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Journalism of Courage
After Mumbai Fables,author Gyan Prakash is now busy writing the script of a noir film that will be directed by Anurag Kashyap
In the opening chapter of Mumbai Fables itself,Gyan Prakash gives enough indication of his love and longing for Bombay. Though born in Hazaribagh and brought up in Patna and Delhi,the author confesses to having hungered for the city in his childhood. Such a desire for this mythic city was largely fuelled by Hindi films. Much later,this metamorphosed into the driving force that sustained his eight years of research on all the allures,glamours,scandals and myths that the city holds. I went through all the issues of Blitz from 40s to mid-80s. I found them in micro-films in Chicago and London libraries. It was tedious reading them. But I wanted to look into the citys history as told by tabloids. My intention was to ferret out what lies beneath the reality, says the professor of History at Princeton University,USA,who bought a flat in Mumbai during his year-long sabbatical to write the non-fiction account that has just been published. (Harper Collins,Rs 599)
But even with the book being published,Prakash says his obsession with the city is far from over. Now a film,Bombay Velvet,a thriller high on retro noir and set in 1960s Bombay,is up next. The film will be directed by Anurag Kashyap and is likely to be produced by Danny Boyle. Prakash is currently writing its script. Bombay Velvet grew out of my research for the book, says the author,who first met Kashyap nearly a year-and-a-half ago. Also in the pipeline is a graphic novel based in the city. It is hard to think of Mumbai without cinema. You cant disassociate the city from the glitter of Hindi cinema or vice-versa, he adds. Though drawn to Hindi cinema,Prakash says he is also aware of its unreliable nature. I enjoy what I do and am not looking for a second career in films, he says.
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