By:
Praveen
Lance
Fernandes,
IndiaFM
Thursday,
July
27,
2006
Does
another
book
on
Indian
cinema
interest
you?
Another
book
on
Bollywood
has
hit
the
stands
-
This
time
conceptualized
by
noted
photographer
Sheena
Sippy,
written
by
journalist
Naman
Ramachandran
and
designed
by
Divya
Thakur.
So
is
this
book
on
Bollywood
any
different
from
the
numerous
books
already
in
the
market?
Does
a
glossy
and
glamorous
layout
make
a
difference?
Has
the
Sippy
influence
made
a
difference
in
terms
of
obtaining
content
from
a
variety
of
stars?
Read
on...
First
and
foremost,
this
is
not
just
any
book.
It
is
a
coffee
table
book.
Secondly,
though
it
might
sound
strange
but
this
book
actually
has
a
'screenplay'.
Umm...What?
You
might
wonder.
Though
non-fiction,
Ramachandran
decided
to
add
more
masala
in
it
by
adding
a
bit
of
invented
story
in
it.
So
how
does
one
go
about
making
a
hard-core
commercial
masala
book
in
the
largest
film
producing
country
in
the
world?
We
move
along
with
the
adventures
of
Vijay
and
Ravi
-
2
fictitious
characters
who
want
to
make
a
film.
Follow
them
on
a
journey
through
their
experiences
in
the
industry.
In
their
exploring
journey
they
meet
celebrities
like
Salim-Javed,
Amitabh
Bachchan,
Aamir
Khan,
Shah
Rukh
Khan,
Aishwarya
Rai,
Ramesh
Sippy,
Karan
Johar,
etc.
who
talk
about
their
experiences
in
the
industry
et
all.
However,
after
chatting
with
the
already
glorified
stars,
the
book
flows
towards
the
unsung
heroes
of
Bollywood
from
the
light
boys,
make-up
artists,
action
directors,
etc.
A
detailed
portion
dedicated
towards
these
machine
operators
is
very
interesting.
In
terms
of
textual
content,
there
is
nothing
really
out
of
the
world
but
what
is
interesting
is
the
presentation
of
the
book.
Flowing
against
the
tide,
if
anything
has
to
capture
your
attention
it
definitely
has
to
be
the
creative,
unconventional
and
novel
layout
of
the
book
thereby
qualifying
for
sure
'Collector's
item'
tag.
A
star
searching
spinning
wheel,
a
transparent
(negative
sort
of)
picture
of
Abhishek
Bachchan
and
Riteish
Deshmukh,
an
attached
movie
poster
and
a
reproduction
of
an
Abhishek
fan
mail
with
an
attached
envelope
as
well
makes
you
laud
the
designer(s).
Even
the
conversation
between
Ravi
and
Vijay
are
in
the
form
of
a
scene
written
in
a
script
which
brings
me
to
my
point
of
the
book
being
in
the
form
of
a
screenplay.
The
gloss
and
the
glitz
of
the
book
make
it
really
interesting
and
give
a
treat
to
your
eyes
and
mind.
The
book
boasts
of
a
number
of
photographs
-
some
old
some
new.
Some
unseen
ones
are
really
interesting
including
the
ones
during
the
making
of
Sholay.
A
special
mention
to
Sheena
Sippy
who
has
captured
some
of
today's
stars
with
great
finesse.
Sippy's
stunningly
evocative
photographs
speak
the
language
of
Bollywood
and
for
this
reason;
you
can
call
it
a
visual
extravaganza.
Coming
back
to
textual
content,
apart
from
the
Vijay
and
Ravi
bit,
there
isn't
really
anything
fresh
or
new
that
we
don't
read
everyday
in
a
tabloid.
The
author
focuses
more
on
the
glamour
element
of
the
hot
and
happening
celebrities
of
filmdom
rather
than
some
of
the
old
and
forgotten
veterans
of
the
industry.
Nonetheless,
with
so
much
of
it
packed
inside
one
binding,
it
provides
one
with
a
good
read.
Glitz
and
Glamour,
the
book
is
definitely
something
to
look
forward
on
a
nice,
lazy
day.
But
don't
expect
to
increase
your
Bollywood
know-how
by
a
massive
scale
in
this
one.
Priced
at
Rs.
1995,
the
book
is
available
at
all
leading
book
stores.
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