Book Review - Maximum City By Suketu Mehta

LokVani-Chitra Parayath: "My intention is, what can I do for my country? Not, What has the country done for me? -- Chotta Shakeel (page 345)

Mehta invites us into the violent worlds and minds of philosophical mafia dons, into the innocent thoughts of a stripper, into the indifferent soul of a policeman among other improbable literary places. Maximum City serves as a lesson in urban history, a treatise comprising tales of love, despair and hope, of familial affections and political bloopers.

“Migration has to be controlled. The Bangladesh Muslims to be driven out not only from Mumbai but outside the country, back to Bangladesh. These are my straight politics.” -- Bal Thackeray (page 100)

In the seven years that it took him to write the story, we hear Mehta’s own story: of the mixture of fascination, revulsion and gentle passion he feels for the city that never sleeps.

“I will do in Bombay; my karmabhoomi is in Bombay. I have no fear of the footpath. Now that I’m on the road, I’m on the road.” (Page 488) -- Babbanji

After Mehta co-wrote the script for the Bollywood blockbuster Mission Kashmir, director Vidhu Vinod Chopra urged him to work on more scripts. "Forget about your book," he said. "How any people read books? Millions watch cinema." We recommend that millions read this book!