Book Description
Journalistic overview of his life, major films and role in Indian culture with extensive inerviews. Lavish production. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Fascinating!
This book is a treasure-trove for die-hard Amitabh fans! Organized around reminisces by Amitabh's costars, directors, and family members, the book presents a number of interesting anecdotes during the making of his blockbusters (and from his early movies), and provides a very engaging insight into the actor's persona.

The introverted, repressed, intense aspect of Amitabh's personality -- as reflected in most of his movies -- is more commonly recorded in untold number of magazine articles, interviews, and books on Amitabh. However, it is fun to read about Amitabh the prankster (as told by Hema Malini, Yash Chopra and others), and about the general camaraderie on his sets. Rekha's reminisces are a highlight of the book -- she sounds nostalgic, love-lorn, infatuated -- almost pining for her star.

The book has tons of pictures, which makes it a visual treat. Bhawana Somayya has been a masterful chronicler of tinseltown events, filmlore, and people, and this book is one more BIG (B) feather in her cap without any doubt!

The legend lives on
After reading this book, it is no surprise that the Big B continues to be the greatest living legend in the Indian film industry. The book captures fascinating behind the scenes of the man who continues to demonstrate great persistence and tenacity in every film. His commitment has raised the bar for every new comer!

Dissapointing compared to the legend
A disapointing book considering the expectations of one of the first books in the market regarding Mr.Bachchan. Does not really dwell into the perceptions of Mr.Bachchan on his movies and his costars, rather vica verca. Never the less, worth buying if you are a true fan, simply for the photographs. ... Read more

Product Description
illustrated study of one of India's leading screen actors., excerpts from films, personal life. many color photos. lavish production, beautiful volume and informative ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Love Letter to Amitabh Bachchan
Being fond of Amitabh Bachchan films from my childhood, I decided to look for a credible biography of this icon of Indian cinema. There are precious few books out there, that try to delve into the persona of the man behind the larger-than-life image. I must iterate, I am not interested in 'gossipy' stuff (I could not care less about the alleged affair with Rekha, the Bofors scandal, etc.). What I was looking for, was a detailed view into the psyche of the man who has been the hero of billions of Indians, and also a peek into the creative process of his most famous films - Zanjeer, Deewar, Sholay, Trishul, etc.

I got what I was looking for - just not to the depth I wanted to plumb. The book is dominated by a Q&A between the interviewer (author) and the famous star. Amitabh is a consummate professional, and a master diplomat. There is precious little candour, and too much of the "I'm just a regular jobbing actor", "My colleagues are/were such wonderful people", and other such 'safe' platitudes. Those of us who are looking to understand the man who rose to astronomical heights of fame, fought a life-and-death battle during the infamous 'Coolie' accident, survived the ruthless game of politics, made several comebacks, teetered on the brink of oblivion with the ABCL debacle are going to be sorely disappointed because precious little OBJECTIVE insight is offered.

If the photos are eliminated, what really is left in terms of matter?

Make no mistakes: this is a coffee table book with lots of lovely pictures. It is what it is: a love letter by Amitabh's family and the author to him on his 60th birthday.

Excellent Book
This is an excellent book to add to a collection of memorabilia. The book is really good quality. It's not available...in many places and I suggest buying it!

A must read for all Indians
JAYA BACHCHAN gave a wonderful gift to hubby dear on his 60th Birthday - the book To be or not to be Amitabh Bachchan.
The book is wonderfully written and presented, full of rare pictures. The critical analysis of the Big B's career, and the open-heart flowing Interview are the key highlights of the book. The sections written by Abhishek, Shweta and Jaya are also quite impressive.

An absolutely "must read" book for every Indian considering the status of our most loved icon ever. For all die-hard Big B fans, this book is surely a collector's item. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A personal choice of the best Bollywood movies 1940-2003
Subhash K. Jha is one of the most informed and read film critics of Hindi movies, and his work is easily accessible also on line. He shares, I believe, a long time friendship with Amitabh Bachchan who has written the foreword to this nice and useful booklet. Basically this lavishly illustrated guide to Bollywood movies from the 1940's to 2003 is divided into film categories such as drama, comedy, war drama, thrillers, romance, historical, action and parallel cinema. Each movie is a small card with a synopsis, detailed even if brief movie information, but expecially pleasing tidbits of gossip and crossreferences to other movies or contemporary Hindi culture. The real value of this book among the many Bollywood movie guides is the exceptional insight of the Author in the choice of the reviewed movies. Leafing through the text we have the impression that he is actually describing the movies he liked and that he deams important as having influenced modern Indian culture. Bollywood industry has the curious characteristic of making classifications in hits and flops, blockbusters, superhits and hits, etc, but even if these are mentioned at the end of the book, the choice of the 200 Hindi movies is not conditioned by this philosophy.
Very useful if you want to learn something about this colorful and particular film world.
I will definitely try to see all the mentioned movies!

