Sometimes, especially when one is done with a particularly solemn tome, one goes on the prowl for a lighter, breezier read. Last week we picked up a debut novel, The Wedding Photographer by Sakshama Puri Dhariwal (Penguin Books India, Rs 299).

It’s hard to come across a romantic comedy these days that doesn’t makes one’s gag reflexes weak, but a couple of pages into TWP, we found ourselves chuckling, not least because some of the scenes at this tabloid news office seemed oh-so-familiar!

But unlike most employees at the tabloid, protagonist Risha Kohli has something else to keep her occupied besides the day job — an eye for photography. In fact, she’s even allowed to take leave to jet off to wedding assignments, something her BFF (best friend forever, duh!) insists is because the boss has a crush on her. Risha, thankfully, is likable; manners and a sense of humour are what set her apart. The man she meets on a flight, though, is rich, handsome and caustic, thereby fitting the bill as the He-Who-Makes-Female-Hearts-Flutter. There’s more to Arjun Khanna though — he hates models and journalists. Uh-oh.

Sakshama’s hilarious and adorable characters make this novel a hoot. There’s Risha’s ex-boyfriend, who is out of the closet now and a perfect foil to the austere Arjun. Arjun’s sister, the bride, couldn’t be more unlike her judgemental brother. Their grandmother, spilling over with entertaining Punjabi-isms, is a relentless matchmaker. And Risha’s BFF is, well… everything best friends should be.

Of course, there’s nothing like a big fat Indian wedding to set off those sparks. With a breezy style reminiscent of Anuja Chauhan, the novel is exactly the kind of humorous read one needs after a rigorous day at work. 

Ramona Sen