Bollybook

Bollybook
Author: Diptakirti Chaudhuri
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 559
Release: 2014-09-12
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 9351187993

In how many Hindi films has the hero been afflicted by the Big C (cancer)? Who played a double role in Sholay? Which early Dev Anand movie had the song ‘Usne phenka leg break to maine mara chhakka?’ From Geet Gaata Chal (songs that became movies) to Nishabd (ten silent scenes of Amitabh Bachchan), every page in this bumper book is going to engross and entertain you.

Reel Food

Reel Food
Author: Anne L. Bower
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 364
Release: 2012-08-06
Genre: Cooking
ISBN: 1135875855

Reel Food is the first book devoted to food as a vibrant and evocative element of film, featuring original essays by major food studies scholars, among them Carole Counihan and Michael Ashkenazi. This collection reads various films through their uses of food-from major food films like Babette's Feast and Big Night to less obvious choices including The Godfather trilogy and The Matrix. The contributors draw attention to the various ways in which food is employed to make meaning in film. In some cases, such as Soul Food and Tortilla Soup, for example, food is used to represent racial and ethnic identities. In other cases, such as Chocolat and Like Water for Chocolate, food plays a role in gender and sexual politics. And, of course, there is also discussion of the centrality of popcorn to the movie-going experience. This book is a feast for scholars, foodies, and cinema buffs. It will be of major interest to anyone working in popular culture, film studies, and food studies, at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

Shaping the World

Shaping the World
Author: Manju Kapur
Publisher: Hay House, Inc
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2014-07-01
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 9384544213

Shaping the World: Women Writers on Themselves addresses these very questions. The array of formidable writers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka – acclaimed both nationally and internationally – share their insecurities and triumphs that occurred on their journeys to becoming writers. Was it easy? The answer is No. Many of them were closet writers, not sharing their writings with the world. Writing was no career, they were told. But they persevered. And they wrote. Because they had to. Because it was their calling. The writers reveal their inspirations: be it another writer, a personal tragedy, or triumph, a fascination with the English language, or a passion for putting pen to paper and finding wings. Shaping the World: Women Writers on Themselves is an anthology of intimate, honest and brave accounts that will provide the reader with an insight into the realm of writing: its adventurous terrain of highs and lows and how it continues to shape these 24 women and the world we all inhabit. The contributors are: Ameena Hussein (www.ameenahussein.com), Amruta Patil (www.amrutapatil.blogspot.in), Anita Nair (www.anitanair.net), Anjum Hasan (www.anjumhasan.com), Anuradha Marwah, Bapsi Sidhwa (www.bapsisidhwa.com), Bina Shah (www.binashah.net), Jaishree Misra (www.jaishreemisra.com), Janice Pariat (www.janicepariat.com), Kavery Nambisan (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kavery-Nambisan/671608229544955), Lavanya Sankaran (www.lavanyasankaran.com), Maniza Naqvi, Manju Kapur (www.manjukapur.com), Meira Chand (www.meirachand.com), Mishi Saran (www.mishisaran.com), Moni Mohsin (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moni_Mohsin), Namita Devidayal, Ru Freeman (www.rufreeman.com), Shashi Deshpande (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shashi_Deshpande), Shinie Antony, Susan Visvanathan (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Visvanathan), Tania James (www.taniajames.com), Tishani Doshi (www.tishanidoshi.com)

Cat People

Cat People
Author: Devapriya Roy
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 403
Release: 2021-12-22
Genre: Pets
ISBN: 9392099134

In Karachi, a writer house-sits for her father and his cat, while keeping track of his - the cat’s - list of obsessions: ironed white sheets, kheer, KFC fries, warm custard, finely chopped sausages, and the flaky tops of chicken patties. In San Francisco, a couple adopt a cat, without anticipating what it will do to their relationship. In Noida, a cat and two dogs line up peacefully every morning for their daily dose of vitamin syrup. In Bombay, a lyricist and screenwriter roots through the litter tray first thing in the morning, to investigate if his cat’s UTI is better. In wintry London, a young millennial wonders if she is actually a cat. Capturing the many moods of felines and their humans, in many forms and voices, Cat People, is a timely celebration of the most memed creature today: the cat. This collection of short stories, personal essays, lists, original art and photographs is are a treat, not just for cat lovers everywhere, but for all who love a story well-told – and, on occasion, a theory well-spun.

Pity the Poor Reader

Pity the Poor Reader
Author: Charles Haddad
Publisher: Barking Dogwood Press
Total Pages: 136
Release: 2021-06-22
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

Consider “Pity the Poor Reader” as an un-textbook, an irreverent “Elements of style.” Like Elements, it’s designed to compliment textbooks. Pity is concise, memorable and portable. Under 300 pages, Pity serves as an aspiring writer’s keepsake. Concision lies at the heart of Pity. The key concepts of writing well are distilled into irreverent, memorable lines and axioms. Many of them are organized as lists that are easily printed and taped to a wall or a computer. Indeed, in testing the book with my university students, I’ve found that many of them did print out its list of axioms to keep handy while writing. I’ve also overheard students quoting Pity’s axioms to their friends. While similar to “Elements” in spirit, Pity differs greatly in style, material and organization. My book draws on current events, history, student anecdotes and my own 30 years of experience as a writer - anything to make its lessons real and relevant. It’s written in a style that skewers all pretense and officiousness when it comes to the teaching of writing. The opening chapter about craft is titled “The Tao of Writing Poorly.” It parodies the poor way that writing is taught in many high schools and colleges. Pity tries to teach whenever possible through humor. It helps to make any lesson memorable.

