The 9PM Debate, a contemporary drama written by Vivek Chandran, unfolds in a Mumbai television newsroom. The book showcases the dark underbelly of Indian television journalism and its complicity in keeping issues at a boil and thereby an entire nation of 1.4 billion people eternally on tenterhooks. The protagonist, a maverick TV anchor, frustrated with her ilk as well as the larger social and political ecosystem, orchestrates the debate of her lifetime - she hosts four convicted rapists and their 21-year-old victim on a televised live debate on sexual assault.

Book Brief:
Another gang rape rocked Mumbai city. This was becoming commonplace. Came with the statutory accompaniment - a TV debate, one where the same questions were asked, the same wasted emotions put on public display, and where not-so-shockingly, the end result ended up being uncannily similar - served absolutely no purpose.

Radhika Verma, ABTV's most recognisable face and India's premier TV journalist, watched an entire country go through yet another fruitless cathartic exercise. A more relevant and purposeful conversation, one that could be an agent of change would have better served the cause. Radhika grappled with what that could be. What would it take to delve deep into the malaise and understand what drives the perpetrators to commit such a crime? What's it like to walk in the shoes of the victim on her long trek towards justice? What's a debate that could speak to solutions and get buy-in from the people in power? What would shock the system into action?

Radhika stunned her team with the idea of hosting a debate with the two sets of people most relevant to the topic of sexual assault - the rapist and the victim. She invited the convicted gang rapists from a recent Mumbai local train rape incident and their 21-year-old victim. The rapists accepted. The victim declined.

An entire nation geared for the debate of the century. Would Radhika be able to deliver with her radical lineup? Could a conversation unleash a revolution?

Praise For THE 9PM DEBATE

"The build up of the characters, their descriptive frames of mind, the tempo throughout the debate and most importantly the twist to the story line in the chapters towards the end, all kept the momentum of the book going, intrigued me as a reader, and made me curious to know what happens next."

"This book took me back to my days in Mumbai and reminded me of the real issues that continue to plague India. It also highlights the newest threat facing India - the influence of the media on public opinion."

"Felt like an amazingly well written movie script."

"The premise of the book is strong and is really reflective of where we are as a society."

"The pacing is intentionally slow in the beginning as it builds up into a crescendo into a mind blowing climax."

"... humour was simply OUTSTANDING! Not sure if I should call it humour or sarcasm, but it's all over the place."

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• Literature & Fiction

• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
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• Print Length: 413 Pages
• File Size: 1,195 KB