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Mohini
A beautiful and charismatic actress, a sensitive and immensely gifted director, a scheming, wily but brilliant manager Mohini is the pulsating saga of three individuals, each driven by an obsession. Set in the backdrop of the bold and brazen world of Bollywood, it is a tale of passion, intrigue and suspense. The narrative moves at a roller-coaster speed and captures love in its myriad shades: infatuation, romance, commitment, lust and obsession. A young girl growing up in the backwaters of Bollywood nurses a burning desire to become the number one star in the industry. In her ruthless and sometimes reckless pursuit, she uses and is used by many individuals. However, there are two men in her life who love her to absolute distraction. One she betrays and the other she rejects. Both unleash vengeance and in a strange quirk of serendipity are pitted against each other as the novel hurtles to a throbbing, thrilling climax. Mohini offers an insight into the biggest film industry the murky manipulations, the dirty deals, the shameless shenanigans, the tears behind the glycerine, the pain behind the paint and the suffering beyond the celluloid.
- GenresFiction
216 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
18 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 4, 2018
After reading the abstract, I knew fairly well what the book would be like. I was not expecting great literary merit, but a quick and relaxing read, and that is exactly what this was. This book, taps into the Indian people’s fascination with cinema. It has the standard mix of glamour, cunning, lust, revenge and all that.
Mohini is an aspiring actress – and extremely ambitious. She is willing to do down the crooked path if that will help her make it big as an actress. She is helped in this by her cunning manager Vicky and well-wisher Imran Bhai. She runs into a number of people on her career ascent – directors, managers, media managers and others, and learns how she can manipulate them all to help her. At one point, she feels she has found love and looks forward to settling down to marital bliss with a director she respects. A foolish mistake and there is a major setback.
Will she make it to the top or will her mistakes catch-up with her?
My rating: 2.5 / 5. I am rounding the rating upwards since despite her manipulative ways, the character of Mohini as a well-meaning woman with her failings leaves an impression.
Mohini is an aspiring actress – and extremely ambitious. She is willing to do down the crooked path if that will help her make it big as an actress. She is helped in this by her cunning manager Vicky and well-wisher Imran Bhai. She runs into a number of people on her career ascent – directors, managers, media managers and others, and learns how she can manipulate them all to help her. At one point, she feels she has found love and looks forward to settling down to marital bliss with a director she respects. A foolish mistake and there is a major setback.
Will she make it to the top or will her mistakes catch-up with her?
My rating: 2.5 / 5. I am rounding the rating upwards since despite her manipulative ways, the character of Mohini as a well-meaning woman with her failings leaves an impression.
January 19, 2014
Mohini, the debut novel by popular children’s fiction writer Ramendra Kumar (Ramen), looks at the entire roller coaster of a star’s life – from the gritty struggle to phenomenal rise and finally the cathartic collapse.
Stepping away from children’s fiction, Ramen weaves a story for the adult reader – a story of a rags-to-riches-to-ruins journey of an underprivileged girl who had started to nurture the dream of making it big in Bollywood at a tender age.
By the time dream transforms into obsession, she is ready to pay any price, make any compromise, try any trick and tame any limit so that she can become the shiniest star in the show world. In the fit of accomplishing her ambitions, she goes through several love and hate relationships; wins and breaks many hearts, tramples emotions, gets exploited by the sharks in the industry and eventually finds some of her endeavors fruitful and others futile.
Mohini is the daughter of a dancer and junior artiste whose morals and values made her quit Bollywood journey. Unlike her mother, Mohini is more ambitious and values her obsession for reaching the starry heights over her family’s welfare. With the support of her manager, Vicky, a talented director Sam Xavier, well wisher, Imran Bhai, and the courage to go any extent; she becomes the darling of Bollywood.
Read the complete review.
Stepping away from children’s fiction, Ramen weaves a story for the adult reader – a story of a rags-to-riches-to-ruins journey of an underprivileged girl who had started to nurture the dream of making it big in Bollywood at a tender age.
By the time dream transforms into obsession, she is ready to pay any price, make any compromise, try any trick and tame any limit so that she can become the shiniest star in the show world. In the fit of accomplishing her ambitions, she goes through several love and hate relationships; wins and breaks many hearts, tramples emotions, gets exploited by the sharks in the industry and eventually finds some of her endeavors fruitful and others futile.
Mohini is the daughter of a dancer and junior artiste whose morals and values made her quit Bollywood journey. Unlike her mother, Mohini is more ambitious and values her obsession for reaching the starry heights over her family’s welfare. With the support of her manager, Vicky, a talented director Sam Xavier, well wisher, Imran Bhai, and the courage to go any extent; she becomes the darling of Bollywood.
Read the complete review.
January 25, 2014
Nothing in India can match the enigma surrounding Bollywood – the term used to refer to the Mumbai based Hindi Film industry. With crores of investment on stake, and hordes of dreams carved and shattered on a daily basis, the mysticism surrounding this magic world surely surpasses everything else, including Politics and Cricket. The lives of film stars, their activities and secrets are always a hot topic for gossips, and as such, a book based on such a plot will surely entice the reader in you.
