Simian

by Vikram Balagopal

Winner of best graphic novel award at the comic con india awards 2014. When bhima chances upon an ailing monkey blocking his path in the forest, little does he realize that he is meeting his brother hanuman, one of the greatest heroes of his time, and ram's closest ally. As the brothers settle in for a night of exchanging stories and notes, hanuman tells a surprising of the great war between ram and ravan. In the twilit world of war, things are not what they seem ... And this chance encounter between a warrior and a legend will destroy a myth. Vikram balagopal's black-and-white, gritty reimagining of the ramayana brings to life the scars-physical, moral and spiritual-borne by hanuman, for his is a life full of questions that cut and gnaw at him, questions that have no answers unless history itself is replayed. Raw and inventive, simian is a look back by one of the most enigmatic characters in mythology.

258 pages, Hardcover

Published May 21, 2014

About the author

Vikram Balagopal is the author of the award-winning graphic novel Simian. Following his training at the New York Film Academy (New York), he has worked in India with various film-makers, and his screenplay was chosen for Mira Nair’s Maisha Screenwriter’s Lab. He is a published poet, illustrator and cartoonist in magazines. His first book, Simian, was published in India in 2014 (HarperCollins Publishers India). Savage Blue, a fantasy novel published in India in 2016 (HarperCollins Publishers India), is his second book. He lives in New Delhi.

Reviews

[Vinayak Hegde · Rating 4 out of 5]

A retelling of the Ramayana from Hanuman's point of view. The story covers the passage between Ram's Exile and the burning of Lanka by Hanuman. The narrative and the drawings are beautifully done. The dialogues between the characters especially those between Hanuman & Sugriva and Hanuman & Ravana have a cinematic flair and bring the graphic novel to life. The author has a background in the Indian film industry and it shows in the way to story is rendered. A really good read and interpretation of Ramayana.