In this rollercoaster ride through the innards of Bollywood, we see all that we have sniggered at, salivated over, rumoured roguishly and gossiped about – everything in fact that we will turn our up nose at, and still be eager for more. Sinema is the debut novel of Vikram Singh, a Bollywood insider, who knows enough about the industry to let a litter of cats – snarling and yowling – out of the bag.
The story of a film producer whom Lady Luck has ditched is craftily plotted. So craftily in fact that you don’t realise it is a long clothesline to hang everything that is sensational about cinema. While ostensibly we are following the trajectory of a blighted film being made, un-made and re-made, we are actually seeing the industry ruthlessly caricatured. Stars throw tantrums, starlets do what is expected of them, sidekicks willingly – almost masochistically – accept whatever is their lot, the director mimics Satyajit Ray and the producer lords it over all until the ominous underworld cramps his style.
The narrative moves at a frenetic pace with as many twists, turns and somersaults as Nitish Kumar on steroids. It is a crazy world but, in some ways, no crazier than the world we inhabit. Pretence, professional incompetence and hypocrisy are everywhere but in Bollywood, they come flashily dressed. When rivals run into each other at an awards show, they respond with effusive arm clasps although they may have been plotting blue murder the previous minute. We have come to realise by now that the film business has more hugs per capita than any other. As expected, there are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies in cinema circles (are things any different in real life?). As the protagonist confessed about a fickle colleague: “…he is my friend when convenient.”
While the story is engaging, there are passages towards the latter part of the book where you feel the author is indulging himself. Perhaps the services of Mavik – the indefatigable editor of the film being produced — would have come in handy.
Although there is much that is wrong with the dream factories of Mumbai, Singh is no whistle-blower. He doesn’t climb the moral high ground. If a whistle did indeed come to hand, my guess is he would do no more than whistle an appropriate number from ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’.
Books about Bollywood are legion but this one stands out because the author is able to distance himself from the goings-on. He also has the sense of humour to laugh at himself. He is not going to be alone; many of his readers will join in.
Book title: Sinema
Author: Vikram Singh
Publisher: Speaking Tiger
Price: Rs 499; pages: 351
