Bollywood Boy
Published in Hardback (2002)
By 0 7195 6154 X
262 pages

Reviewed by Lopa Patel
Rating: (3 flames)
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Wow! A novel about Bollywood heartthrob Hrithik Roshan - a must read for any aficionado surely?

From the first sighting at Bar Indigo in Mumbai to the last scene when author Justine Hardy meets the star of 'Bollywood Boy' (Hrithik Roshan) she seems to develop a deep crush for the hero. This makes the book waver from abject sycophancy to an outright love fest. And yet this book isn't really about Hrithik Roshan at all, more the pursuit of him.

The story is a quest to interview Mumbai's hottest new talent. Hardy, a journalist who has been working in Delhi on a daily newspaper is a good storyteller. Her previous book 'Scoop Wallah' described her life as a British journalist going to work on a meagre salary in Delhi. And yet, one cannot help feeling that she is really doing the "Brits abroad" routine all over again. In 'Scoop Wallah' she takes up residence in a building owned by her friend Yashwant Singh - son of a Maharajah no less. This undoubtedly gives her the contacts and networking access probably unavailable to most other journalists.

Indeed Hardy, the daughter of Robert Hardy the celebrated theatrical actor best known for his role in British TV-show 'All Creatures Great & Small' and friend to greats like Sashi Kapoor, could have used her father's acting contacts to gain much easier access to Hrithik. After all, like Hollywood, Bollywood has its fair share of dynastic families who control most of the industry. All credit to her then, that she doesn't.

Marshalling her not inconsiderable investigative skills, research and charms, Ms Hardy flies to Mumbai (Bombay) to obtain that all-important interview. What follows is at times comic, at times tragic, but consistently entertaining view of Hindi Film folk. This book does not have the scholarly weight when compared to Nasreen Munni Kabir's book 'Bollywood - The Indian Cinema Story' but then it is not really about Hindi films at all.

Ms Hardy leaves no stone unturned inveigling interviews with the funeral director of Mumbai's renowned celebrity cemetery where the former greats (& not so greats) are supposedly buried. She interviews Madam Deepa, a one-time Bollywood hopeful who had fallen into prostitution.

Her meeting with Pinky Ali, a famous dance teacher gleans the knowledge that heartthrob Hrithik is a "brilliant" dancer whilst former heartthrob Amitabh Bachchan is a "sweet man. Not such a very good dancer however". Pinky, a once famous choreographer is believed to have invented the wet-sari routine and now teaches Hrithik-wannabees the new gymnastic style of dancing.

Justine Hardy uses her juice-wallah (fresh juice seller) as an agent to help her get the "mood of the moment" feel among the Mumbai populace whilst all around her the billboard and continuous movie premiere posters assail her. Hardly surprising given that the Indian Cinema Industry produces in excess of 800 movies a year for the nation's billion-strong population. And Hardy does attend a fair few launch parties, presumably to catch a glimpse of her hero if she can.

Invited by Sunil Sippy she even visits the set of 'Snip!' a new project being filmed in a Mumbai penthouse apartment. Featuring British Asian hopefuls, the film is a disaster, of course. Another barometer that Hardy uses is her local beauty shop where Mrs Kanwar & Dolly Singh regale the clientele with salacious gossip from Hindi filmi magazines whilst having their lips waxed and hair coloured.

This made me wonder if all the characters in her life like being featured in her books. Hardy claims, "most of them are secretly pleased about it although she does change names if asked". Indeed, when I managed to interview Justine she said that writing the book had been a "humbling experience at times, especially when she met people like Madam Deepa".

It would have been interesting to read more about the underworld - the alleged control of the industry by mafia-style hoodlums. During Justine's quest for Hrithik, the hero's father Rakesh Roshan is shot. The circumstances are well known: a director's refusal to accept criminal partners on a movie can be fatal it seems. But Hardy does not like to dwell on the darker side to the industry preferring to focus on Hrithik's role in the movie 'Fiza' and his forthcoming wedding.

'Bollywood Boy' isn't about the films, it isn't about Hrithik Roshan and it fails to shed any new light on the industry itself. Like a biscuit nibbled around the edges this is a light-hearted take on the hottest topic this year - Bollywood. What it does do is capture the popular culture in Mumbai and that is perhaps what the author intended.

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