If you loved The Safekeep, you will devour these 3 books
If you were captivated by The Safekeep, you are likely craving more books that plumb the depth of complicated familial relationships, queer desires and the heavy baggage of history. Here are three reads that share similar themes of intimacy, identity, and the weight of the past.
For readers who appreciated The Safekeep's exploration of personal and historical legacies, Martyr! offers a poetic dive into identity, addiction, and the search for meaning. Cyrus Shams, a recovering alcoholic and Iranian-American poet, grapples with grief, art, and the ghosts of his past. Akbar's prose is lush and philosophical, weaving together themes of queerness, what it means to be an immigrant , and self-destruction with raw honesty. Like The Safekeep, this novel balances intimacy with existential weight, making it a perfect follow-up.
A timeless classic that, much like The Safekeep, explores forbidden desire and the suffocating grip of societal expectations. Set in 1950s Paris, Baldwin's novel follows David, an American man torn between his engagement to a woman and his passionate affair with Giovanni, an Italian bartender. The tension between private longing and public performance is palpable as one grapples with the themes of secrecy, shame, and self-denial.
Treated with mythic grandeur, the The Song of Achilles has become a modern classic of LGBTQ+ literature. Miller, who studied classics, reimagines Homer's Iliad through the lens of Patroclus, an exiled prince who becomes Achilles' closest companion. The story traces their relationship from childhood friendship to passionate love. In the battle of Gods and demigods, the novel shows how the most profound wars are waged not with swords, but with hearts. The 3,000-year-old love story that reads as freshly urgent as any contemporary romance as the inevitable tragedy gains new power when seen through Patroclus' devoted eyes.
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Indian Express
14 hours ago
- Indian Express
In Sarkar's opening scene, Ram Gopal Varma crafts a legend as deep and fierce as Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather
If it were left to you, how would you depict power on screen? This is the question that sits at the centre of the opening scene of Ram Gopal Varma's Sarkar. On the surface, yes, it mirrors the opening of The Godfather. The bones of the scene are the same. A man wronged. A daughter defiled. A plea to a feared don. But that's the thing with surface readings, they hold your hand just long enough to get you somewhere familiar, but they rarely guide you beyond. They let you recognise, but not necessarily resonate. Look again. Watch how Varma conceptualises, composes, and cuts. It is not just reverence, it is reinterpretation. It is not just homage. It is authorship. The deepest difference between the two scenes lies in the way they are dreamed. Coppola imagines his world with restraint. The camera seldom intrudes. It lingers in long takes, steady and watchful, only breaking to catch a flicker of reaction. The room is dim. Don Corleone's domain wrapped in shadows. The air pressed down with the weight of silence. Every pause speaks. And when Marlon Brando says, 'You don't offer me friendship. You don't even think to call me Godfather,' something intensifies. It's not anger. It's something deeper. Disappointment braided with dominance. So Coppola doesn't show power. He lets you feel it, close, almost uncomfortably so. But Varma steps away. His gaze diverges, disobeys, and in doing so, he creates a legend of his own. Its starts with the father, (Virender Saxena), stepping out of an auto and walking, quietly, all the way into the mansion where Sarkar (Amitabh Bachchan) lives. And in that walk, before Sarkar even appears, the world around him begins to speak. Outside, a long line of devotees stands, waiting, patient, forming a queue that stretches along the gate. Inside, men with guns stand alongside those in khadi and kurta, all drawn here. And in a glance, we understand: whoever Sarkar is, he is the one everyone needs. Bodybuilders lift iron in silence, guards move like they serve someone more than just a man. But it is through the father's eyes that we truly see it. His gaze wide, stunned, caught between disbelief and hope. He walks slowly, as though the weight of his losses clings to his steps. And yet, with each footfall into this strange and powerful place, something shifts. As if, just maybe, in this house, he might find something left to hold onto. Something that hasn't yet turned away. Also Read | Amitabh Bachchan wasn't Ram Gopal Varma's first choice for Sarkar, reveals director: 'Had to shelve the original after the arrest of…' What Varma adds, as the final stroke, the cherry on top, is the voiceover. Long, steady, running beneath the entire sequence like a current. And even, at one moment, he bends the form, the voiceover blends into real speech. It's seamless. It's bold. Here was a filmmaker not afraid to break the rules. Yes, the technique is loud, sometimes even theatrical. The Dutch angles tilt reality just enough. The lighting, pulled from German expressionism, cuts through space in silhouettes and shadows. The camera doesn't just capture, it flies like a bird circling over Sarkar's world. And yet, through all this style, Varma tells us exactly what we need to know. He shows us the myth