Ramendra Kumar’s ‘Mohini’ is a tale of a young girl who dreams of making big in Bollywood. With the help of his manager, the ‘Bollywood Chanakya’ Vicky, she quickly climbs to the top of the ladder. However, the rise isn’t free from its share of compromises, and Mohini had to shed her inhibitions to achieve success and fame. Never the one to stop herself from winning in the garb of needless morals, Mohini sleeps her way into stardom, soon catapulting as the Number One heroine of Bollywood. However, not everything goes as she plans, and soon vengeance by the man who she had rejected strikes her real hard. Will she survive the blow, and get back on her feet, that’s what the climax of the story is all about.
‘Mohini’ is a book you will enjoy reading. The pace and the twists keep you glued, and makes it a real page-turner. Whenever you finish reading a chapter, your curiosity will get the better of you and you will wonder as to what would be happening next. As a result, you will finish up reading the whole book in a matter of a few hours.
The characterization of Mohini is well sketched, and her dreams and desires are reflected aptly. The only thing I found lacking was the emotional quotient. The story fails to get into the depth of the characters, especially Mohini, and bring out the intricacies of her feelings. As such, the story might not touch your heart, if you are expecting for a roller coaster emotional journey of a Bollywood heroine, but in case you are not, then this book is a good read for sure.
Vicky as Mohini’s guide is a well-crafted character, and with shades of grey, he surely is a reader’s delight. Vicky’s plans and ideas keep you guessing, and he is definitely the best thing in this novel. His acts keep you engaged, and his unpredictability plays on your minds. At times he is lovable, and on other occasions, dangerous. But then, he plays a pivotal role in the rise of Mohini.
'Mohini’ is a quick read, and you would enjoy it if you are a movie buff. The story beautifully portrays the murks and manipulations in the industry, and highlights how survival in Bollywood is almost synonymous to waging a war. Ramendra is a good story-teller, his style swift and crisp. However, a bit of attention towards detailing and showcasing the sensitivity of the key characters would surely have helped the story-line turn out much better.
Ramendra Kumar’s ‘Mohini’ is a tale of a young girl who dreams of making big in Bollywood. With the help of his manager, the ‘Bollywood Chanakya’ Vicky, she quickly climbs to the top of the ladder. However, the rise isn’t free from its share of compromises, and Mohini had to shed her inhibitions to achieve success and fame. Never the one to stop herself from winning in the garb of needless morals, Mohini sleeps her way into stardom, soon catapulting as the Number One heroine of Bollywood. However, not everything goes as she plans, and soon vengeance by the man who she had rejected strikes her real hard. Will she survive the blow, and get back on her feet, that’s what the climax of the story is all about.
‘Mohini’ is a book you will enjoy reading. The pace and the twists keep you glued, and makes it a real page-turner. Whenever you finish reading a chapter, your curiosity will get the better of you and you will wonder as to what would be happening next. As a result, you will finish up reading the whole book in a matter of a few hours.
The characterization of Mohini is well sketched, and her dreams and desires are reflected aptly. The only thing I found lacking was the emotional quotient. The story fails to get into the depth of the characters, especially Mohini, and bring out the intricacies of her feelings. As such, the story might not touch your heart, if you are expecting for a roller coaster emotional journey of a Bollywood heroine, but in case you are not, then this book is a good read for sure.
Vicky as Mohini’s guide is a well-crafted character, and with shades of grey, he surely is a reader’s delight. Vicky’s plans and ideas keep you guessing, and he is definitely the best thing in this novel. His acts keep you engaged, and his unpredictability plays on your minds. At times he is lovable, and on other occasions, dangerous. But then, he plays a pivotal role in the rise of Mohini.
'Mohini’ is a quick read, and you would enjoy it if you are a movie buff. The story beautifully portrays the murks and manipulations in the industry, and highlights how survival in Bollywood is almost synonymous to waging a war. Ramendra is a good story-teller, his style swift and crisp. However, a bit of attention towards detailing and showcasing the sensitivity of the key characters would surely have helped the story-line turn out much better.
August 29, 2018
It Doesn’t Happen Very Often That An Author Pens His First Novel That Is An Instant Sellout Within A Week..But Author RAMENDRA KUMAR Has This Laurel Under His Belt With His First Full Length Novel ‘Mohini’.
Full Credit Goes To RAMENDRA KUMAR That While You Read ‘Mohini’ It Is Impossible To Tell That This Is His First Novel..Such Polish & Finesse Only Comes After A Few Books Are Published.
MOHINI Is Based Or Should One Say Heavily Inspired By Bollywood...This Maybe Classified As Fiction But A Lot Of It Comes From Reel Life Events When The 🎥 Ain’t Whirring.The Resemblances May Be Coincidental But They Too Thinly Disguised To Go Unnoticed.
But It Is This Very Thin Line Between Facts & Fiction That Makes This Book So Enjoyable All 118 Pages Of It Between The Covers.
If MOHINI Is RAMENDRA KUMAR First Foray Then He Sure Has Dug Deep Into The Underbelly Of Bollywood & Shown The Mirror On What Lies On The OtherSide Of Midnight.
