Kareena “Bebo” Kapoor Khan – one of the most sought-after stars in Bollywood – has announced that she plans to publish her biography this year.
Titled Brand Bebo, the book will chronicle the 35-year-old's rise to fame in the Hindi film industry, while offering a look inside the Hindu actress's interfaith marriage to Muslim actor Saif Ali Khan.
Kapoor Khan is not the only Bollywood figure to jump on the biography bandwagon lately.
Books by her grand-uncles – brothers Shammi and Shashi Kapoor – recently hit bookshelves. Shammi Kapoor: The Game Changer, written by Rauf Ahmed, was published in February; and Shashi Kapoor – The Householder, the Star, by journalist Aseem Chhabra, appeared last month.
In December, maverick director Ram Gopal Varma published his tell-all tome, Guns And Thighs, while actor Shatrughan Sinha, who in the 1970s and '80s co-starred with superstar Amitabh Bachchan in several blockbusters, including Kaala Patthar and Naseeb, also launched his much-anticipated biography Anything But Khamosh ("Silent") – a reference to one of his best-known on-screen catchphrases.
In celebrity-obsessed India, publishers are keen to cash in on the trend, and joining Kapoor Khan on the shelves this year will be celebrity filmmaker Karan Johar and actor extraordinaire Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who have both signed deals with Penguin Random House India.
Here’s a look at what fans can expect from their books.
Kareena Kapoor
In her 16-year career, Bebo has acquired the image of a style diva and a fitness icon. Lauded for her work in a variety of films including Chameli, Dev, Omkara, Jab We Met and We Are Family, she is one of the highest-paid actresses in the industry.
She's also not new to the world of publishing. In 2013, Kapoor co-authored with writer Rochelle Pinto the fashion guide Style Diary Of A Bollywood Diva. Full of beauty tips and sneak peeks into her personal wardrobe, the book enjoyed decent sales.
It was at the launch event of Style Diary Of A Bollywood Diva that she confirmed her next book would "be an autobiography, definitely". Three years later, Kapoor is set to reveal the private details and stories behind her years in the industry and the fashion trends she has spearheaded and popularised. Importantly, it will also highlight her successful marriage with fellow actor Saif Ali Khan.
Karan Johar
From childhood memories to teenage pangs and love affairs, Karan Johar has promised that his upcoming memoir, titled An Unsuitable Boy (Penguin Random House India), will reveal a lot about his otherwise fiercely private life.
The 44-year-old actor, director and producer said that the process of writing the book was a "deeply cathartic and hugely therapeutic experience" for him, and names his biographer, Poonam Saxena, an editor with Hindustan Times, his "unofficial therapist".
One of the most popular figures in the movie business, Johar, who was born into a family of film royalty, says he did not have an easy childhood – he grew up in a “snooty neighbourhood” in South Bombay, one of the richest districts in Mumbai, where “it wasn’t cool to say your father made Hindi movies,” he told audiences in January at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2016 where he spoke about the book.
It will also talk about his struggle with obesity – an issue that plagued him through his teenage years – and his strong relationship with his parents.
“Even when I weighed 150kg, my mother said I was the best-looking child in the world and my father told me that once I lost a little puppy fat, I can be a hero in Hindi films,” he says.
An Unsuitable Boy will also reflect on his relationships within the film fraternity, which he has been a part of for 20 years, and his work as host of the popular television chat show Koffee with Karan, on which he interviews Bollywood A-listers in a casual, gossip-style format.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Journalist Rituparna Chatterjee has been tasked with tracing the journey of actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, right from his birth in Budhana, a nondescript village in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, to his glittering Bollywood career in Mumbai, where he is one of the most adored Indian actors today.
The as-yet untitled memoir will be written by Chatterjee, published by Penguin Random House India and released at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2017 in January. Written in first person, the book will carry interesting details about the actor, who usually does not talk about his past.
“There will be plenty of memories from my village, including ups and downs of my life,” the 42-year-old actor recently revealed at a press event to announce the book.
Indie filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, whose friendship Siddiqui has cherished since he found a foothold in the Hindi film industry, has played a special role in shaping his career, and deservingly gets a whole chapter, as do a string of “prospective girlfriends” Siddiqui says he could never befriend.
Overall, the memoir’s focus will be on “the person behind the star”, promises to be as sincere and candid as Siddiqui himself.
artslife@thenational.ae
