Unlikely Hero, Om Puri


Book Description

Biography of Om Puri, b. 1950, Hindi motion picture actor.




Unlikely Hero, Om Puri


Book Description

Unlikely Hero offers an exclusive glimpse into Om Puri’s private life, his struggles and anxieties, and the woes of his heart. Discover the Om Puri no one knows about – the tongue-tied actor from Punjab with stars in his eyes; the incorrigible flirt in drama school; the connoisseur of food and expert cook; and the complete family man. Featuring amusing anecdotes with his family, shocking episodes with the stalwarts of Indian and British cinema, the tale is complemented by rare and unusual photographs. Told with wit, honesty, and élan, this book is a fitting tribute to the inspirational tale of Om Puri – one of the most talented actors of India. The late Patrick Swayze, Om Puri’s co-actor in City of Joy, recounts the impact Om had on his life, while notable film critic, Derek Malcolm talks about Om’s immense talent and vast repertoire. Naseeruddin Shah fondly remembers his friendship with Om that began at the National School of Drama and Om’s rise in the national and international film industry.




Om Puri: Unlikely Hero


Book Description

Unlikely Hero offers an exclusive glimpse into Om Puri's private life, his struggles and anxieties, and the woes of his heart. Discover the Om Puri no one knows about - the tongue-tied actor from Punjab with stars in his eyes; the incorrigible flirt in drama school; the connoisseur of food and expert cook; and the complete family man. Featuring amusing anecdotes with his family, shocking episodes with the stalwarts of Indian and British cinema, and the nail-biting suspense of his love life, the tale is complemented by rare and unusual photographs. Told with wit, honesty, and elan, this book is a fitting tribute to the inspirational tale of Om Puri - one of the most talented actors of India. The late Patrick Swayze, Om Puri's co-actor in City of Joy, recounts the impact Om had on his life, while notable film critic Derek Malcolm talks about Om's immense talent and vast repertoire. Naseeruddin Shah fondly remembers his friendship with Om that began at the National School of Drama and Om's rise in the national and international film industry.




Two Worlds


Book Description




Parveen Babi


Book Description

‘Raat baaki, baat baaki... Hona hai jo, ho jaane do...’ Sensuous, glamorous and bold, Parveen Babi set the Hindi cinema screen ablaze during the 1970s and ’80s, breaking the ‘pious, nice girl’ mould of the film heroine and redefining it after her own style. On screen, she sizzled in unforgettable roles in blockbusters like Deewaar, Shaan, Kaalia and Amar Akbar Anthony – while, off-screen, her bohemian and unabashed lifestyle lit up gossip columns, and her appearance on the cover of Time magazine, a first for an Indian, created a stir nationwide. Yet, for all the sensational rumours and films her life inspired, Parveen has remained something of an enigma to generations of fans. In Parveen Babi: A Life, Karishma Upadhyay traces the journey of a shy but ambitious girl from an aristocratic family in Junagadh, Gujarat, to a life of merciless scrutiny that comes with being in the Bollywood spotlight. Exploring with depth and sensitivity the myriad facets of the actress’s life, she lays bare little-known details about Parveen’s doomed romances, her obsession with the spiritual guide who advised her to quit films, the tumultuous years of battling mental illness and her tragic, untimely demise. Rich with insights from the star’s friends, former lovers and colleagues, this compelling narrative captures the nuances of an extraordinary life – the highs and lows of finding fame, love and solace, and then, in the end, losing it all.




Timepass


Book Description

Few lives have been more eventful and controversial than Protima Bedi's, and Timepass, derived from her unfinished autobiography, journals and her letters to family, friends and lovers, is a startlingly frank and passionate memoir. Protima recounts with unflinching honesty the events that shaped her life: her humiliation as a child at being branded the ugly duckling, repeated rape by a cousin when she was barely ten, the failure of her 'open' marriage with Kabir Bedi, her many sexual encounters, and the romantic relationships she had with prominent politicians and artistes. She writes, too, of her intense involvement with dance, her relationship with her guru and fellow dancers, the difficult mission of establishing Nrityagram, and the suicide of her son--a tragedy from which she never fully recovered. In a moving epilogue to the book, her daughter, Pooja Bedi, describes her last days and the circumstances of her death. Illustrated with over fifty photographs, Timepass is the story of a remarkable woman who had the spirit, the courage and the intelligence to live life entirely on her own terms. I have broken every single rule that our society has so carefully constructed. doing and never given a damn. I have flaunted my youth, my sex, my intelligence, and I have done it shamelessly. I have loved many, been loved by some...




Jennifer


Book Description

On Jennifer Haynes, who was trafficked out of India under the garb of adoption, as an eight-year-old into the United States; sexually abused by two white American fathers; and deported back to India after over 2 decades time as an illegal immigrant, as her papers were never processed.




Go Kiss the World


Book Description

'Go, kiss the world' were Subroto Bagchi's blind mother's last words to him. These words became the guiding principle of his life. Subroto Bagchi grew up amidst what he calls the 'material simplicity' of rural and small-town Orissa, imbibing from his family a sense of contentment, constant wonder, connectedness to a larger whole and learning from unusual sources. From humble beginnings, he went on to achieve extraordinary professional success, eventually co-founding MindTree, one of India'™s most admired software services companies. Through personal anecdotes and simple words of wisdom, Subroto Bagchi brings to the young professional lessons in working and living, energizing ordinary people to lead extraordinary lives. Go Kiss the World will be an inspiration to 'young India', and to those who come from small-town India, urging them to recognize and develop their inner strengths, thereby helping them realize their own, unique potential.




Rajesh Khanna


Book Description

The untold story of Hindi cinema’s first superstar Obsessed female fans routinely sent him love letters written in blood. Hysterical crowds camped outside his house to catch a glimpse of the superstar. And the frenzy unleashed by his public appearances was enough to give law-enforcers a nightmare. In the 1970s, Rajesh Khanna achieved the kind of fame that no film star had ever experienced before—or has since. But having climbed to the pinnacle of success, he then saw it all vanish. And through it all, he remained a fighter till the very end. In this riveting biography, journalist Yasser Usman examines Rajesh Khanna’s dramatic, colourful life in its entirety: from little-known facts about his childhood to the low-down on his relationships and rivalries, from his ambitious hopes to his deep-seated insecurities. What emerges is a tantalizingly written, meticulously researched chronicle of a fascinating and mercurial man—one who was both loved and feared by those closest to him. It is a story that encapsulates the glittering, seductive, cut-throat world of Bollywood at its best and its worst.




Written by Salim-Javed


Book Description

The dramatic, entertaining story of the dream team that pioneered the Bollywood blockbuster Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar reinvented the Bollywood formula with an extraordinary lineup of superhits, becoming game changers at a time when screenwriting was dismissed as a back-room job. From Zanjeer to Deewaar and Sholay to Shakti, their creative output changed the destinies of several actors and filmmakers and even made a cultural phenomenon of the Angry Young Man. Even after they decided to part ways, success continued to court them-a testament not only to their impeccable talent and professional ethos, but also their enterprising showmanship and business acumen. Fizzing with energy and brimming over with enough trivia to delight a cinephile's heart, Written by Salim-Javed tells the story of a dynamic partnership that transformed Hindi cinema forever.