Grand Masti - Fun Never Ends

“Shaadi hai barbadi, Amar ki hai yeh paaarty!” Meet chuckled.

“You guys aren’t going to keep this whole ‘Be-Single-We’ll-Mingle’ crap running through the night, are you?” Amar was resigned to the fact that they would. He still hoped to inspire some guilt in his friends, in the hope that they’d let him off easy.

“Of course we are,” Meet laughed as he pulled his jacket off.

Prem mimicked his actions, discarding his cardigan, before turning to Amar. Both guys wore ridiculous Cheshire grins on their smug faces.

“You guys made t-shirts! Unbelievable,” Amar muttered.

“We got you one too; put it on, and before you moan, our party, our rules.”

“So first up, we’re stopping by for an elegant soiree with delicate finger foods like masala nuts – you know cause you’re losing yours soon, tandoori wings – cause yours are getting clipped soon, and tangdi kabab – cause you’ll have to shun those for life soon, and to quench your thirst, over a 100 different beers to choose from – you know cause nothing says ‘we care’ like beer,” Meet offered.

NEHA PUNTAMBEKAR was smitten by the written word in the first grade, while reading the school prescribed ‘Peter and Jane’ series, and it didn’t take long to realize she preferred fiction to reality, something that holds true even today.

In the real world, Neha has dabbled with copywriting–she is partial to writing for radio, editing, social media management, travel and lifestyle features, and short fiction. She has been published in Mint Lounge, Hindustan Times, Indian Express, Elle India and more.

After spending six years in Zagreb, Croatia, she has recently moved back to Mumbai, where she lives with her husband. Neha also collects bookmarks, and is working on her first novel.

“GRAND MASTI – Fun Never Ends” is Neha Puntambekar’s debut book.

Maruti International, established in 1983, is one of India’s leading Bollywood Film Production Houses, headed by Mr. Ashok Thakeria and Mr. Indra Kumar. Having worked with Bollywood Superstars like Aamir Khan, Madhuri Dixit and the internationally acclaimed Anil Kapoor on multiple projects, this production house boasts of a number of successful and iconic films produced from their stable such as - “MOHABBAT, KASAM, DIL, BETA, RAJA, MANN, RISHTEY, MASTI, PYARE MOHAN, DHAMAAL, DADDY COOL, DOUBLE DHAMAAL, GRAND MASTI and SUPER NANI (currently underproduction, starring Rekha and Sharman Joshi)”.

The dynamic duo Ashok Thakeria & Indra Kumar have always believed in versatility & dabbled across various genres.

Ace director Indra Kumar is one of the very few directors in the industry to have four back to back blockbusters to his credit with ‘Dil’, ‘Beta’, ‘Raja’, and ‘Ishq’ each hitting the Golden Jubilee mark. Characters & unforgettable dialogues from their films are part of Bollywood folklore.

Dear Readers,

“It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

These short stories about friendship, love and the exploits that follow are, at the end, about one thing: having fun. It’s been fun penning these down, and I hope you have just as much fun reading.

Neha Puntambekar

Cover

Excerpt

About the Author

Title Page

Meet The Boys

Teacher’s Pet

Part Time Jobs

Balance Sheet

My Friend, The Chemist

The Pretty Village Belles

A Great Idea

Shaadi Barbaadi Weekend

A Himalayan Retreat

Hitting a Marital Pause

The Price of a Wager

The One that Got Away

A Saturday Experiment

Doctor, Doctor!

Happy Anniversary Darling

Reader Contest Story

Copyright

Amar

Meet