Imagine if a truth you have believed all your life changes your perspective. What if I told you that the faith or religion you have been believing in has changed roots or shifted base? Kind of unsettling, isn’t it? Well, that’s exactly what my latest read, Putli 2 by Anuj Tikku, revolves around. Taking further to the pursuits of the “horror” killer doll, this one follows the pursuit of “Putli” and also the famous archaeologist Sushant Gupta as he embarks upon yet another adventure, this time finding out the true secret of Kabbala, the sacred cradle of Islamic faith, as well as the sacred black stone they worship.
What if I tell you that the thought process you have been harbouring all your life is lopsided? Well, what I mean here is that it differs from what you have been perceiving all your life.
Yes, it so happens that with religion, faith and all our beliefs, many times we tend to overlook reality, believing in only what we see or perceive, totally sidetracking the other side of the story. In such a scenario, often our thoughts and perceptions tend to get muddled and throw us off balance as far as a logical, rational chain of thoughts is concerned.
And yet, when we choose to see through these lopsided perceptions further on, we can fathom the “errors”.
I am referring here to such an attempt by means of a fictional story, Putli 2 by Anuj Tikku, the next in a series of the pursuits of the bloodthirsty doll, who was involved in multiple killings in the previous tale. It also revolves around the ace archaeologist Sushant Gupta, who in the previous book established a sensational truth, claiming that Lord Jesus had actually died in Kashmir, causing him to step on a lot of religious toes as well as ruffle a lot of unnecessary feathers. Yes, perhaps one of the most sensational and daring quests ever, Sushant had uncovered this reality in an operation like no other before.
Coming back to this one, Putli two was equally thrilling, with Sushant proceeding to a stranger and perhaps much more dangerous, and if I may add perilous tides, trying to turn the Islamic faith on its head. In this one, Sushant is trying to establish and prove to the world that Mecca and Madina are not the authentic tombs of Prophet Mohamad. He claims that the real tombs lie in Kabbala, an ancient village located on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Well, uncanny, isn’t it?
From the characterization to the plot, I must say Anuj has branched out well since, from the previous tale, he has ensured that he picks and properly explores Sushant’s characterization further as he is the protagonist who had worked the wonder in the previous tale. Fearless and focused, Sushant is not a person who would take reality for what it is, simply at face value, lying down. A true explorer and hustler, his characterization impressed me, as he did not step back even in this one, in spite of being embargoed on a target that was of a highly sensitive nature.
Coming to Naina’s character, well, I must confess that being Nizam’s love child, her thirst for knowledge, learning and trying to prove something shows enough from her relentless spirit and undying resolve as she embarks upon helping Sushant decode the truth about Kabbala.
Coming to other aspects, it was fascinating reading about Shaan A. Shaukat, the palace where Naina was brought up as a child, which also served as a harem for all of the Nizam’s concubines. It was unsettling to read about the ways back then of the century when women were not given the respect they truly deserved but rather reared as cattle, objects of pleasure and lust. I was pained to see the way Salma Haq had to undergo such humiliation and pain at the hands of the Nizam. All she wanted was for the Nizam to acknowledge Naina, his love child, born out of wedlock, as his own. And yet, all she got was denial for this and only this; wealth and fineries pressed upon her whenever she asked him to do so. It is sad to discover the state of affairs and society’s “chauvinistic” approach.
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On another note, it was also fascinating to read about the entire archaeological expedition Sushant and his team, along with Naina, undertook—the “killer” pursuits of Putli. I was actually breathless with the entire concept of the birds—mass suicides. It seemed chilling to the bone to me.
Written in his usual style, this one is the extension, the next in the series, to the adventure pursuits of Sushant Gupta, the archaeologist you loved in Part 1. However, I felt there could have been some more of the demonic doll Putli’s thrilling “escapades” in this one to make it a bit more racing. Nevertheless, a good one. Go for this if you want to read something that is short as well as thrilling and racy.
So, I hope you guys liked my book review of Putli Two by Anuj Tikku.
Adios Amigos!