It’s a reminder of our bleak future if we continue to let traditional social constructs determine our actions. Leila is a great commentary on how class and religion divide us. As broken as her spirit might be, she’s determined to search for her daughter and 16 years on, she’s relentless in her pursuit. From the camp, she’s sent to live in the Towers outside the city. She’s lost her husband (he’s beaten brutally and probably killed) and her daughter (she vanishes along with her nanny, Sapna). Next thing we know, Shalini is in a ‘purity camp’-a place meant for women who don’t follow the rules. Anyone who doesn’t follow strict rules is harshly punished.Īt the start of the novel, we see Shalini, the novel’s narrator, and her husband Rizwan, gearing up to celebrate their daughter’s birthday. Protected by walls and guarded by Repeaters (young men given the authority to enforce random rules to keep separate people according to race, class, and religion), people need permission to enter these sectors. The world is divided into ‘sectors’, according to religion in order to maintain ‘purity’. It’s unsettling because of its plausibility.

It’s easy to conjure up scenes in your head.Įssentially a story about a mother looking for her missing daughter, Leila is set in a dystopian world-a world that seems likely in the near future. The series is a little dramatized while the story in the book feels raw and real. Leila, the book is better than Leila, the series. I believe you should always read the book first and then watch its film or TV adaptation but, invariably, there are times I do the opposite. Starring Huma Qureshi, Rahul Khanna, and Sanjay Suri, among others, the series has six episodes and ends on a cliffhanger. Prayaag Akbar’s debut novel ‘Leila’ was adapted into a Netflix series by Deepa Mehta.

Prayaag akbar books