Bombay Noir

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 city’s 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)

In Mumbai Fables,the author refers to the city as Bombay,as the city was known till 1995 and covers the period before that,with a focus on exploring its mythical inner life. There are references too to the various portrayals of the city,as found in Mario Miranda’s Bombay,Atul Dodiya’s self-portrait called Bombay Buccaneer and even pages of Raj Comics’ Doga,the superhero who protects the city.

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 can’t 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.