Badoga (Music Men Volume 1)-Pankaj Saini

Book: Badoga (Music Men Volume 1)

Author: Pankaj Saini

Publisher: Notion Press

What if one day you wake up and you realize that you’ve been given superpowers and now you have a mission in life to help others?

Badoga (Music Men Volume 1) by Pankaj Saini is the story of Sartaj, an amateur Boxer and a regular software engineer from Haryana, making his way in Bengaluru, his life riddled with sex, liquor, money and love. What comes to him as a surprise are the voices in his head which make him experience bizarre situations and lead him to question his own religious and empirical beliefs. While searching for something meaningful in his 30s, he comes across an opportunity to become a vigilante and brands himself as Badoga. But the questions pop up immediately. Does Sartaj have a purpose behind doing what he does? Who are the Music Men? Who is the person behind the voice in his head? This series tackles a plethora of supernatural phenomenon which creates the world of the Music Men.

Badoga (Music Men Volume 1) by Pankaj Saini is the story of a common guy, who does uncommon things, which is basically the background of any superhero. This book establishes the back story of Sartaj, aka Badoga and introduces us to the Music Men, who seem to be a critical set of characters for the upcoming books. Talking about the plot, it has been intricately woven, and the concept of a superhero has been built up subtly yet nicely. The way the story flits between the past and the present is balanced so that the reader is kept alert as to the happenings in the book. The love story (or rather the lack of it) is a surprise element which I was not expecting. The book has been kept hanging, which promises anticipation for the sequels.

Talking about the characters, this book focuses on Sartaj and Badoga and the development of Sartaj as a human being and his transformation into a superhero and then the development of superhero as the time passes. Through various incidents, Pankaj has set the tone for the character of Sartaj that highlight his many flaws and his praise-worthy characteristics. The relationships that are shown are another good way of emphasizing the fact that a superhero treads a path of loneliness. While we are introduced to Marbella, the female protagonist of the story, the book teases a sequel with her name, which I assume would develop her character there.

Overall, I loved the book and I would love to recommend it to anyone who is a Marvel or a DC fan. Pankaj has brought to us a brand-new superhero story which is here to stay.

This superhero walks away with 4.38/5 from my box.

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