Stay Tuned For The 6PM Slot

I am a person who can’t put down a book until it’s finished. And Naomi Datta’s The 6PM Slot was a book that one can not put down anyway! No, it’s not a crime thriller or even a mushy romance involving teenage hormone high people. It’s a normal story involving adults. If I were to summarize it for you, you wouldn't be impressed, but I’m no Naomi Datta. She breathes life & adds humour to the story like one would add salt to a dish-perfect swad anusaar (excuse the lame simile).

We begin with the boss, the convent –educated, Power Point presentations obsessed Rahul & his boot-licking deputy Harish contemplating on how to lift their channel Youth TV’s TRP. At least Rahul is thinking hard, all Harish does is nod his head. Well, the boss comes up with the idea of bringing in a revolution-targeting the 6pm slot in their channel & giving it a whole new look. And all this has to be done quick. So enter Tania-the protagonist of the story. Stuck with a show dealing with celebrities’ pets, Tania has struggled for 2 years to fulfil her career. The recent demand of a new ‘sexy’ love show at the 6pm slot comes across as that long-awaited opportunity that she must make use of. But fate has other plans for the girl.

What follows next in The 6PM Slot is a series of hilarious incidents & goof-ups that has Tania wishing she was back to ‘miaowing’ at the celebrity Persian cats again! With a bumbling bimbo of a model Vrushali who 'yeah's & 'buddy's her way around peoples(sic) & an assistant who is clawing his way up Tania's back, suddenly this doesn't look like her dream coming true at all.  Her only lifeline to sanity is the happy-go-lucky chap Aditya who’s always there looking out for her. His practical jokes & what he calls ‘academic study of human nature’ adds spice to the drama unfolding at YTV’s office. And well, what is an office without a bit of romance & what is romance without jealousy? Naomi plays it subtle, throwing a hint or two at the love triangle of which Tania is unaware. 

The book has all the right elements to make it an entertaining read. There is humour, suspense & oh yes Nomi knows how to take her reader by surprise! At one point I literally had my mouth wide open. The humour is not of the slapstick genre we get these days nor is it overtly sexist. No emotion is underplayed or exaggerated making this story sound like a real-life happening. The 6PM Slot also has it serious moments that display the underbelly of the media world, the office politics & the truth about what goes on behind the camera. Naomi Datta’s experience as a film writer shines through as no detail is left out when dealing with the story.

To conclude, The 6PM Slot gives a refreshing break from all the engineering-romance novels & is worth every penny. My thanks to BlogAdda for sending me the book & giving me the chance to review it.

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