Bollywood: Star Biographies Hit A Road Block!

Excerpts from Yasser Usman’s  biography of Sanjay Dutt have been slammed  by Dutt who says he  never authorized  the biography.

 Does that mean we  can trust him to tell the  truth in  his authorized  biography? He claims  one is  on  the way. I  seriously doubt it.

The “authorized” bio-pic  being directed  by “friend” Raj Kumar Hirani is  already  being perceived as  glossing over many well-known  facts  from Dutt’s life to make  the  picture more palatable.

 There have been a couple of  “authorized” biographies  lately,namely the Rishi Kapoor and Karan Johar which have worked well, given the constraints.

But that’s it.It seems Bollywood  actors are  not willing to tell the truth about their lives.

“It  would hurt too many people. And  unless  one is willing to  tell the  entire truth there is no point to the  biography,” Mr Bachchanonce  told me, as we  decided to not do a book on him.

Another  senior actor known for his youthful zest and insatiable  vivacity told me has put his  biography on  hold. “Yaar, how can I write about the women I’ve been with? My wife will walk out.And those women have a  life of their own. How can I barge in with my honest  confessions to  disrupt their lives?”

I know. Life is  a bitch.

Recent examples  of  biographies  that have gone wretchedly wrong include Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s memoirs which had to be hastily withdrawn from book shops after the ladies  about whom he kissed and told,  objected.

We   now hear  that  several biographies that were in  their planning stages have been aborted  for the fear  of  an unreasonable backlash. These include biographies on Madhuri Dixit, Dharmendra,Kishore Kumar and Mohammed Rafi.

My own  Lata Mangeshkar  biography lies unfinished .I am  sorry but  I cannot see any blemishes  in her life. I am  not saying they don’t exist. I just can’t see them, that’s all. Gods  have feet of clay. Mine doesn’t.

At one point I  was  planning to write a biography of  Kamal Haasan because not only was he  a close friend  but  not afraid to tell the truth about his life.However his  newly-discovered new  passion  for politics automatically  positions him a  place  of  prevarication.

I’d still  like to complete  my  Lata Mangeshkar  biography for two reasons. One, because  her life existence and her bearing are enormously  motivational. Two, because  to me she is the greatest Indian ever  born.Yes, greater than any Gandhi.