Brief Topical Guide to Hindi Cinema, Hardly Essential
If looking for an abbreviated introduction to Hindi cinema, this thin (172-page) movie guide may be a place to begin.Movies from about 1950-2005 are represented, not alphabetically or by number of awards, but by subject genre.
Many Hindi movies are considered to have plots of masala (spice), where drama, romance, & comedy are intermingled in a three-hour long plot, so the book's categorization of Hindi films by genre seems arbitrary.The book index works as a more focused finding aid to locate entries on movies and individuals.
The author's language in the brief movie descriptions tends toward hyperbole, but the listed information for each movie on major actors, director, music composers, lyricist, and plot line are a helpful introduction to Hindi movies.There are color photographs of movie posters & stars on nearly every page of this guide, so it can be fun to flip through for topical browsing.However, as there are more comprehensive, academic guides to Hindi cinema in print this guide is hardly essential reading.
Bollywood: A Guidebook to Popular Hindi Cinema (Routledge Film Guidebooks) by Tejaswini Ganti, published in 2004, contains a more in-depth treatment.

The Bollywood Phenomenon!
`The Essential Guide To Bollywood' by Subhash K. Jha is a beautifully done compendium of what the author considers to be the 200 best Hindi films from the `40's to the present. It is a nicely produced book printed on thick, high quality paper and filled with wonderful photos of all your favorite Hindi stars. The films discussed in this 176 page paperback volume are divided into ten chapters along with a two page forward by Amitabh Bachchan and index.

Contents;
- Drama
- Comedy
- War Drama
- Family Drama
- Thrillers & Mysteries
- Romance
- Historical
- Action
- Parallel Cinema
- Hits & Misses

This book is not meant to serve as an in-depth study, no film included in the book gets more than one page of description and discussion. Actually most of the pages are divided in half in a two column format, one film per column. It is a fast read, but you'll come back to it again and again to enjoy the pictures and reread the short excerpts in nostalgic bliss. Whether you're an expert in Bollywood cinema or new to the Hindi experience you'll love it!

Here is what this book is about...
I was sad not to find a description of this book on Amazon, and the one review posted wasn't much help.So I went hunting for a description and thought I'd share what I found. The following description helped me decide - I hope it will help you too!

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The Essential Guide to Bollywood
Foreword: Amitabh Bachchan

ABOUT THE BOOK:
The Essential Guide to Bollywood is an invaluable guide to lovers of Hindi films. Choosing the best 200 Hindi films ever made from the 1940's onwards, Subhash K. Jha gives concise and enjoyable reviews of the films, along with trivia and anecdotes about actors and actresses of that time and about the making of the films. The book also has a timeline of films and landmark events in Indian cinema. Entries are arranged genre-wise -- take your pick of drama, comedy, action, romance and many more!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Film critic Subhash K. Jha's opinions on Hindi movies are extensively read in more than thirty newspapers across India. Currently residing in Patna, Bihar, he is an incorrigible sucker for the `Friday-first-day-first-show'.

The Essential Guide to Bollywood
This book is definitely a must for all those who want the scoop on Bollywood! Well-written and informative. I wish I had bought it sooner. As a Bollywood writer, this is a reference book, which will be close by my writing desk.

I give it 5 stars! ... Read more

Product Description
Bollywood, the Hindi film industry started with just one film, Raja Harishchandra, in 1913. By the end of the century, however, it had grown into a creative and financial behemoth with the intervening decades witnessing technological innovations that were to change the face of the film industry. Today, Bollywood produces more than 100 films a year and entertains billions of people around the globe. Indian Cinema: The Bollywood Saga documents this incredible story of Hindi films. The book takes the reader on a chronologically-charted odyssey through each epoch of this historic and dramatic journey, examining and analyzing the benchmarks of the vibrant changes that marked each passing erathe early silent years, the excitement at the introduction of sound, the gradual seeping in of colour into film images, the fashioning of eternal classics, right up to the post millennial glitzkrieg of mega-budget ventures balanced on the cusp of art and commerce. Few stories are as rich or as fascinating. Indian Cinema: The Bollywood Saga recaptures the romance of the past and the pragmatism of the present for all those who love Hindi films. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Badly Written, Poorly Thought Out
If I can prevent anyone from wasting time and money on this book, I will be pleased.It is written on the level of a bad high school newspaper.Moreover, although it is a coffee table book, clearly intended for English speaking readers who are not familiar with Indian cinema, it is not organized to translate the Indian film titles into English, and it rattles off those incomprehensible names without ever describing what the film is about.IT IS NOT WRITTEN BY ISMAIL MERCHANT!He wrote the foreward; and I don't know why he did that.

This book is high quality and excellent
If you're a serious Bollywood lover, you will find this a valuable volume. ... Read more