Lunch With a Bigot

Lunch With a Bigot
Author: Amitava Kumar
Publisher: Duke University Press
Total Pages: 213
Release: 2015-05-29
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0822375397

To be a writer, Amitava Kumar says, is to be an observer. The twenty-six essays in Lunch with a Bigot are Kumar's observations of the world put into words. A mix of memoir, reportage, and criticism, the essays include encounters with writers Salman Rushdie and Arundhati Roy, discussions on the craft of writing, and a portrait of the struggles of a Bollywood actor. The title essay is Kumar's account of his visit to a member of an ultra-right Hindu organization who put him on a hit-list. In these and other essays, Kumar tells a broader story of immigration, change, and a shift to a more globalized existence, all the while demonstrating how he practices being a writer in the world.

Of Mothers and Others

Of Mothers and Others
Author: Jaishree Misra
Publisher: Zubaan
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2014-03-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9383074256

This multi-layered and thought-provoking collection offers a new and alternative view to the cosy images of motherhood that we so often assume. Motherhood for the writers in this collection is by no means a simple state but involves searching questions about identity, writing, one’s place in society – the very nature of the self. Questions of adoption, childlessness, surrogacy, bereavement and abuse figure alongside poems and stories that explore the tender, the funny, the uplifting aspects of this most vital relationship, between children and their mothers at any age. Contributors include: Manju Kapur, Shinie Antony, Jai Arjun Singh, Jahnavi Barua, Meena Alexander, Mridula Koshy, Kishwar Desai, Shashi Deshpande, Bulbul Sharma, Tishani Doshi, Shalini Sinha, Jahnavi Barua, Smriti Lamech, Nisha Susan, Humra Quraishi, Sarojini N, Vrinda Marwah, Sarita Mandanna, Anita Roy, and other. Published by Zubaan.

Popcorn Bob

Popcorn Bob
Author: Maranke Rinck
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Total Pages: 159
Release: 2021-04-20
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1646140672

Ellis loves popcorn. Who doesn't? But one day her school goes on a healthy eating campaign and her dads decide to follow suit, banning all snack foods from their house, INCLUDING POPCORN. Unfair. Ellis has got to get around that edict, so one night she pops a bag of popcorn out back in the garage...and she's met with more than just her favorite salty snack. One kernel refuses to pop, and soon it's sprouted a face, arms, and legs! He introduces himself as Popcorn Bob, and he is NOT in a good mood. (Ever, really.) He's absolutely ravenous, and no amount of food keeps him from being hangry. Bob causes no end of chaos for Ellis, and she decides to rid herself of him once and for all, except...she actually starts to like him. A chapter book for all ages, Popcorn Bob is a laugh-out-loud story about the power of friendship, and a perfect bowl of popcorn.

The World of Hrishikesh Mukherjee

The World of Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Author: Jai Arjun Singh
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 356
Release: 2016-09-21
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 9352141954

One of India’s best-loved film directors, Hrishikesh Mukherjee is perhaps best known today for his perennially popular creations like Anand, Chupke Chupke and Gol Maal. But Hrishi-da’s best work was provocative, wide-ranging and always aware of the complexities of people and their relationships. Often combining breezy narratives with serious ideas, his films created a distinct world with recurring themes. Jai Arjun Singh looks closely at Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s oeuvre, from well-known films like Satyakam, Guddi, Abhimaan and Khubsoorat to lesser known works such as Mem-Didi, Biwi aur Makaan and Anuradha. Combining a fan’s passion with a critic’s rigour, The World of Hrishikesh Mukherjee is a must-read for anyone who takes their filmed entertainment seriously.

Rajesh Khanna

Rajesh Khanna
Author: Yasser Usman
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2014-12-05
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9351188752

The untold story of Hindi cinema’s first superstar Obsessed female fans routinely sent him love letters written in blood. Hysterical crowds camped outside his house to catch a glimpse of the superstar. And the frenzy unleashed by his public appearances was enough to give law-enforcers a nightmare. In the 1970s, Rajesh Khanna achieved the kind of fame that no film star had ever experienced before—or has since. But having climbed to the pinnacle of success, he then saw it all vanish. And through it all, he remained a fighter till the very end. In this riveting biography, journalist Yasser Usman examines Rajesh Khanna’s dramatic, colourful life in its entirety: from little-known facts about his childhood to the low-down on his relationships and rivalries, from his ambitious hopes to his deep-seated insecurities. What emerges is a tantalizingly written, meticulously researched chronicle of a fascinating and mercurial man—one who was both loved and feared by those closest to him. It is a story that encapsulates the glittering, seductive, cut-throat world of Bollywood at its best and its worst.