Written in the Stars

The book, a collection of interviews by Somaaya printed in various publications over the years, takes you on a telling journey through four ...

Take 25: Star Insights and Attitudes
By Bhawana Somaaya Sambhav Publishers
Price: Rs 500

That we’re a nation obsessed with Bollywood is a well-known fact. That we exalt our so called stars to almost godlike status is something we all are forced to live with. Which is why yet another book on Bollywood and its stars is sometimes tiring. Having said that, if you are a Bollywood buff and your desire for it remains unsatiated, then this book is a good bet. Somaaya is one of the most respected Film journalists, lauded for her unique ability to ‘‘ask probing questions without being personal,’’ as friend Rekha says in the preface to the book. In that respect the book doesn’t disappoint.

The book, a collection of interviews by Somaaya printed in various publications over the years, takes you on a telling journey through four decades of filmdom. The book, Somaaya’s third, is neatly divided into four decades, with interviews of the stars popular at the time. The seventies has a fascinating interview with Smita Patil, who in her inimitable style categorically states that, ‘‘I’m not in love with Shyam Benegal or Vinod Khanna’’ and that she ‘‘photographs well’’ but also that she’s ‘‘ fat and ugly.’’

More interesting than the straightforward interviews are the ‘diaries’ that Somaaya has done with various stars, including the 24 hours she spent with Neetu Singh observing the soon-to-be-bride before she tied the knot with Rishi Kapoor. The most fascinating diary is Somaaya’s nine-day assignment with Shashi Kapoor which chronicles his frenzied life at the time, leading her at one point to say to her editor, ‘‘I don’t think I can take any more of this!’’

Rekha features many times in the book as do Shabana Azmi, Neetu Singh and Shashi Kapoor. These recurring interviews at different junctures in the life of the same person provide the reader with an insight into the psyche of the artistes as it chronicles their growth, both personally and professionally. One understands better the enigma of Rekha, who went from being open and impulsive, in an interview in 1983, where she candidly admits, ‘‘When I’m in love, I’m in it completely. Every minute of every hour I’m thinking of him.’’ To another in 1986, where she is calmer and more mature and which she herself calls, ‘‘my peacemaking interview after my long self imposed ban.’’The only problem one encounters with the book is that either you have to be inherently interested in the lives of ‘stars’ and want to know how they think, feel, dress, eat, etc, or else it begins to read like a mammoth, 584-page film magazine minus the glossy pictures. It’s definitely an interesting read but in small doses. Perhaps what makes up for it and contemporises the pieces is each actor’s footnote, looking back at the interview.

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But Aamir khan’s reaction to a photo session with Pooja Bhatt and what Somaaya refers to as a ‘‘photo session conducted under excruciating circumstances — they were argumentative to the point of being a nuisance,’’ takes the cake. He says, ‘‘I disagree that I was all that exasperating during the photo shoot. I didn’t harass Pooja nor did I drive the writer or photographer up the gum tree.’’

All in all, enough to send a film buff speeding down memory lane.

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