This Is One Of Those Books That Compels You To Read It From Cover To Cover Before Taking A Break...Bollywood Buffs Are Bound To Enjoy The Guessing Game Trying To Connect The Names With The Faces!!
Full Credit Goes To RAMENDRA KUMAR That While You Read ‘Mohini’ It Is Impossible To Tell That This Is His First Novel..Such Polish & Finesse Only Comes After A Few Books Are Published.
MOHINI Is Based Or Should One Say Heavily Inspired By Bollywood...This Maybe Classified As Fiction But A Lot Of It Comes From Reel Life Events When The 🎥 Ain’t Whirring.The Resemblances May Be Coincidental But They Too Thinly Disguised To Go Unnoticed.
But It Is This Very Thin Line Between Facts & Fiction That Makes This Book So Enjoyable All 118 Pages Of It Between The Covers.
If MOHINI Is RAMENDRA KUMAR First Foray Then He Sure Has Dug Deep Into The Underbelly Of Bollywood & Shown The Mirror On What Lies On The OtherSide Of Midnight.
This Is One Of Those Books That Compels You To Read It From Cover To Cover Before Taking A Break...Bollywood Buffs Are Bound To Enjoy The Guessing Game Trying To Connect The Names With The Faces!!
June 24, 2018
Completed reading this one.
Felt so relieved and rejoiced by knowing that she got well after such uncertain moments and finally had a good partner. Well, though Anjali dropped her journey even before crossing the outskirts of starting point in the cinematic field, her daughter manga(Mohini) climbed the ladder successfully despite all odds. But I was really perplexed that a star must go all through this? Though I was hearing a lot about the casting couch these days in news, I don't know...
REALLY....I DON'T KNOW.
Ah... Just a minute. Am I really saying it as if it was far beyond than fiction? Hmm...may be so b'coz of the splendid narration of the ramendra Kumar(author). It was so awesome that I can see the entire plot right in front of eyes.
GOOD BOOK. Candidly speaking.
Felt so relieved and rejoiced by knowing that she got well after such uncertain moments and finally had a good partner. Well, though Anjali dropped her journey even before crossing the outskirts of starting point in the cinematic field, her daughter manga(Mohini) climbed the ladder successfully despite all odds. But I was really perplexed that a star must go all through this? Though I was hearing a lot about the casting couch these days in news, I don't know...
REALLY....I DON'T KNOW.
Ah... Just a minute. Am I really saying it as if it was far beyond than fiction? Hmm...may be so b'coz of the splendid narration of the ramendra Kumar(author). It was so awesome that I can see the entire plot right in front of eyes.
GOOD BOOK. Candidly speaking.
August 4, 2017
racy page turner. enjoyed reading it. simple plot, lots of twists and turns. worth a read one time. I sometime wonder how easy it is for people to trash a 200 odd page novel. the hardwork that goes into writing these pages is immense. does it also mean that finishing the book in a little over 3 hrs is saying good work to the author.
May 25, 2018
I picked this book on impulse, and I am so glad I did!
A fast paced read that I finished in one go. No frills writing and excellent characters. Bollywood has always fascinated people and this book uses it well.
A fast paced read that I finished in one go. No frills writing and excellent characters. Bollywood has always fascinated people and this book uses it well.
June 15, 2019
I can't take my phone away till I complete this book.. truly fantastic
The story the concept everything is beyond perfect . I can imagine the character and the whole movie is in my eyes,💕
The story the concept everything is beyond perfect . I can imagine the character and the whole movie is in my eyes,💕
May 7, 2020
Plain
Boring
And too easy even for a fiction
Boring
And too easy even for a fiction
June 17, 2019
Mohini by Ramendra Kumar... A typical masala story....
August 15, 2025
The sleaze of Bollywood and Politics.
An OK read.
An OK read.
February 3, 2014
An interesting and Fresh concept which will make you engrossed till the end. As a reader, I was totally hooked on the book till the end. It had the ability to hold the reader's attention till the end.
Full Review: http://www.himanipassion.com/1/post/2...
Full Review: http://www.himanipassion.com/1/post/2...
August 6, 2016
Brilliant is Just a Word...!!
Excellent books with best inside information about Bollywood. Twist and turns are highly unexpected...A lesson to all Bollywood Aspirants.... Ending is Superb!
Excellent books with best inside information about Bollywood. Twist and turns are highly unexpected...A lesson to all Bollywood Aspirants.... Ending is Superb!
September 5, 2017
Easy and quick read. A routine story with bollywood background.
September 7, 2016
Story of Mumbai , story of Bollywood .... at times when the film script was described to Mohini , I felt it to be stretched a lot but else overall a good one time , metro read
July 7, 2014
Fast paced typical bollywood masala story. Nothing more to write about it.
Read
December 14, 2014Proper Bollywood masala
January 3, 2018
Masala book.
July 20, 2016
Nooooooooo!!!!!
December 28, 2016
Racy
Felt like living through the life of a Bollywood Starlet. Well crafted and Entertaining. Definitely worth reading if you like the world of Movies!
Felt like living through the life of a Bollywood Starlet. Well crafted and Entertaining. Definitely worth reading if you like the world of Movies!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews