Yash Pawaskar reviews Razor Sharp: A Kutta Kadam Thriller by Ashwin Sanghi (published by HarperCollins India, 2024)
Some books are often punctuated with philosophically charged sentences that force you to pause your reading journey, look out of the window, and contemplate the meaning of life. If you are in the mood for such a soulful experience, Ashwin Sanghi’s Razor Sharp is NOT for you. This book moves faster than a bullet train! There’s no time to stop. And you, as a reader, are compelled to turn the pages—it is a ‘serial killer’ book that makes you into a ‘serial flipper’ of pages.
If you have not read any of Ashwin Sanghi’s previous work but are a crime fiction fan, the intriguing and inviting book cover illustrated and designed by Ramnika Sehrawat will surely draw you in. And once you are in, you will be on the edge of your seat because the first chapter itself begins with a murder.
The Bonfire Experience
I am not someone who likes to play detective. I am not interested in finding out who the killer is before the book reveals the killer’s identity. Why should I do the work? I want the story to be so engrossing that I have no time to zoom out and think of who the killer might be or think of anything for that matter.
I want to be there in the bonfire setting where the author is narrating the story, listening to it intently, and staying immersed in the make-believe world until the story reaches its logical conclusion. With 100 chapters spread across 310 pages, Razor Sharp certainly offers the bonfire experience.
This Mumbai-based thriller is not inventive. It is quite the opposite; it is templatised. It has the usual beats: the murders, the battered cop, the red herrings, the usual suspects, and the reveal. I knew this before buying the book. In fact, I bought it because I knew it would be templatised. With short snackable chapters, this book is ideal for binge reading and great to get you out of a reading slump if you are in one.
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A New Series
I have read all the books in Ashwin Sanghi’s Bharat Series except one, The Sialkot Saga, which is a business thriller that I am not too upbeat about. But the rest are interesting, to say the least. The Bharat Series, as evident from the title, focuses on topics and plots that have a connection with ancient India. There’s mythology, murders, and mystery.
Razor Sharp does not have the mythological aspects of the Bharat Series but includes its murders and mystery elements. However, comparatively, this Kutta Kadam thriller is strong on characterisation. With the protagonist (Prakash Kadam), his family, his colleagues, his world, and his secrets, the foundation is there. And that’s possibly due to this being the first book in Ashwin Sanghi’s new series. And like any first book, it lays the groundwork for the subsequent instalments. We are surely going to see more of Kutta Kadam, and I am not complaining.
Prakash Kadam is a rundown ex-cop. He is sort of a legend in his circuit but comes with a branding of being angry, difficult to work with, and haunted by a haunting past. His ex-colleague ropes him into the serial killing case, thus beginning a story that’s part noir fiction and part police procedural.
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With Prakash comes his lawyer-daughter, Ketul, who also assists him in solving this puzzle without knowing that she is also a part of it in more ways than one. Apart from these two well-defined characters, Razor Sharp features several other generic ones, such as the friendly neighbour, the daughter’s boyfriend, the gangster, the politician, the dirty cop, etc., that eventually play a part in completing the narrative.
However, what I missed in Razor Sharp was the adventure factor of the Bharat Series. With books like The Krishna Key, Keepers of the Kalachakra, etc., the Bharat Series introduced me to several aspects associated with ancient India, which I went on to explore on my own through articles, podcasts, etc. Sadly, this book set in contemporary India has nothing of that sort. Perhaps that’s why it is a separate series, apart from the obvious goal of creating a separate Intellectual Property.
All Too Familiar
Finishing the book was like the feeling one has after eating a McDonald’s burger with fries and Coca-Cola. You want the feeling because you have had it before and know that the next time you have that meal, it is going to be exactly the way you like it—no changes whatsoever—same texture, same taste, same feeling. However, this should not be your staple meal, as it is unhealthy, but it is good to have once in a while to satisfy your craving.
In that sense, Razor Sharp delivers what it promises. There’s no point in criticising junk food for being unhealthy, is it? Just like junk food serves a particular purpose, so does pulp fiction. It is up to the readers to be aware of what they are consuming and be mindful of their choices.
Favourite Quotes from Razor Sharp by Ashwin Sanghi
Here is a quote/excerpt that illustrates the writer’s ability to build up atmospherics.
In an open field, a group of men sat around a fire. It crackled, casting a sinister glow on the faces of the men gathered around it. Although it was a few hours before dawn, a sheen of sweat coated their bodies. The gentle breeze blowing along the riverbank gave only partial relief from the heat of the fire.
– Ashwin Sanghi, Razor Sharp
Here’s another one that highlights the cult mentioned in the book. If you think these dialogues are surface-level, that’s probably by design.
Momuma paused and looked around at the assembly, his disciples gazing up at him adoringly. Their eyes were glazed, the result of a cocktail of drugs. “You are not your name. That is just a label stuck on you. You are not a son or daughter, father or mother. Those are the bonds that cage you. You are pure, unfettered energy. You are the light. Break the chains that bind you.”
– Ashwin Sanghi, Razor Sharp
Also, I am not sure how a non-Marathi speaking reader (unlike me) will take to dialogues such as follows:
- Mee khup kaam kele, he thought, with a grin.
- Arre, ho, baba, said Kadam.
- Tu kasa aahes? Slightly better? Hope you saw a doctor.
They do add the local Marathi/Mumbai flavour, but will every reader get it without the English translation? Seems like that’s something the team behind this book has taken a gamble on. They have favoured pacing and atmospherics over providing translations in brackets, for they would most likely have obstructed the flow.
Parting Thoughts
If you like the world of Sacred Games and Slumdog Millionaire and want to revisit the thrilling experience of reading a Mumbai-based serial killer story, then Ashwin Sanghi’s Razor Sharp is the right choice for you. It can be an ideal weekend binge read or a companion on a long train journey.
Have you read this fast-paced, edge-of-the-seat Mumbai-based serial killer mystery? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
