New Delhi, Aug 1 (IANS) Noted film critic Anupama Chopra's latest book on Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan has made headlines for its details on how mobster Abu Salem allegedly made threatening calls to the superstar, but the author says the chapter was "taken out of context" and there is more information of greater significance in the book.
"My book is called 'King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema', not 'Shah Rukh Khan and the underworld', " Chopra told IANS.
"It's a 300-page book about the evolution of a superstar, a country and a film industry. In this, perhaps five or six pages are about Shah Rukh and the mafia. I think that was taken out of context and made into headlines. I don't want to add to that. Let people read the book first," she added.
Chopra's earlier book, "Sholay: The Making of a Classic", had won a National Award for being the best book on cinema. She followed it with "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge: The Brave-Hearted Will Take the Bride".
Though there are quite a few recent books on Shah Rukh Khan, Chopra is unperturbed. She says her book has some unheard and unread information about the star.
"My book is a look at popular Hindi cinema through the life and films of Shah Rukh. So it's very different from the other SRK books. I believe there are connections and details here that haven't appeared before."
How much time did she take to write the book?
"It's taken four years from the time I first spoke to Shah Rukh about writing a book to August 2007 when it will finally be released."
The author describes Shah Rukh as an "emblematic icon" and says one cannot grade him.
Asked what she thought about the reported rivalry between Shah Rukh and Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, she said: "I have no idea if there is or isn't any truth in this rivalry."
Known for his generosity, Shah Rukh, who has given hits like "Baazigar", "Darr", "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge", "Dil To Pagal Hai", "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" and "Don", gave his full support to Chopra for the book.
"He has been very generous with his time and extremely supportive of the project. I have hounded him across the globe for three-and-a- half-years but he has never been impatient. Moreover, he read the manuscript but never asked me to change a single comma. I don't think I could have asked for more."
Anupama's husband Vidhu Vinod Chopra and sister Tanuja Chandra are well-known Bollywood filmmakers. Her mother Kamna Chandra is a scriptwriter and her brother Vikram Chandra is an award-winning novelist whose work includes "Red Earth and Pouring Rain" and "Love and Longing in Bombay". He has also written Hindi film scripts. However, Anupama says she has no plan to make a film.
"My book is called 'King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema', not 'Shah Rukh Khan and the underworld', " Chopra told IANS.
"It's a 300-page book about the evolution of a superstar, a country and a film industry. In this, perhaps five or six pages are about Shah Rukh and the mafia. I think that was taken out of context and made into headlines. I don't want to add to that. Let people read the book first," she added.
Chopra's earlier book, "Sholay: The Making of a Classic", had won a National Award for being the best book on cinema. She followed it with "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge: The Brave-Hearted Will Take the Bride".
Though there are quite a few recent books on Shah Rukh Khan, Chopra is unperturbed. She says her book has some unheard and unread information about the star.
"My book is a look at popular Hindi cinema through the life and films of Shah Rukh. So it's very different from the other SRK books. I believe there are connections and details here that haven't appeared before."
How much time did she take to write the book?
"It's taken four years from the time I first spoke to Shah Rukh about writing a book to August 2007 when it will finally be released."
The author describes Shah Rukh as an "emblematic icon" and says one cannot grade him.
Asked what she thought about the reported rivalry between Shah Rukh and Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, she said: "I have no idea if there is or isn't any truth in this rivalry."
Known for his generosity, Shah Rukh, who has given hits like "Baazigar", "Darr", "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge", "Dil To Pagal Hai", "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" and "Don", gave his full support to Chopra for the book.
"He has been very generous with his time and extremely supportive of the project. I have hounded him across the globe for three-and-a- half-years but he has never been impatient. Moreover, he read the manuscript but never asked me to change a single comma. I don't think I could have asked for more."
Anupama's husband Vidhu Vinod Chopra and sister Tanuja Chandra are well-known Bollywood filmmakers. Her mother Kamna Chandra is a scriptwriter and her brother Vikram Chandra is an award-winning novelist whose work includes "Red Earth and Pouring Rain" and "Love and Longing in Bombay". He has also written Hindi film scripts. However, Anupama says she has no plan to make a film.
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