SUBJECT: 4/5 CANDIDNESS: 4.5/5 WRITING STYLE: 3/5 ENTERTAINMENT: 3.5/5 OVERALL: 3/5
“I was the reason I was the cause
As I sit back to think it over and take a pause
Yes, sir I killed my Dad.”
- Anuj Tikku, Yes Sir I Killed My Dad
My musings
Every year many Bollywood celebrities come out with their biographies and memoirs and every year many of them become bestsellers. Never before in my life as a reader-reviewer, I have seen a Bollywood celebrity being so candid about his past. Read on to know more about what I think of Anuj Tikku’s latest book, Yes Sir I Killed My Dad and how was my experience of reading it.
What to expect?
Expect a book that tells us a horrific story of a true crime. Expect a book that tells you the fairy tale story of a struggling actor who manages to create waves in Bollywood by the power of his hard work and creativity. Expect a book that talks about the dark underbelly of Bollywood and about the downfall of an actor. Finally, expect a book that takes you through a gruesome real-life crime that shook the entire nation.
Who can read?
The book is written in a simple language and a breezy manner and hence can be easily picked up by a beginner level reader.
What the book is all about?
Anuj Tikku’s Yes Sir I Killed My Dad is the brutally honest story of Anuj’s rise and fall in Bollywood, his struggles and his successes, his achievements and his mistakes and finally his involuntary involvement in a murder mystery that shocked the entire nation; a murder mystery that led a nation to believe that he had killed his own father.
The most unique part
One thing that sets this book apart from other celebrity biographies and memoirs is the candidness with which Anuj unveils his past life. Like many others, he doesn’t shield his mistakes nor does he go defensive when it comes to major life decisions. Instead, he narrates everything as it is – often talking about his own guilt and lamenting the life choices that he blames his father’s death on.
The author’s writing style
Like all his other books, Anuj’s style is candid and conversational. There are parts of the book that become a little repetitive and tiresome. What I like about the writing is that over the course of those 70 odd pages – the narrator assumes many roles – of a regretful son, of a spiritual guide, of a Bollywood insider, of a struggling actor and what not. I also love how this switching over from one role to another is quite effortless.
What did I like?
I love reading the part where Anuj describes his struggles in Bollywood. An outsider who becomes an insider through the sheer strength of his determination and hard work is something that the reader in me found very interesting.
What I did not like?
Like most of his other books, Yes Sir I Killed My Dad is yet another book that is poorly edited. There are just too many mistakes in the book and it clearly shows that the copy has not even been proofread. This almost takes away all of the joy from a reader and becomes the major issue that pulls the book down.
What could have been better?
At certain times, the narration assumes the tone of lamentation. Initially, it seems okay but after a while, the book reads like a rant. The story doesn’t move forward and the focus shifts from content to ranting.
The moral lessons
When it comes to serious addictions like cocaine and heroin, not many people like to listen to the advice doled out by their well-wishers. Anuj’s book however, will prove to be an effective read in such a case because a former addict’s own account of how drugs devastated his life, career and family will be like an eye-opener for many people; it will be like a herald for things to come if addicts-in-the-making don’t mend their ways soon.
Is the book interesting to read?
There is just so much drama and suspense, thrill and horror that there is no denying the entertainment quotient of the book. The fact that it is a true story makes it all the more interesting to read. What makes the book even more relatable is Anuj’s narration of his story right from his humble beginnings in a middle-class family to his ultimate acquittal for a crime that he never committed.
I hope
Just like the author, I too hope that one day Anuj’s story will be told to the world. People who read are far fewer than people who watch movies or television. Yes Sir I Killed My Dad is a real-life thriller that sounds stranger than fiction and with all its twists and turns it will turn out to be a great movie if and when it is made into one.
In the end
In the end, Yes Sir I Killed My Dad is a book that despite a stellar subject and an intriguing premise is brought down by its own insufficiencies. The book is poorly edited, so much so that it takes away most of the reading pleasure. That being said, it is also one of the most honest celebrity books that I’ve ever come across and I personally believe that Anuj’s story should be made into a movie.
The final verdict
Can be read.
Pick it up
- If you are into nonfiction.
- If you are looking for a short and easy nonfiction.
- If you are looking for an honest celebrity memoir.
- If you are looking for books about true crime.
- If you are looking for a book that gives an insider’s account of the Bollywood life.
Skip it
- If you cannot stand books that are poorly edited.
- If you are looking for a literary type of memoir.
- If you are a voracious reader.
- If you don’t like books that tend to get slow.
Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy of Yes Sir I Killed My Dad using the link below.
