Till unexpectedly Guru Vasu returns. He brings a handsome disciple, Anand. We grapple with the reason for their arrival, only to find Rani’s new lover—an undercover policeman—too wants to know. Overtly, the overzealous Anand is collecting money...for a temple...but a canker has entered...how will it end?
The plot thickens, turns portentous and interlinks with the happenings at Globe Circus at the Gymkhana grounds. Tch tch, brahmacharya Hindu Anand falls in love with a young Muslim acrobat. Meanwhile, the rape of nuns and burning of churches swathe the scenery with shades of saffron. Suddenly the circus goes up in flames. Campbell Road turns resonant metaphor for the nation.
Outward violence is graphic, but the denouement is restrained. Clearly, Charry is a writer to watch out for. Big themes absorb her. She tackles them with passion and exemplary craft. But sadly, she misses her defining moment—Vasu’s disillusionment with religion. Though characters are superbly etched, the raison d’etre of the pivotal ones—Vasu and Anand—fail to convince. Almost as if she’s trying too hard to imbue them with an intent they don’t really have.
