Lav Bhargava’s memoir, A Life Less Extraordinary, is more than a retelling of personal triumphs and failures. It is an introspective account of a life shaped by politics, relationships, and philosophical inquiry, narrated with self-awareness, humour, and candour. Bhargava’s refusal to glorify his journey makes the story stand apart from conventional memoirs, which often focus on success narratives. Instead, he embraces his strengths and flaws, offering readers an authentic and compelling look at his experiences.
Through his personal story, Bhargava offers insight into the shifting dynamics of India’s elite circles, giving readers a view of cultural evolution over the decades. His upbringing in Lucknow, shaped by literary heritage and privilege, contrasts with the evolving power structures of post-independence India. The glamour of old aristocratic families gives way to political manoeuvring and the rise of corporate wealth. The book subtly critiques entitlement while acknowledging the privileges that shaped his worldview.
His relationships are central to his story, particularly his romance with Persis Khambatta, an Indian actress and former Miss India (1965) with an international modelling career. His mother’s resistance to his relationship with Persis underscores the rigid societal norms and family expectations that influenced Indian elites. He recalls, “My mother flew to Bombay... She was genuinely apprehensive that I might want to marry at that young age and sceptical about whether a glamorous girl like Persis would fit into the family. I met her and reassured her that I wasn’t thinking of marrying anybody! What my mother never knew was that at one stage while serenading Persis, she nearly walked me down the altar by insisting we get married at the Parsi fire temple close by.”
Bhargava’s marriage to Meher, a successful lawyer, explores how love, tradition, and ambition collide in high-society India. However, the narrative takes a sombre turn when Meher is fatally shot while defending her daughter-in-law from a verbal assault.
The memoir’s treatment of politics is insightful but somewhat underdeveloped. Bhargava offers sharp observations about the internal dynamics of the Youth Congress and his relationships with figures like Rajiv and Sanjay Gandhi. However, his political journey feels more like a subplot than a deeply explored arc. While he acknowledges his disillusionment with party politics, the reader is left wondering whether he seriously attempted to drive change or merely engaged with the system before stepping away. His brief stint with the Samajwadi Party and his reflections on political gamesmanship offer interesting moments.
The book mainly engages when Bhargava discusses his interactions with film stars and cricketers. His friendships with Rajesh Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha, and others provide a glimpse into an era when Bollywood was more personal and less commercialised. The eighth chapter, Cricketers on My Pitch, covers Lav Bhargava’s encounters with cricketing legends and his abrupt fallout with Imran Khan in 1989 after refusing a Sharjah party invite. Bhargava recalls mingling with Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, and Vivian Richards at Sharjah tournaments, a mid-flight birthday celebration with Gavaskar, and a customs spat involving Chetan Sharma. A striking moment is his unexpected conversation with Dawood Ibrahim in Sharjah, where the underworld figure expressed a desire to surrender—an offer that led nowhere.
The memoir ends on a reflective note, tying together themes of destiny, spirituality, and the search for meaning. Bhargava’s encounters with spiritual figures offer an interesting dimension, though he remains sceptical of blind faith. He writes, “What the future holds remains in the womb of time. Only occasionally does one catch glimpses of it through divine intervention, which we refer to as prescience.”
Bhargava’s humour remains intact till the end, making it clear that while he takes life seriously, he does not take himself too seriously. Finally, A Life Less Extraordinary is not just a personal story but an insightful commentary on cultural shifts in India. It does not offer easy conclusions but invites readers to reflect on ambition, loss, and the unpredictability of life.