Between the Lines

Biographies — and autobiographies — of stars are not quite in the ‘tell-all’ category. The ones that have skimmed the surface also face a fair bit of flak, so it’s perhaps best to gloss over the truth when it comes to the written word

NO DAGGERS DRAWN: Suchitra Krishnamoorthi’s autobiography does not rake up the dirt on her divorce with director Shekhar Kapur

Presumably, since I’ve tracked the Bollywood movers and shakers for over three decades now — kicking off when I hadn’t even sprouted a moustache — I’ve been repeatedly asked to author a tell-all book. At times, I’m tempted, but no, thank you. Why muck rake? Every individual’s private life is his or her own, be it from cinema or any other high-profile sphere like cricket or corporate business.

Now, you may counter this by saying a celebrity’s life is open to public scrutiny. Sure, but that sort of scrutiny isn’t my calling card. Come to think of it — unlike Hollywood, Bollywood can boast of or be embarrassed about only a scant few tell-all books. The Urdu short story writer Sadaat Hassan Manto did write frank and forthright essays on the leading stars of the 1940s and 50s.

Accessible today in excellent English translations, his profiles on Ashok Kumar, Nargis and Pran do intervene in their personal lives. Yet, they are written with such a literary flourish and honesty that they’re unrivalled in the realm of showbiz chronicles.

Circa the 1970s, unauthorised biographies appeared on Madhubala and Rekha, paperbacks which borde-red on the scurrilous. And the noted journalist Vinod Mehta wrote one on the troubled private life of Meena Kumari, shortly after her death at the age of 40 in 1972.

Apart from these, there are no “inside Bollywood” tracts. Indeed, today, publishers commission books on celebrities which turn out to be little more than obsequious hagiographies. Moreover, quite a few actors are in no mood to cooperate with writers — like Aamir Khan, whose career span has been recorded in print, but without his participation in the book’s promotional campaigns.

The late Dev Anand’s book, Romancing with Life, struck up strong sales figures, and did have some startling revelations

The late Dev Anand’s book, Roman-cing with Life, struck up strong sales figures, and did have some revelations, like his admission that he was deeply in love with actress-songstress Suraiya, but her family disapproved vehemen-tly. Vyjayanthimala’s autobiography, Bonding: A Memoir, was so coy about her relationship with Raj Kapoor that his son Rishi Kapoor was unamused. And a right royal controversy erupted when Nandita Puri authored The Unlikely Hero, about her husband Om Puri’s peccadilloes.

Now, against this backdrop, a surprise — a pleasant one — has been sprung by actress-painter-singer Suchitra Krishnamoorthi. In a 228-pager self-deprecatingly titled Drama Queen, the 39-year-old actress, who made her Bollywood debut as Shah Rukh Khan’s heroine in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, expounds on her emotionally-disturbed life after her divorce from the globally fêted director Shekhar Kapur. There is an age difference of 28 years between them. Gratifyingly, Suchitra doesn’t play the blame game.

SUCCESS STORIES: Kareena Kapoor’s Style Diary of a Bollywood Diva was a hit

Except for some generalised comments and allusions to his best films Bandit Queen and Elizabeth, her ex-husband is let off lightly. Their differences are mentioned only en passant, making light of the globe-trotting director’s extended spells of absence from their home, where she had to bring up their daughter Kaveri. Shekhar isn’t flagellated; he merely features in the backdrop, as Suchitra attempts to rebuild her heart, mind and career on her own steam.

Neither chick-lit nor a churlish harangue, Drama Queen is remarkable for allowing the reader an insight into the obstacles faced by a single mother allied to showbiz. Consistently witty and wacky, Suchitra brings to life her excessively domineering mother, designer label-addicted girl pals and a shrink who would drive her crazy with her pop-psychology.

And there are confessions too — of the marriage proposals she made to filmmakers Ram Gopal Varma and Karan Johar. Eager to remarry, she proposed to them impulsively. Both responded differently. Varma was curt and dismissive, Johar responded with a smart wisecrack. Indeed, I haven’t laughed out so loud in ages.

Suchitra Krishnamoorthi’s book (her third after the fiction paperbacks The Summer of Cool and The Good News Reporter) indicates that it’s possible for a Bollywood denizen to reveal intimate vignettes, without sensationalism. Of course, it remains to be seen how the celebrities mentioned will respond to the truth-speak. When I asked Shekhar Kapur for his reaction on email, he stated evasively, “Haven’t read it yet. I will have to get around to reading it.” As for Ram Gopal Varma and Karan Johar, they have been sporting enough to sign the book’s release-order form, essential to prevent any form of litigation or acrimony.

BIG HIT: Karisma Kapur’sMy Yummy Mummy Guide, on pregnancy and motherhood, was a bestseller

Meanwhile, books by Kareena 
Kapoor’s Style Diary of a Bollywood Diva and her sister Karisma Kapur’s My Yummy Mummy Guide, on pregnancy and motherhood, have toted healthy sales figures. Next year should see books on Rishi Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha and Salman Khan on the shelves.

At long last, the demand for star biographies is mounting. But something tells me that an explosive tell-all look at the foibles of celebrities is just not feasible.