Mumbai…the city that never sleeps! And as is rightly said this city goes on and on, seeing sunrises after sunsets, giving millions of moments to visitors and Mumbaikars alike. With each passing day, the city just gets younger, building more relations and making more people fall in love with her.
With the never-ending hustle and bustle, the city drapes everyone who comes to her, in her blanket of warmth and love. But the common man from Mumbai is not so common. He is a truly an unsung superhero!
There are characters which we come across daily in this city; they are a part and parcel of our life. A Mumbaikar’s day begins with a cup of ‘chai’ from chaiwala, followed by the gossips from the maid, with a yummy breakfast at Irani cafe and a sweet ‘hello’ from the cafe owner, eating hot piping food with the help of the hardworking dabbawalas and ends with a polite ‘goodnight sahab’ from the society’s watchman. Abhijeet Kini, takes this slice of life in his humorous, satirical comic series, Rhyme Fighters, giving an ode to these superheroes, without whom Mumbai won’t be the bright city that it is.
Written and drawn by Kini, the series are close to his and every Mumbaikar’s heart. “Mumbai to me is a melting pot of cultures and more importantly a city which showcases the different types of people and characters. The city itself is one such crazy character,” expresses Kini.
With the third volume already published, Kini can’t get enough of these superheroes and is planning for the next volume pretty soon. With characters like traffic cop, dabbawala, house maid and paanwala, postman, vadapaavwala already covered in the first and second volume respectively, the third one sees another dose of humour.
Volume three puts into the spotlight our very old and beloved Irani cafe owners, with a sweet smile on face and a decent hello, these ‘bawas’ are sure on the list of superheroes and Kini portrays them in the sweetest way; a watchman, with multitasking skills, helps the residents of the society with even the household chores. The comic also gives a glimpse into another world that exists on the sides of the roads, with tents pulled up anywhere illegally, and who are not even questioned for the same, as the officers fear, they may cast a spell on them too.
How can one forget the taste of tea at the roadside stall! Hygiene part aside, these potion makers provide the Mumbaikars with their very own ‘somras’. With these characters taken into consideration, Kini is bringing out almost the soul of Mumbai in these series.
“The Rhyme Fighters series will definitely be relatable to the common man from Mumbai; it’s about common people having uncommon superpowers. Mumbai has so many different types of people, it will just help make the series run longer,” Kini adds.
Rhyme Fighters is owned by Abhijeet Kini Studios and Sodabottleopenerwala displays and retails the comics at their outlets. Kini further says, “The folks at Sodabottleopenerwala have been very supportive of this initiative.”
With the success of these three volumes, Kini plans to surprise us with the fourth volume pretty soon. Wondering which heroes are coming next, we fans can only wait and see these superheroes put their charm on us till then!