posted by: Hiral Bhatt Dec 9 2009 @ 3:16 pm

Disclaimer: The book review is for all those who haven’t seen the film and the play…

The President is Coming begins with a panic. (Now former) President of the United States of America: plans his visit to India and demands to shake the hand of one young Indian who represents the real India. Hence, the search begins for one Indian who is “hand-shake worthy”. After several phases of frustration and agony, the almost-falling-apart PR company (Zenzi) short list six Indians who could be the potential lucky ones to meet the (as Zenzi portrays) the Almighty .

The six Indians are as follows:

Ajay Karelkar – A gujju boy who hopes that his handshake with George Bush can lead to a better education in the rural areas of India.
Ramesh S – A man that spends most of his time hitting on girls and proving that he is not Gay as accused by a fellow contestant

Archana Kapoor – Daddy’s little darling who’s spoilt to the core and gets away with super-dad’s influence. Wishes to establish her latest brand of lipsticks by making Mrs Bush endorse it.

Kapil Dev – Assumes that a Bribe can even save him his life.

Maya Roy – A Bong who knows how to get her way, hates Bush, and has no life!

Rohit Seth – After being deported from America, Rohit has started his own American accent training institute for BPO employees. Worships NYC and doesn’t mind blowing his own trumpet of his bad destiny.

The book then leads into a never-ending interview where the ever-so-messed-up Samantha from Zenzi has to pick a winner along with Ritu (Samantha’s assistant and doormat)

The journey from interviewing these young Indians to how the winner is chosen is full of drama and suspense. A lot of stories from the past unfold and show how interlinked these six were. Though the finalist has a different agenda of its own.

Anuvab Pal has kept the tone light that people from any genre can relate to. The story moves quite quickly though it drags for a long time in between, but again picks up pace towards the end. Several punches and a deeper characterization, acts as a hook for its readers.

Verdict: Overall, a great book for a light read, hilarious and energetic at several instances. Kudos to Anuvab for being a reader’s writer…

Publication: Random House India
Pages: 175
Price: Rs 195