The House that BJ Built
Anuja Chauhan
Westland
Rs 350
Pg 432

THE PRICEY Thakur Girls are all grown up, have moved out of the house that BJ built, and are busy with their lives as narcissist editor, money-is-mael chanting sadhvi, saving-the-world mediaperson and jobless NRI. The second daughter, Binni, is dead, but her voice lives on through her daughter (la Isla) Bonita, or Bonu Singh. Anuja Chauhan is back with the sequel to Those Pricey Thakur Girls, picking up the story pretty much where she left it. The action is still at the house on Hailey Road, chachi-ji and chacha-ji still responsible for all the mayhem and madness. Except that it’s 20 years later and it’s the four sisters who take on the onslaught and not Mamta-ji. The plot revolves around the four sisters trying to sell the house, but soon becomes chaotic with a fake will, comical court scenes, a side romance that sizzles more than the actual one, Bollywood item songs and minority rights. Too much is happening, and the sisters appear as caricatures on more than one occasion, the shrill, group-massage-at-beauty-parlour, tea-drinking kinds. The Bhutanese Trings in context of minority rights and stereotypes are ironical, as they are portrayed as lock-picking, greedy, opportunistic and booze-loving people.

Where Chauhan scores is in her writing style, using everyday dialogue to maximum effect, every choon or chaan so typically Indian and fun. Words like chu**** are used without abandon, but hold no shock or offensive value. However, even this does get a bit superfluous at times, appearing forced or overdone, like ‘bartan with gunjiya’. What’s sadly subtle, however, is the love story between Samar and Bonu. One could forgive the tepid romance between a limp Debjani and Dylan, what with even her father conceding she’s dumb in worldly matters. But Bonu Singh is spunk personified, be it her blatant rip-offs of famous designers, or her stubbornness in refusing to sell her hissa of the house. One expected fireworks between the chhamchham Bonu and the intellectual, sexy Samar, but sadly, Chauhan holds her pen back when it comes to setting the pages on fire. This despite having all the ingredients in her characters and setting. A more focused story, perhaps with Samar and Bonu’s romance at the forefront, could have given readers a lot more to remember, like The Zoya Factor.

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