Bollygeek

MERE PAAS...BOLLYWOOD TRIVIA HAI!The Indian cine-goer’s fascination for Bollywood is unending – and then there are those who really like to get their elbows into it dum lagaa ke! Which is why this book, stuffed with super-gyaan (yes, there is a science to the movies as well!) and sprinkled with quirky illustrations is a must-have for anyone in love with or just plain confused by all that goes on in Bollywood. Among the many masaaledar nuggets it features are:• The rulebook on how to plan a filmi elopement; • Fifteen jailers who terrorized prisoners (and the jailbreaks that had wardens quaking at the knees);• Colourful stories that reveal why people get drunk in the movies; • Ten on-screen detectives who had crime on their minds, even if they could never solve them; • Three ways suhaag raats unfold *cough* in Hindi cinema.And there’s much more! From tragedy and mystery to heartbreak and victory – Bollygeek opens up the obsessive, compulsive and addictive world of Hindi cinema like never before. You don’t want to miss out on this one!

From Victorian lndia to near-future New York, The Calcutta Chromosome takes readers on a wondrous journey through time as a computer programmer trapped in a mind-numbing job hits upon a curious item that will forever change his life. When Antar discovers the battered I.D. card of a long-lost acquaintance, he is suddenly drawn into a spellbinding adventure across centuries and around the globe, into the strange life of L. Murugan, a man obsessed with the medical history of malaria, and into a magnificently complex world where conspiracy hangs in the air like mosquitoes on a summer night.

Lights! Camera! Trivia! What was the name of the film they were shooting in Rangeela? What was the Amul hoarding when Shahenshah released? Who has the longest-winning streak in Filmfare awards? Did Johnny Walker get his name from the whiskey or was it the other way round? Who will star in Bajirao Mastani when it finally gets made? If Bollywood questions keep you awake at nights, this is the book you want to read. Packed with 50 lists and 500 entries, it is a multiplex of pointless Bollywood gyaan. Separated in eight logic-less sections and without a contents page (or index), it is a book for dipping into and zipping through. Remember your favourite Bollywood film—fast, action-packed, mad, packed with colourful characters and a little bit of everything?Well, they made this book out of it.

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.

The dramatic, entertaining story of the dream team that pioneered the Bollywood blockbuster Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar reinvented the Bollywood formula with an extraordinary lineup of superhits, becoming game changers at a time when screenwriting was dismissed as a back-room job. From Zanjeer to Deewaar and Sholay to Shakti, their creative output changed the destinies of several actors and filmmakers and even made a cultural phenomenon of the Angry Young Man. Even after they decided to part ways, success continued to court them-a testament not only to their impeccable talent and professional ethos, but also their enterprising showmanship and business acumen. Fizzing with energy and brimming over with enough trivia to delight a cinephile's heart, Written by Salim-Javed tells the story of a dynamic partnership that transformed Hindi cinema forever.

Translated by SUCHITRA IYER Tales of madness, mischief & mayhem Before the overly dramatic movies with technologically enhanced backgrounds, simpler times existed. A compulsively readable collection of memoirs and stories of Bollywood’s who’s who, The Legends of Bollywood includes enthralling stories of the stars of the yesteryear. From Amitabh Bachchan’s first screen test to Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi’s baptism into Johnny Walker, and from Dharmendra’s journey from a tractor driver to a legendary actor to Dimple Kapadia’s iconic comeback into the industry, this book includes everything that’s good, bad, and fabulous in Bollywood. With never-before-seen pictures, it is a sensational book that narrates the tales behind celebrated births and lamented deaths, secret romances and controversial moments, booming films and unforeseen flops. Penned by a man who was a constant witness to these moments, these stories have been pulled from the archives of his myriad memories. Raaj Grover was the production-in-charge of the prestigious Ajanta Arts in Mumbai, which was owned by Sunil Dutt. Grover was an integral part of the Dutt family. During his days in the film industry, he also dabbled in filmmaking. A poet at heart, he is known for his witty take on life and his joie de vivre. He currently lives in the USA.

Brief description about 70 well known Bollywood stars with coloured pictures if their hit films