In today's Sunday Special, we present a review of Veteran journalist and film critic Shaheen Raaj's debut book titled Nostalgia Revisited: A Colourful Trip Down Memory Lane.
- Comprising of 52 chapters, the book dives deep into the diverse fields of Indian Entertainment Industry such as music, dance, drama, etc.
It throws light on Bollywood biggies from yesteryears as well as that of the contemporary ones along with legends of Indian Cinema like the evergreen Dev Anand, Saira Banu, Oscar Winner Satyajit Ray, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Shah Rukh Khan, Shilpa Shetty, singers like Mohammed Rafi, Ghulam Ali and many more.
- The book also sheds light on fashion trends of film stars, consists a chapter on magnum opus Mughal-e-Azam, speaks about movie remakes and has discussions on varied aspects of showbiz.
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| Veteran Journalist turned into Author - Mr. Shaheen Raaj |
Speaking about the germination of the idea for the book, Mr. Raaj had stated that his experience in the field of journalism spans more than 3 decades and his regular columns for trade publication Complete Cinema helped him accumulate everything together into a book.
“This book covers varied aspects and dimensions of the world of cinema. There are profiles of film stars like Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Vyjyanthimala, Suraiya, Saira Banu, Shah Rukh Khan, Sanjay Dutt. It also features singers like Mohammed Rafi, Manna De, Ghulam Ali, Bhupen Hazarika, R D Burman, AR Rahman, O P Nayyar. Not just the stars but my book also sheds light on fashion trends set by film stars like the famous ‘Sadhna Cut’ of actor Sadhna, Jeetendra’s passion for white clothes and shoes, the trend of remakes and the making of magnus opus Mughal-e-Azam, an unusual chapter on the Jharkhand film industry.”
Speaking on featuring so many stars or getting interviews for his book, Mr. Raaj says it was not an easy task and having “the personal touch of the star is important.”
Recalling an incident from his 1985 interview with the late Dev Anand, Raaj says, “When I went to interview the evergreen Dev Anand he almost shocked by saying ‘do you think you can become a journalist by just hanging a jhola on your shoulder?’ I was aghast and was about to leave. He then said he has already spoken to my owner Firoz Rangoonwala (Picture Post). And that my owner said that he would send his ‘shagird’ (which was me) to interview him (Dev saab). The great Dev saab then made me comfortable by offering drinks. It was one of the most memorable experiences.”
In 2009, Raaj says he got a chance to interview the beautiful Vyjyanthimala when she was in Bangalore to attend a dance performance. “I was fortunate as she singled me out for an interview,” he enthusiastically says. “Shah Rukh Khan, too, was in Bangalore to attend some function, during which I could manage to meet him for an interview in 2005,” Raaj adds.
Apart from interviews with these actors, the book also has interactions with Bollywood choreographers Ahmed Khan, the Slumdog Millionaire fame Longinus Fernandes and Sandeep Soparkar, followed by young actor named Basudeo Kumar who gave an insight into the ailing Jharkhand film industry and fashion designer Bibi Russell from Bangladesh. Then there is a special interview with Mike Pandey the president of Indian Documentary Producers Association (IDPA).
Renowned Bollywood filmmakers like Farhan Akhtar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, J. P. Dutta, Madhur Bhandarkar and Anurag Basu also get candid about their thoughts on the movie remake trend in Bollywood.
This book titled: Nostalgia Revisited: A Colourful Trip Down Memory Lane is a fine collection of Legends to Newcomers and is a must read. The book is available in the ebook format and a paperback format on Amazon.
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