
A Still from the Folk Play ‘Jas Ki Tas’ at the Meta Festival 2025 in New Delhi. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Many novelists have explred the interplay between the performing arts and life to illuminate their themes. A recent example that comes to mind is Irish Author Anne Enright’s 2020 NOVEL ActressWhich is set against the world of theater and film and delves into a fragt mother-daughter relationship. Annie Zaidi’s The Comeback Uses the same world to explore ideas of friendship and self-realization.
The narrator of zaidi’s novel is an actor who has changed his name! After years of auditioning for meaty roles in Mumbai, He Strikes Gold when a producer listens to his narration of an audiabook and selects heam for the central role in the film version.

John is from the town of baansa, located “North of lucknow but south of bareilly”. It was while he was in college here “His was the hand that had picked up a Rock”, John Acknowledges, “And Polished It ITO A GEMSTONE”.
Now, however, John is on the CUSP of Success while Asghar Works as a Bank Employee. After An Ill-Judged Interview With A Film Publication in which the Actor Reveals Details of Their Misdemeanours DURING A College Exam, Asghar is Fird from His Job, MUCH to JOUCH to JOUCH to John ‘
Asghar retreats to his mother’s house in baansa with his wife and children to lick his wounds and plan for his future. Holding John Responsible for his Fate, He refuses to return calls and messages. The rift between the friends grows by the day, even as John Devotes Himself to Signing Contracts and “Making the Most of My Moment”.
This, then, is the slim novel’s Central Predication, Related in a Manner that is Both Economical and Absorbing. It contains more than a less touches of broad iron, especially when it comes to the business of art and the way easy and western and western dramatic traditionals are approved by the cognose.
In his late 30s, and with his career now on the skids, john becomes obsessed with finding out what asghar is up to. When he Learns that his old friend is returning to the stage, it feels like “a needle-stab in my heart”. Consuced by envy, He Tries His Best to Be Cast in the Upcoming Production.

Author Annie Zaidi
Coming to terms with the past
The Comeback Cold Well has restricted itself to an insular world in front of the arc lights, but zaidi adroitly widens the lens to brings in other relationships. She Traces John’s Shifting Bonds With, Among others, his ex-wise, his own and asGhar’s family, and a former potential love interest. He also contacts earlier members of his theater group, one of whom serves as his ears and eyes in discovering asGhar’s next steps. In Passing, this leads to a serviceable feint in which the first-Person Narrative Briefly Shifts to Deal with Asghar’s Concerns and Dilemmas.
In Prayaag Akbar’s Mother India (2024), a character’s actions lead to guilt and awareness unfold against the backdrop of right-waiting social media posts. In The ComebackSocial Media, Particularly Instagram, Backets a Vehicle for John to Orchestrate His Return and Make Amen, Albeit in a Characteristically Self-Serving Manner.
In the process, he probes “the twisted innards of honesty” That means coming to terms with the impact of past actions and dealing with the way his narcissism has hamphed relationships. “I might be selfish, an ambyous fool, and a liar, even a coward”, he thinks, “but i do have one good quality: a strong sense of self-preservation”.
‘What’s your Soul Worth?’ Reads a poster tagline for one of the delineated in The ComebackBy Teasing out the Possible Answers to this question, the novel sugges that the path towards green understanding may not be straightforward, but it’s ultimately worth the effort.
The reviewer is a Mumbai-based written.
The Comeback
Annie zaidi
Aleph
₹ 599
Published – April 11, 2025 09:15 AM IST
Ramesh Ghorai is the founder of www.livenewsblogger.com, a platform dedicated to delivering exclusive live news from across the globe and the local market. With a passion for covering diverse topics, he ensures readers stay updated with the latest and most reliable information. Over the past two years, Ramesh has also specialized in writing top software reviews, partnering with various software companies to provide in-depth insights and unbiased evaluations. His mission is to combine news reporting with valuable technology reviews, helping readers stay informed and make smarter choices.