I didn’t choose Srilaaji, Srilaaji chose me,” writes Shobhaa De in the acknowledgments section of her book. According to De, she was finalising a deal for a non-fiction book when Srilaaji “appeared before me and demanded to be the heroine of my next book. It was an order, not a request.... She is for real, even if I imagined her.”
For a real woman, this sex-addicted, D-cup sized, high-born Marwari has a rather unbelievable life, comprising mainly of a string of various liaisons. Unlike most other novels, this housewife is neither bored nor ignored by her husband. Indeed, the couple has genuine affection for each other. Yet, Srilaaji is driven by some force within, and often even aided by her husband, as she breezes through the social swathe of Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi in her floral chiffons, and hops from bed to bathroom floor.
De gives a peek into the world of rich Marwari households, where characters dripping in Basra pearls and sparkling diamonds flit across the corridors of their mansions to top-notch hotels and clubs, munching on kachori at home and crab outside. In her inimitable style, she creates some convincing side characters, whether it is the matriarchal Buaji or the no-nonsense maalishwali. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the lead characters, including the heroine herself. Why, for instance, does a woman, who has as many coital encounters as Srilaaji, need to have the kind of sexual fantasies that she has? The only peek into her vulnerability comes in her interactions with her mother. For the rest, Srilaaji is little more than the sum total of her intimacies. This, even when the character is breaking out of her hypocritical Marwari shell and discovering herself.
Of course, one can always argue that the strength of the characters is not the mainstay in a book of that demeaning literary niche referred to as ‘mummy porn’. However, when there are so many books in that category, including the Fifty Shades trilogy, the reader does expect a little more substance in the plot between the various sexual encounters.
De writes in her typical breezy style, peppering her narrative with lots of desi lingo, and one gets a flavour of various cities as Srilaaji peregrinates through them. You cannot help but smile at her turn of phrase. That, in her own style, is total paisa vasool, and what her fans will be looking out for.
Srilaaji
By Shobhaa De
Published by Simon & Schuster India
Price Rs399; Pages 263
