King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema
by Anupama Chopra
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Book Summary Information
Author: Anupama ChopraEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-08-02
ISBN: 0446578584
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Book Reviews of King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema
Book Review: Very insightful book
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an enjoyable, insightful read telling both the rise of Shah Rukh Khan to superstardom and the rise of India cinema. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop. To understand the country and people of India, you must understand their movies which reflect their cultures, religion, and worldview. India is as complex as America with bloody religious conflicts, terrorists attacks, the extreme poor living near the extreme rich. It is a nation with over three thousands years of history and is currently the the largest, by population, democratic country in the world. Many of the most popular Bollywood movies are fantasy musicals filled with fun dance and end happily, unlike the real world. Bollywood films become the key link for 2nd and 3rd generation Indians who live overseas. How they perceive their culture and roots if from these movies.
Enter Shah Rukh Khan who came from a humble background to rise to the top of Bollywood. A Muslim boy who came a superstar in Hindu movies. His passion for movies and ambition continue to drive him. Neither terrorists, mobsters, or box office flops have stopped him.
For anyone interested in Bollywood or India, I highly recommend this book. I do suggest, though, to wait to read this book until after watching several of the more popular Bollywood movies so you will have a frame of reference. A must see movie you need to watch is Dilwale Dulhania le Jayenge (often just called DDLJ). Which translates to "The Brave-hearted Will Take the Bride". It is the movie which launched Shak Rukh Khan to superstardom and is the longest running movie in Indian Theaters (its still running to this day).
Summary of King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema
Here is the astonishing true story of Bollywood, a sweeping portrait about a country finding its identity, a movie industry that changed the face of India, and one man's struggle to become a star. Shah Rukh Khan's larger than life tale takes us through the colorful and idiosyncratic Bollywood movie industry, where fantastic dreams and outrageous obsessions share the spotlight with extortion, murder, and corruption. Shah Rukh Khan broke into this $1.5 billion business despite the fact that it has always been controlled by a handful of legendary film families and sometimes funded by black market money. As a Muslim in a Hindu majority nation, exulting in classic Indian cultural values, Shah Rukh Khan has come to embody the aspirations and contradictions of a complicated culture tumbling headlong into American style capitalism. His story is the mirror to view the greater Indian story and the underbelly of the culture of Bollywood."A bounty for cinema lovers everywhere."
--Mira Nair, Director, The Namesake and Monsoon Wedding
"King of Bollywood is the all-singing, all-dancing back stage pass to Bollywood. Anupama Chopra chronicles the political and cultural story of India
-- Gurinder Chadha, director of Bend it Like Beckham
"The "Easy Rider Raging Bull" of the Bollywood industry and essential reading for any Shah Rukh Khan fan."
--Emma Thompson, actress
"Anu Chopra infuses the pivotal moments of Shah Rukh Khan's life with an edge-of-your-seat tension worthy of the best Bollywood blockbusters."
--Kirkus
-- Gurinder Chadha, director of Bend it Like Beckham
"The "Easy Rider Raging Bull" of the Bollywood industry and essential reading for any Shah Rukh Khan fan."
--Emma Thompson, actress
"Anu Chopra infuses the pivotal moments of Shah Rukh Khan's life with an edge-of-your-seat tension worthy of the best Bollywood blockbusters."
--Kirkus
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