
The novel as a raging beast
The story begins with the first lockdown of the Covid pandemic and is told, initially, from the point of view of Chiamaka (one of two characters who narrate their parts of the book, the other being Omelogor).

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Fardeen Khan opens up about giving up alcohol, sought professional help to get sober: ‘I started drinking at a young age, it was interfering with my life'
After taking a long break from films, Fardeen Khan decided to resume his acting career during the second lockdown at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. In a recent interaction, the actor recalled that although he was eager to return to films, he didn't know where to begin, having been away from the industry for such a long time. Adding to the challenge was the fact that he had put on some weight and was at 102 kgs during his hiatus. Speaking about the same to Cyrus Broacha on his YouTube channel, he said, 'I knew I had to get in a certain shape. I was 102 or 103 kgs at my heaviest and not muscle — just good old body fat.' Fardeen admitted that he worked on himself in trying to get healthy. 'Last week I was 78 kgs. I lost 25 kgs,' he shared. He then spoke about his sobriety and shared that he gave up drinking in 2020 and sought professional help to do so as his drinking was starting to interfere with his life. 'I was at a stage where I just didn't feel myself. I became sober in 2020 and I stopped alcohol in one go. I needed to stop, it was interfering with my life. I took professional help to stop and it was the best decision I have made in my life. I started drinking very, very young so this was the first time the brain fog lifted,' he shared. In an earlier interaction, Fardeen had shared that he took a 14-year-long break from acting to focus on family. He moved to London to be with his wife, Natasha Madhvani, as the couple was facing some challenges in having children. After becoming a father to a daughter and a son, the actor decided to extend his break to spend more time with his kids. Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, he said, 'We were having challenges having children, and that's when we decided to take the IVF route. That's why I needed to take some time off. It wasn't meant to be this long. I thought only for a few years… get everything settled, but things didn't happen that way. Then, when my daughter was born, my heart melted, and I thought, let's spend some time with her.' Apart from Heeramandi, Fardeen has also starred in films like Khel Khel Mein, Visfot, and the recently released Housefull 5. He also has the Kannada film The Devil in the pipeline.


New Indian Express
3 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Chinmayi Unfiltered: I signed up for the struggle, no regrets
What is your creative process as a singer? Nothing special — someone calls me, tells me what time to be at the studio, there are the lyrics, I sing, and leave. My mind actually thinks of a lot of things, like my babies, dogs, house, this, that…My dogs are Uppli, Jiloo, Bobby and Potato. Bobby is the most hyper, he is uncontrollable. (laughs) Uppli actually used to come along for recordings. Now he's like, 'Let me be, I'm not in all this drama.' He has come for so many recordings, has been near the mic, and so many people have been shocked. Even during Kaathalae Kaathalae (Tamil song), he was in the studio. Is there any musical genre you really want to try? Life has been kind with opportunities, and composers have been kind by giving me opportunities where I could sing different types of songs. But something I haven't tried yet…rap. But I don't think I have it in me to write rap songs — I just can't rhyme! But never say never, who knows… You have utilised your reach to support and raise funds for noble causes, particularly those benefiting underprivileged children. What drew you to this? During Covid, many people from economically weaker backgrounds, including daily wage labourers, reached out and asked for help to avail basic amenities. I was wondering what I could do. My friend and I came up with an idea — since this was a time when people could not meet their loved ones and perhaps were missing birthdays, anniversaries, and the like, what I would do is record personalised songs for them. I'd WeTransfer it to them so they could send it to their loved ones. They would, in return, send money directly to the beneficiaries. No point of me being involved in transactions. I then got involved with Akshaya trust, which takes care of old destitutes. A portion of my earnings still goes to the NGO. Akshaya now helps me manage an educational platform, where I take classes for around 100 students, be it doctors, engineers, or anyone who wants to learn music basically. These individuals pay Akshaya Trust or the beneficiaries directly. Either way, the beneficiaries then have money, which they can use to send their children to school. Of course, before teaching these students, I speak with them, trying to understand where they are at. Sometimes, I feel they would benefit if they directly learned from my amma, who brings a wealth of experience, and I chip in wherever required. You took on powerful people during the #MeToo movement. Looking back, what do you feel? Many of us were reading about it, feeling second-hand rage. Even to speak up at that point of time was terrifying. But I crossed that threshold — there was also a wonderful collective energy of other women — and spoke up. I knew no one was going to welcome me and give me an award, but I signed up for the struggle, so no regrets. What do you think about Tollywood? Would you like to sing more songs here? Most definitely! Thanks to people like Supriya (Yarlagadda), Nandini (Reddy), and Jhansi (Laxmi) garu — these women actually took a step and spoke to the film chamber here. If not for their initiative, there wouldn't be an Internal Complaints Committee. I have huge admiration for all these women. What are the biggest life lessons you want to pass onto your children? I hope I live a life well enough, so I don't have to write the lessons. They should learn by observation. Because kids will learn from what they see.


Hans India
4 hours ago
- Hans India
Padmini Kolhapure reveals how niece Shraddha Kapoor chooses her roles with family support
Veteran actress Padmini Kolhapure recently opened up about the thoughtful approach her niece, Shraddha Kapoor, takes when selecting film roles. According to Padmini, the 'Stree' actress doesn't make decisions in isolation; instead, she carefully considers advice from her close family members before finalising her choices. Speaking to IANS, Padmini shared that Shraddha often discusses potential projects with her mother, Shivangi Kolhapure; sister, Tejaswini, father Shakti Kapoor, and even Padmini herself. The senior actress mentioned that this collective support system helps the young actress weigh the pros and cons of each opportunity, ensuring that she makes well-informed decisions that align with her career goals and personal values. Padmini revealed that despite taking input from her family, Shraddha ultimately trusts her own instincts. The 'Vidhaata' actress shared, 'Advice, in the sense Shraddha discusses. like with my sister Tejaswini, her mom Shivangi, me, her father, and, of course, also my husband. So, because she hears everybody, she kind of weighs the pros and cons, and then she goes ahead with her decisions in picking the films.' Padmini Kolhapure is Shraddha Kapoor's aunt. Padmini's elder sister, Shivangi Kolhapure, who was also an actress, is married to veteran actor Shakti Kapoor and is the mother of actors Shraddha Kapoor and Siddhanth Kapoor. Speaking about guiding her son Priyaank Sharma, Padmini Kolhapure admitted she is her son's toughest critic. When asked about her approach to supporting her son, who debuted in the 2019 film 'Sab Kushal Mangal,' the veteran star revealed that her family never pushed him into acting. Instead, they encouraged his genuine interest while preparing him for the tough realities of the industry. 'The film came out in 2019, and then COVID happened, so things stalled for him,' she said. 'My husband is a producer, I'm an actress, but we never had those typical dreams of forcing him to be an actor. He showed interest gradually, and we supported him.' Padmini stressed the importance of independence and hard work, sharing that her son was sent to Strasbourg to understand the challenges beyond glamour. 'I keep telling him this job isn't easy. It's blood, sweat, and tears,' she remarked, referencing her own experiences and the hard work she's seen from other actors like Shah Rukh Khan and Anil Kapoor.