Bachchanalia - Book Review
More than a month after its launch, 'Bachchanalia' has finally arrived on stands. Thankfully, it has been worth a wait, as one finds out after flipping though this 300 page book which could well serve as a Bible for all Amitabh Bachchan starrers. Not that it takes an almost four hour read to figure this out. Spending 15 minutes on this book is good enough to appreciate what could be expected from this brilliant compilation that is easily the best that one has laid hands on when it comes to a book about Hindi cinema.
What works most in the favor of this book is its presentation. And for this, one has to credit Osian's Center for Archiving, Research and Development (CARD), which in association with Bhawana Somayaa is responsible for co-authoring the book. While Bhawana Somaaya has ensured that the text in the book makes for an interesting read, CARD is responsible for all the publicity material and memorabilia (e.g. Posters, Showcards, Lobby Cards, Trophy, Photographic Still, Song-Synopsis Booklet) which makes 'Bachchanalia' a complete reading experience.
The book follows a truly inventive structure, what with a page (or a half) dedicated to each and every film that Amitabh Bachchan has done in his career. So what one sees is a poster of each of his films, some of them belonging to the rarest of the rare variety like Pyaar Ki Kahani, Raaste Ka Patthar, Bandhe Haath, Gehri Chaal and many more. This is not all as there are also innumerous unseen stills from his movies that make one turn pages with a tearing hurry.
Other than the sheer visual appeal which is good enough to make one go for the book, what brings in further entertainment are the film's synopsis, a quote (either from Amitabh Bachchan or a member from the cast and crew of the film) along with trivia which is highlighted as 'Between The Shots'. In fact it's this trivia which is the most addictive of all since most of them indeed belong to 'Did You Know' variety. Icing on the cake is the write-up at the top and bottom of every page which lists down the movies (from both Bollywood and Hollywood) that made an impact in the year when a particular Bachchan film was released. Though these films may not necessarily hold any connection with a Bachchan film, for the readers who wish to keep a date with history, it acts as a good study material to explore.
True to it's title, 'Bachchanalia - The Films & Memorabilia of Amitabh Bachchan' sticks to narrating facts about the films that Amitabh Bachchan has done over a period of time and never once deviates into unnecessary tangents. What this means for a reader is that gossips and other irrelevant anecdotes about his personal life are not included in the writing, hence ensuring that the book remains clean, uncontroversial and still engaging for an average reader. While writing a book about an actor who has been THE face of Indian cinema for long now, any writer would be tempted to include spicier details to make the final product more 'reader-friendly' but Bhawana Somaaya makes a smart choice and stays within the domain of the book's concept, hence justifying the USP of 'Bachchanalia', which is 'Amitabh Bachchan and his movies'. Period.
A voluminous book which would easily weigh a few kilos and bears an international stamp to it, courtesy its design, layout, presentation and content, 'Bachchanalia' packs in a lot in those few words that add to the brief content on every page. Some of the most interesting ones are presented here:
Muqaddar
Ka
Sikandar
-
Prakash
Mehra
had
envisaged
the
film
as
a
modern
day
take
on
'Devdas'
Silsila
-
Smita
Patil
and
Parveen
Babi
were
the
leading
ladies
of
the
film
before
being
replaced
by
Jaya
Bhaduri
and
Rekha
Major
Saab
-
Ajay
Devgan
had
directed
parts
of
the
film
when
the
original
director,
Tinu
Anand,
was
off
sick
Bombay
To
Goa
-
Shooting
'Dekha
Na
Haaye
Re...'
was
a
nightmare
since
Amitabh
required
numerous
retakes
Ek
Nazar
-
Nadira
was
one
of
the
first
to
detect
something
brewing
between
Amitabh
Bachchan
and
Jaya
Bhaduri
at
the
film's
sets
Raaste
Kaa
Patthar
-
Amitabh
was
quite
proud
of
his
performance
in
this
film
which
unfortunately
didn't
work
Abhimaan
-
The
film
was
earlier
titled
Raag
Ragini
and
Amitabh
Bachchan
and
Jaya
Bhaduri
had
invested
their
own
money
in
the
project
Chupke
Chupke
-
Hrishikesh
Mukherjee
wanted
newcomers
for
the
parts
played
by
Amitabh
Bachchan
and
Jaya
Bhaduri
Don
-
'Khaike
Paan
Banaraswaala'
was
earlier
recorded
for
a
Manoj
Kumar
film
Shakti
-
Makers
of
the
film
were
almost
convinced
to
replace
Smita
Patil
with
Rekha
mid-way
during
the
film's
shooting
Adalat
-
Amitabh
Bachchan
and
Neetu
Singh
did
a
'Kung-fu'
dance
number
in
the
film
There
are
minor
factual
errors
in
the
book
like
Ram
Gopal
Varma
Ki
Aag
being
shown
as
a
2008
release
(whereas
the
fact
is
that
it
had
released
in
2007),
Yaar
Meri
Zindagi
being
said
to
be
stuck
(when
the
fact
is
that
this
Amitabh
Bachchan
-
Shatrughan
Sinha
starrer,
after
being
stuck
for
decades,
was
finally
released
in
2008)
or
reference
to
Fashion
stating
that
the
film
was
'based'
on
the
true
story
of
Delhi
based
model
Geentanjali
Nagpal
(when
the
fact
is
that
this
incident
just
formed
a
small
episode
in
the
film).
However, in the bigger scheme of things when the book brings in an ocean of information with it (with a film by film account of each and every special appearance done by him along with it's poster), one can easily let such aberrations pass. Otherwise where else would one find movies like Jabaan, Charandas, Walayati Babu, Paan Khaye Saiiyan Hamar and, hold your breath, Film Hi Film (each of them starring Amitabh Bachchan in some role or other) being mentioned about in a single publication?
'Bachchanalia' is indeed special, and exclusive. A lethal combo that makes it a MUST for every cine follower who has claimed to be a follower (even if not a fan) of Amitabh Bachchan cinema. It's this very beauty of the book which makes it an irresistible read because it is not written from the point of view of a fan or a reader who could well be a fan. Instead, the book is a reference guide for each and every film that Amitabh Bachchan has done in a near four decade long career as an actor. The information which is presented is not just enlightening, it is also engaging and entertaining, and something that works in totality to make 'Bachchanalia' a book that should find a place on the shelves of every Bollywood aficionado.