Karachi, You're Killing Me!
ISBN 978-8184004601 | |
Karachi, You're Killing Me! is a 2014
Plot
Ayesha Khan, a journalist in her twenties living in one of the world's most lively cities, Karachi, whose work is to show up at bomb sites and picks her way through scattered body parts. Ayesha is hopeless in finding a nice guy like her old friend Saad, to share her personal thoughts with. Other than that, her most basic problem is how to straighten her hair.
Critical reception
Karachi, You're Killing Me! has received critical acclaim. In a review for The Denver Post (AP), Rebecca Santana wrote that the novel successfully dismantles Pakistani stereotypes without moralizing. Santana praised the author's complex and tenacious depiction of the protagonist, unlike Bridget Jones and traditional portrayals of Pakistani women.[3] Somak Ghoshal wrote for the Mint that "the satire is pitch perfect and may hit those of us who live in the subcontinent harder than the rest" and that the "refreshingly devoid of glosses and translations, Imtiaz's novel is unapologetically faithful to the cultural nuances from which it emerges."[4] In the Hindustan Times review by Manjula Narayan was also positive, stating that "a comedy of manners, an incisive look at the journalistic life, an examination of a city with a dangerous edge, and an attempt to stand chicklit on its head, Karachi, You're Killing Me! is, quite simply, a very good read."[5]
Ghausia Rashid Salam of The Missing Slate praised the author and novel and called it a "pretty fantastic" debut novel.[6] Nudrat Kamal wrote for the Newsline and stated that the "humour is the greatest strength of the novel."[7] The Friday Times Mohsin Sidiqui praised the author and the novel, and stated that "Ms. Imtiaz has managed to pull together a novel that you want to read and share with people, not because of a misplaced sense of "Oh crap, it's another Pakistani writer, I suppose I have to be mildly positive," but instead because it's actually laugh-out-loud funny, witty, and entertaining."[8]
Film adaptation
On 9 April 2014, India's Abundantia Entertainment acquired the Bollywood film adaptation rights to the novel. The film would be named Noor which would star Sonakshi Sinha as a female lead and Vikram Malhotra would produce. Author Saba Imtiaz would also be involved in developing the screenplay.[2][9][10]
References
- ^ Virani, Faiza (23 March 2014). "Cover Story: Karachi, You're Killing Me! by Saba Imtiaz". dawn.com. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ a b c Bhushan, Nyay (10 April 2015). "Pakistani 'Bridget Jones'-Style Book Acquired for Bollywood Adaptation". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ Santana, Rebecca (23 June 2014). "Pakistani author's debut novel captures Karachi". The Denver Post. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Ghoshal, Somak (1 March 2014). "Book Review - Karachi, You're Killing Me!". Mint. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Narayan, Manjula (31 May 2014). "Standing chicklit on its head". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 26 July 2015.[dead link]
- ^ Rashid Salam, Ghausia (6 September 2014). "Karachi, You're Killing Me!". themissingslate.com. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Kamal, Nudrat (19 March 2014). "Book Review: Karachi, You're Killing Me!". newslinemagazine.com. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Sidiqui, Mohsin (21 February 2014). "Karachi, You're Killing Me". The Friday Times. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Pathak, Ankur (9 April 2015). "With Love, From Pakistan". mumbaimirror.com. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ "'Karachi You're Killing Me' goes to Bollywood". tribune.com.pk. 9 April 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.