Books every Bollywood lover should read

Rekha: The Untold Story by Yasser Usman

A book that stirred much controversy, Rekha: the Untold Story is a racy page-turner about a girl unloved by her father. The story reveals how the yesteryear superstar was pushed into Bollywood by her mother's gambling habit, the shocking suicide of her husband, her many love affairs, etc.

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Sholay: The Making of a Classic by Anupama Chopra

As the title suggests, in this book Anupama Chopra tells the fascinating story of how a small idea grew to become the greatest blockbuster of Indian cinema, a movie that received several awards and produced some of the finest songs in the history of cinema.

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Bollywood: The Films! the Songs! the Stars!

An illustrated guide to the world of Bollywood movies, this book provides a visual tour of the glamour and color of Indian cinema along with film stills, plot timelines, star and producer profiles, historical insights, lesser-known facts, and behind-the-scenes gossip. Published by DK with contributions from none other than Amitabh Bachchan himself, this book is surely a page turner!

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King of Bollywood by Anupama Chopra

Film journalist Anupama Chopra talks about the King of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan, and his larger-than-life tale with special emphasis on religion, family and his success story. Shah Rukh’s story is the mirror to view the greater Indian story and the culture of Bollywood. Anyone who loves King Khan will surely love a book all about him!

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The Greatest Show on Earth: Writings on Bollywood; edited by Jerry Pinto

A delightful collection of essays about Indian cinema, writers and industry insiders like Saadat Hasan Manto, Salman Rushdie, Bhisham Sahni, R.K. Narayan, the book revolves around superstars and strugglers, filmmakers and playback singers, on-screen kisses and off-screen romance, the casting couch and censorship. The book talks about how Bollywood truly rules our lives!

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Brave New Bollywood by Nirmal Kumar and Preeti Chaturvedi

‘Brave New Bollywood’ is a book about how attitudes towards filmmaking and experiences of making movies is changing over time. In the book, the authors discuss about how established and set rules in Bollywood are being challenged, boundaries are being pushed, and the distinction between alternative and mainstream cinema is now narrowing.

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Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema’s Greatest Screenwriters by Diptakirti Chaudhuri

Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar reinvented Bollywood, changed the lives of several actors and filmmakers and even made a cultural phenomenon of the Angry Young Man. ‘Written by Salim-Javed’ tells the story of a dynamic partnership that transformed India cinema forever.

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Fantasies of a Bollywood Love Thief by Stephen Alter

‘Fantasies of a Bollywood Love Thief’ tracks the making of ‘Omkara’, Vishal Bhardwaj's highly acclaimed adaptation of Shakespeare's ‘Othello’. The book also features interviews of Gulzar, Javed Akhtar, Madhur Bhandarkar and the one and only, Dev Anand.

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50 Films that changed Bollywood by Shubhra Gupta

From DDLJ and Rangeela to Queen and Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Gupta offers a fascinating glimpse into how these films spoke to their viewers and how the viewers reacted to them - and, ultimately, how they changed us and how we changed them.

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Bollywood: A History by Mihir Bose

Mihir Bose traces the rise of the Bollywood film industry in ‘Bollywood: A History’. The book explores the lives of the men and women who have played an integral part in Indian filmmaking - directors, producers and our beloved actors.

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