Fahad Samar's latest is a poignant tale of lust, love and ambition

He is witty, well-informed, knows his characters and last, but not the least, Fahad Samar can keep his readers hooked till the last word of his story. After a humorous satire on Bollywood and society, Samar is back with his second book, Flash Point. While his debut was about film frat, pseudo socials and so-called high-class genteel, his latest is an emotional take on people associated with fashion and style. And don't go by 'emotional' tag, because Samar does not let you down on tongue-in-cheek humour.
Those who have read his first book know that Samar's stories may not be directed at any individual but are always inspired by truth around us. As someone who has seen the glamour industry from such close angles, Samar does justice to this poignant tale of ambition, lust, trust and (somewhere) love. There are numerous strugglers who try to make it big in the mayanagri, some achieve their dreams, others are lost in the many faces of this busy metropolis.
Flash Point is essentially the story of Zeeshan Haq, who comes from turbulent Kashmir to dazzling Mumbai and falls prey to the many whims of this treacherous city. Zeeshan is a photographer and after gaining grounds with his maternal uncle who supplied paparazzi pictures to Mumbai's tabloids and newspapers, he succeeds in becoming the chief assistant to Kabir Kohli, the most celebrated fashion photographer in Mumbai. He is smitten by Hazel Haroon, a model and aspiring Bollywood film star and convinces his boss to cast her for an important suit. Hazel is overwhelmed by his affection but chooses her carrier against their relationship.
Though ambitious Zeeshan is equally loyal and trusts his employer blindly. But what is Mumbai if it does not teach you lessons in human psychology? Zeeshan gets trapped in a web of crime and deceit in which he supported his boss out of loyalty but Kohli makes a u-turn and all doubt fall on the innocent Zeeshan. The crime which involved the high profile names becomes an easy target for the media and thus the powerful make all possible efforts to prove Zeeshan's guilt. At the end it is Hazel and his 'apaa jaan' who finally come to his rescue.
Despite many twists and turns and many stories running into one, the book is great read for all those who are remotedly related to the glamour world or have interest in it. Even if you are not intersted in fashion world, read it for the sake of fun, it's worth it.