Product Description

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 colourful and idiosyncratic Bollywood movie industry, where fantastic dreams and outrageous obsessions share the spotlight with extortion, murder and corruption. Shah Rukh Khan broke into the $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 US-style capitalism. His story views the greater Indian story and the underbelly of the culture of Bollywood.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #169368 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 250 pages

Review
'Chopra, a Mumbai-based freelance journalist who comes from a filmmaking family herself, offers readers both the life story of Shah Rukh and a condensed history of the Indian film industry. Even if you know nothing about Indian cinema, her prose style ("Bollywood now recoiled from the mafia like a man shrinking from a sore-covered leper on the street") makes this a bizarrely fun read' - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

About the Author
Anupama Chopra is the film critic for India Today and has written articles on Bollywood films for the New York Times, Variety and Los Angeles Times. She is married to major Bollywood director, Vidhu Vinod Chopra.

Customer Reviews

Must for Shah Rukh's Fan
Very easy to read. Goes back to Shahrukh's back ground prior to his birth and describe the journey of a little boy from a street of Delhi to stardom of Bombay. I would read a lot more about Shahrukh in the future but tthis book is not bad as starter.

The King!
Well, here it is at last. The much-anticipated biography of Shah Rukh Khan and it is worth the wait. In this book Anupama Chopra looks at Shah Rukh's life and what made him want to become an actor. This is an enjoyable read and there are some lovely family photos included. The author does look at some controversial episodes in Shah Rukh's life, but this isn't just another trashy biography. It's just a shame that Shah Rukh didn't have more input into the book, but hopefully he will one day publish an autobiography.