Taking a cue from the title of India’s best-selling author, Chetan Bhagat’s latest book, “Half Girlfriend,” former Outlook editor-in-chief, Vinod Mehta, has announced that he will be penning his account of adventures on Newshour debates, titled “Quarter Whisky”.
Mehta, who tasted literary success with his earlier book “Lucknow Boy”, is all the more confident about this book. “Who doesn’t love a good cock-fight? Especially when one of the cocks is heavily drunk!” a jolly Mehta told The UnReal Times, swirling a glass of fine scotch. “Earlier, people used to watch The Newshour mainly to witness Arnab setting Sanjay Jha’s tail on fire, but my arrival totally changed the show’s dynamics. In the midst of all the nonsense yelled by various panelists, my inebriated utterances of wisdom came across as a whiff of much-needed sanity. People would cheer when Arnab bashed Jha as usual, but the loudest whistles and howls would accompany my gulps of scotch, followed by a totally off-key chant of Arnaaaaaab,” Mehta said.
Mehta has announced that he will drown at least about four to five glasses of scotch, before getting down to write each chapter of the book. The book promises to have a star-studded launch. “It will, as expected, witness The Newshour starcast, right from Arnab himself to Sanjay Jha, Sunil Alagh, Anupam Kher, Suhel Seth ending with the man who has to be everywhere, former Union Minister Rajeev Shukla. Rajeev has requested that I call Ameesha Patel too. Let’s see!” Mehta said.
Sources also added that the book launch could witness a live Newshour debate too, with Mehta making his entry after drowning in his fifth peg. Fresh trouble, however, brewed in the scheme of things, with Arnab threatening to boycott the launch after hearing reports that Ved Pratap Vaidik might walk in uninvited.
(Based on a tweet by Ajayendar)
(Editor: We’re sorry if this article is a little off. Ashwin wrote this after five pegs.)