before the man. But more than anything, what Varma manages to carve out is the ache of a father, wronged, worn down, failed by the very system meant to protect him. And yet, within this space, through Sarkar, he finds that another system exists. This is where the split between Coppola and Varma deepens. In The Godfather, Don Corleone's anger is personal, he's almost hurt. His power demands loyalty. But here, Sarkar's anger isn't aimed at the man who walks through his gates, it's turned outwards, at the world that drove him here. At the broken structure that forced this father to seek help outside the law. Sarkar isn't raging at the plea. He's raging at the necessity of it. That's what sets the two films apart: Coppola told the story of a Don, a gangster who masked revenge as justice, while Varma portrayed an outlaw, a messiah-like figure striving to restore true justice. In that sense, Varma's film is actually a reimagining of the angry young man. In the opening scene, there are hardly any words given to Bachchan. Just a tight close-up. Just his eyes. But within them, you see it all, the same anger that once burned through cinema, now simmering under silence. That is the real strength of this beginning. It starts as a portrait of power, but by the time it ends, it has become a portrait of authority born out of rage, carved by betrayal, steadied by time. When they talk about Sarkar, they talk of Coppola, of The Godfather, or even Balasaheb Thackeray. But in truth, it was always a tribute to the fury that helped make Bachchan one of the greatest movie stars this country has ever known. Opening Act is a column where Anas Arif breaks down some of the greatest opening scenes in film and television.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
'He was treated badly, based on speculation' - Anish Giri defends Hans Niemann
Hans Niemann (right) and Anish Giri (X | @HansMokeNiemann) Anish Giri has defended Hans Niemann, who is facing cheating allegations from top chess players. The Dutch GM has recently been seen interacting with American GM Hans Niemann on social media. Talking to Take Take Take, Giri said: 'It triggered me. The story with Hans, it really triggered me. Because I was all okay with what was happening. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "But I wanted to see proof that he was cheating. I was waiting for it. But it just wouldn't come. "I was waiting for the proof. But at some point, I realized, okay, there is no proof. They don't have proof. "And he was treated like he was guilty. And nobody convinced me that he was guilty at all. I found the way he was treated extremely unjust. "Especially compared to other people. And with Hans, suddenly there was this massive thing, which I found unjust as long as it's not proven. It sort of triggered me as well, in some sense. I felt that, you know, why should I treat him badly based on speculation? And if he hadn't been cheating, what has happened to him is very unjust,' he said. Giri also opened up about the relationships among the top chess players. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo 'First of all, these relationships are extremely complicated. A combination of rivalry and friendship and mutual respect and hatred all at the same time. "I wouldn't call it hatred in a human sense. "You should also realize that when we speak of this kind of rivalry, they would never wish each other bad health. Or, God forbid, that something bad would happen in their life or in their family. Or that their house would get flooded. They don't want that. But they want them to lose. "They want them to lose badly. And again and again. And I wanted him to lose. But now that he lost, I want him to get back up, so I can punch him again, you know?' "Would you say anyone inside the Top 10 right now is your friend?" Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Hans India
Booker winner to preside over 88th All India Kannada Literary Meet
Ballari: Acclaimed Kannada writer and Booker Prize laureate Banu Mushtaq has been unanimously chosen to preside over the 88th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana (All India Kannada Literary Meet), which is set to be held in Ballari later this year. The announcement was made by Kannada Sahitya Parishat President Mahesh Joshi following a meeting of the Parishat's executive committee held in Ballari on Sunday. Banu Mushtaq, known for her powerful literary voice and commitment to social issues, has made an indelible mark in contemporary Kannada literature. As a writer, translator, and educationist, her works often explore themes of identity, gender, and justice. Her recognition with the Booker Prize — a rare feat for an Indian regional language writer — brought unprecedented global attention to Kannada literature. Her appointment as president of the prestigious literary conclave has been widely welcomed by the literary fraternity. The Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana, a major cultural event in Karnataka's literary calendar, brings together writers, scholars, and readers from across the country to celebrate and deliberate on Kannada literature and its evolving role in society. This year's Sammelana is expected to focus on expanding the reach of Kannada literature in a multilingual and digital India, and Mushtaq's leadership is likely to add renewed critical insight and global perspective to the event.
