Synopsis & Index

Published in

These People Are Mad

4 min readMar 5, 2020

The “People” in question are six friends, who have evolved into a gang (as they like to refer to themselves). The gang narrows down three parties from their collective set of (Facebook, text and personal) invitations on the eve of New Year’s Eve 2012. In doing so, they make sure they balance every member’s romantic intentions, social requirements and of course, each other’s neuroses.

What they have no clue about is that this night will turn out to be a night they will never forget. But then that isn’t something new for this gang, owing to their love for good alcohol, sweet pot and shooting each other with invisible guns (commonly referred to — by the members — as gang violence).

And now, for the heck of it, you are going to imagine them being introduced like boxers or wrestlers walking into a ring. (Yes, you will be imagining a lot of things through the book.) If it pleases you, you can also imagine a slick hip hop beat playing in the background.

Introducing, the first of the insane train… The Delhi-born features journalist whose crooked finger is mightier than your fist, they call her the brat who doesn’t give a crap — SEHER! (Imagine applause and cheer. Do it, now.)

Up next, is the mild-mannered — but no less nuts — a software engineer from South Gujarat who believes in the power of true longing. Meet the stalker you love to like — KARTIK! (You know what to do.)

From Chennai to rule them all, she’s here to mind them, she’s here to school them all and in the madness bind them… Give it up for the jewellery designer, the president of all things cheese — VEENA! (Do I really have to repeat myself every time?)

Now joining us is the financial analyst who has a formula to solve every problem, from the heart of Bombay’s banking district, the man who always has a contingency plan — ANAND! (Not again, you guys!)

She can be you. She can be me. She can be anyone she wants to be. She is loud, she is proud, and always one step ahead of the crowd… Meet the superstar who loves you — NIYATI! (Whistle podu!)

Last but not the least, the hack without a muse, the circuit without a fuse, the rebel who badly needs a clue, the Calcutta boy desperate for a plot breakthrough — ANUJ! (Really, now?)

Okay, okay, calm down! Now that you have met the gang, imagine that you are Shah Rukh Khan. (You like this part don’t you?) You are in a car, an SUV, with the gang and there’s a traffic jam as it pours tigers and wolves outside. The gang has decided to tell you about their New Year’s Eve 2012 — how they (by design) ran into the girl Kartik had been obsessing over for over six years; how Anand set Veena up, jeopardizing their relationship (and thusly the fate of the gang); how Anuj snapped out of his self-diagnosed depression; how Seher decided to go all sexy-evil-genius on their ass; and finally how Niyati arranged a perfect stand-in for herself so as to handle the events of the evening because she had to rush to Bangkok for a shoot that popped up at the very last minute.

So, you interested or what?

Synopsis & Index

Written by Jugal Mody