Shah Rukh Khan is one of the most popular actors of the Hindi Film Industry a.k.a. Bollywood. Born in New Delhi, in a middle-class Muslim family, he has gone on to become a superstar - the 'King of Bollywood'. His success in the Hindi Film Industry is phenomenal, considering that fact that he was a 'nobody', who was not born with a filmi background. Shah Rukh Khan attained popularity not only in India, but with the overseas audience as well. Through her book, 'Shah Rukh Khan And The Seductive World of Indian Cinema', Anupama Chopra has tried to explore the superstar and through him, India and the world of cinema.
The Book
'Shah Rukh Khan And The Seductive World of Indian Cinema' is a story of not only the 'King Khan', but also of the journey of Bollywood as well as the changing personality of India. It takes us inside the country that is trying to find its identity, a film industry that is changing to reflect the altering persona of its audience and an average person who is struggling to become a 'star', no - 'superstar'. It is through Shah Rukh Khan's life that we are exposed to the multihued and eccentric Bollywood - the Hindi Film Industry, which is characterized by dreams on one hand and vices, like extortion, murder, and corruption, on the other.
'Shah Rukh Khan And The Seductive World of Indian Cinema' tells us how the 'King Khan' of today was once a struggling actor and how he managed to attain a feat that is considered 'unattainable' till date. He not only entered, but also reins the $1.5 billion business that is controlled by a handful of legendary film families and, at times, is also funded by money from black market. Being a Muslim, a aprt of the minority community in the Hindu-dominated India, he managed to win the love and admiration of audience, which ranged from rickshaw pullers to Mercedes-owners, from Khans to Singhs. His story is that of India, that of the underbelly of the Bollywood culture.
Anupama Chopra
Anupama Chopra is one of the renowned authors of India, who also happens to be the wife of filmmaker - Vidhu Vinod Chopra. She presently works as a movie reviewer with NDTV and India Today, apart from indulging in writing. Amongst the several books that she has written till date, ' Sholay: The Making of a Classic' is the most renowned. It also won her 'National Film Award', for Best Book on Cinema, in 2001. Then, there is a book for the 1995 blockbuster Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and the biography of Shah Rukh Khan, titled 'King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema'.
