Couple of Things by Amrita Rao, RJ Anmol
My take on the book:
I read many non-fiction books in sub-genres like Biographies, Self-help, Finance, Science, Technology. But a real-life love story narrated by the couple is a first for me; reading a romantic sequence in a fictional novel is different from reading about a real-life scene.
The book has each alternate chapter narrated by Anmol and Amrita beginning from their childhood, school and college years, leading to Anmol becoming an RJ in Radio Mirchi, first in Delhi and later moving to Mumbai.
Amrita narrates her career story starting from her first audition for an ad shoot to landing 32 brand endorsements even before her Bollywood debut, how production houses queued up to sign her up for their movies.
It’s also interesting how Anmol auditioned for the same movie that Amrita made her debut with, and though they missed working on that movie, few years later they met at a radio station while Amrita was promoting her upcoming movie.
The book gets more interesting from here, as the story traces their journey from becoming good friends to a secret vivah and then announcing their marriage to the world. Read ‘Couple of Things’ to read about the love story of a Dilli ka launda and a Bollywood star.
I watched most of Amrita Rao’s movies and always admired her, but about her personal life, I only read she got married to someone outside of her industry. Also, since I am not from Mumbai, I never heard Anmol on radio, neither had any info about his background before I picked this book. By the end of it, however, I became a bigger fan of Anmol.
The honesty with which the story has been narrated and how it resonated with me as person is what made it stay with me. Apart from their love story, the book also narrates the career choices of Anmol and Amrita, how Amrita braved the challenges in the movie industry and refused to give up her beliefs and values for money and fame.
Anmol’s confidence right from his college days, later handling workplace politics, creative ideas for ‘Purani Jeans’ and overall his zeal, commitment and enthusiasm to build a successful career is really inspiring. I also liked his approach towards their relationship and clarity of thought in steering it forward.
However, I would have loved to read more about Amrita, especially in the second half, as her part of the story had lesser impact than Anmol’s. This is one of those books that kept me hooked from start to finish, is an absolute page-turner, and left me with a smile at the end.
My rating:
4.5/5.