Saturday is my day off. Yet, I decided to drag myself to fashion designer Ritu Beri's designer book launch for two reasons. One, I was curious to know what 'India's unofficial ambassador to style capitals of the world' had written in Firefly: A Fairytale. Two, I hadn't read a book in a long time and thought this was a good way to salvage the book-reading habit.
Ritu's 'good friend', actor Akshay Kumar gave the Filmfare Award ceremony in Mumbai a miss and flew down to New Delhi to release the book. "I have never read a book. This is the first book I will read," Askhay confessed good-humouredly, after Ritu presented him the first copy.
I felt a sudden connect with Akshay. I was happy that I wasn't the only one in that hall for whom reading did not figure on the things-to-do list. Good start for both of us, I thought. Maybe I should also give book-reviewing a shot. As I sat less awkwardly, I noticed that the colour-coordinated book launch set was actually quite fairy-tale-ish. Ritu's black outfit looked perfect against the red backdrop.
She was talking about her book, "I've done a lot of living, been there, done that. So I thought I had better capture the most eventful years of my life so far before I forget the flavour and lose the immediacy. There's also the aspect of wanting to share my experiences with those travelling the same road."
{{/usCountry}}She was talking about her book, "I've done a lot of living, been there, done that. So I thought I had better capture the most eventful years of my life so far before I forget the flavour and lose the immediacy. There's also the aspect of wanting to share my experiences with those travelling the same road."
{{/usCountry}}But my hopes of turning avid-reader-cum-reviewer got dashed when I heard the price of Ritu's book. Rs 1 lakh! Is that the price I will have to pay if I want to turn book-reader/reviewer?
I heard Ritu spiritedly defending her book: "Those who buy my clothes, and those who would really love to know what makes Ritu Beri tick will buy the book. It is a collector's item. It will also be sold at the new Louis Vuitton flagship store in Paris."
But what about the young designers "who want to share your experiences and travel the same road"? And what about those who want to review (okay just read) the book?
Ritu's book may be adapted into a screenplay for a Bollywood film, we were told, and she would like Priyanka Chopra or Drew Barrymore to play the lead. I think I'll just wait for the film to be released — if by then I still want to know more of Ritu.
As of now, the only 'easy' way is to befriend Akshay and borrow his copy!