Book Review: Mumbai Confidential by Saurav Mohapatra and Vivek Shinde

Quote: The average handgun has a muzzle velocity of around four hundred metres per second.
It takes less than one tenth of a second between thinking and pulling the trigger.
So, given that we're standing barely a meter apart, each with a gun in the other's face. . . Carry the one . . . Round off the zero.
Yup, the math is solid.

Arjun Kadam, an ex-cop of Mumbai Encounter Squad, is now a junkie on verge of death, after a life-altering tragedy. He is victim and witness to a hit and run case. Where an urchin girl dies. From there on begins the cat and mouse chase.

The story is fast, but that doesn't mean it is a good story. Filled with clichés from Bollywood/Hollywood police cop Stories. Dying wife, not enough money, supportive ex-boss obsessed with chess, ex-colleagues who are corrupt and investing in the cinema industry. One man versus the system. Nothing about the narrative was confidential.

I didn't know what this art style was called my friends informed me, noir style with dual tone colouring. A style poorly executed, the art looked less a graphic novel and more a montage of collected blotched photographs. Dialogues were rushed and not natural. The Mumbai that was constantly spoken off, was fogged, gaged and greased out. Some of the panelings were good, the art for Qureshi's part was intense.

The main story Seriously lacked in women characters except for the dead wife, few prostitutes and bar dancers. Definitely aimed at male youth of the society, the dialogues were pretty anti-women too.

The two side stories Missed Call, and Demand and Supply, were better drawn and the second story had a good twist.

Overall not a satisfactory read. Had high expectations of getting a noir Indian Police story, it was not dirty cop versus dirtier cop, it was poorly executed storyboard.

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