An Unsuitable Boy Review

An Unsuitable Boy is noted filmmaker Karan Johar’s autobiography. Is it an emotional entertainer like his movies or is written keeping the premium book reader in mind?



We love auto-biographies. Just getting an insider view of how the celebrity overcame his challenges, insecurities, deepest fears etc to emerge victorious is always inspiring. while one could be forgiven for thinking that being a producer’s son, Karan had it easy the book begs to differ. Some of his issues do sound like first world problems. Like how he mentions that he & his dad had to “share” a driver till the time Kuch Kuch Hota Hai became a blockbuster. The book deals with Karan’s journey from being the son of a do gooder, but not successful producer father to becoming one of the most powerful people in the film industry. He openly speaks about his insecurities. He speaks in detail about years growing up in South Bombay, his friendships, his rivals, his fights, his love life or the lack of it. A great deal of the book is devoted to his years growing up & as to how he became a director. He shares several anecdotes from his childhood, which are heart warming. He doesn’t shy away from speaking about the equation he shares with his closest pals, which include ShahRukh Khan, Aditya Chopra, Kajol etc. He mentions all his likes & dislikes.
Karan has written the book in a way that the reader will feel that Karan is speaking directly to you. It felt like a celebrity met you for coffee & is now telling you his life story. Bollywood aficionados will love this book, for giving an peek into how the industry works.

Karan does give details about character traits, strengths, weaknesses of his celebrity friends. We can’t help but laud him for being upfront about his experiences being a effeminate kid, or paying for sex, or him suffering the consequences of unrequited love. You definitely will not complain that he played safe. This book is a tell all. Bollywood gossip, star secrets & Karan giving minute details about his childhood make this book an very intriguing read.

But the writing is nothing to rave about. The vocabulary is simple. He probably wants maximum number of people to read it & hence has kept the writing simple. For people hoping that he will admit to his sexuality, he does disappoint. He admits indirectly about his sexual preferences. He goes on to say that he is scared to admit openly about the reaction he will receive from right wing groups if he ever admits openly about his sexuality. One feels sorry for him when he says that he gets tons of abusive messages on social media thanks to his sexuality.

We would definitely recommend this book. You will end up liking Karan Johar a lot more post reading this book. Very few have the courage to let us into their lives like Karan Johar has. Kudos!

Our Rating: (4 / 5)

[amazon_link asins=’067008753X,B074Y8RMTR’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’theopiniona02-21′ marketplace=’IN’ link_id=’1330af88-f896-11e7-8dcc-6b3f662b0a98′]