuscript and tries to find publishers. It seemed quite a real account of what happens with debut authors these days.
One and a Half Minutes 