INTIMATE REVELATIONS
An artiste par excellence who has made a mark on celluloid, the small screen and the stage, Hema Malini has always kept her personal life very private. But film journalist Bhawana Somaaya gives us a peek into her life through her work, Hema Malini: The authorized biography.

The book traces the meteoric rise of this simple girl from Trichinapalli in Tamil Nadu who went on to become the longest reigning star of Hindi cinema. The actor's childhood comes alive as the readers discover how as a child, Malini was often reprimanded by her mother when she disobeyed her and how her younger brother Jagannath hatched schemes to distract her during her dance sessions.

The author highlights the major landmarks in Malini's life: her mother Jaya's role as a driving force behind the actor's success and her leaning towards spirituality. Poignant moments from the actor's personal life - like the moral dilemma she faced during her courtship with actor Dharmendra and the many sacrifices she had to make to sustain her marriage with him - offer some rare insights. The biography also reveals lesser known details about Malini's life. For example, few know that she had to act in B-grade films in the 80s to clear her income tax dues.

Journalist Bhawana Somaaya's simple yet lucid narrative style interspersed with Hema Malini's first-person accounts provide the readers glimpses into the actor's innermost thoughts. Sepia-toned and colour photographs chronicling the various stages of her life add a visual dimension to the biography. All in all, the book lives up to its promise of proving an intimate portrayal of Hema Malini - as daughter, wife, artiste, mother and politician.

When your father happens to be Deepak Chopra, friend, philosopher and guru to personalities across the globe, does it make it more difficult for you to be a good parent?" That's a question Mallika Chopra, 35-year-old mother of Tara and Leela, answers obliquely through her book, 100 Promises to My Baby. While she revels in motherhood, the promises she sets out to keep for herself are not easy ones. Sample this: "I promise to help you align your personal values with your life's pursuits." Or, perhaps the toughest one of them all: "I promise to try not to criticise you even if I disagree with your actions."

Perhaps the lessons she learned from father who "has always given me the confidence that I could achieve anything," will help Chopra keep her word to her own children. Meanwhile, she's busy writing her second book, 100 Questions Children Ask. It's a natural progression, she says, from the thoughts she had when Tara and Leela were growing within her - what happens when they are out in the big bad world? The idea for the book came when they were watching the coverage of the London bombings on TV, and little Tara asked what a bomb was.

Full of anecdotes from Chopra's childhood and some practical advice, 100 Promises is a book many mothers will find themselves reaching out for as they go about raising their kids.

Kitab Festival
The Kitab International Literature & Media Festival was held in Mumbai this year from February 23 to 25. The agenda included Q&A sessions, debates and interviews. Relevant topics like sexuality in Indian literature, media and terrorism, homosexuality and the Indian law and future of the Indian publishing industry were discussed. It brought together renowned journalists, playwrights, screenwriters, publishers and editors from around the world. Some of these included MJ Akbar, editor of The Asian Age, feminist icon Germaine Greer, actor Shabana Azmi, author Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi, PM Sukumar, CEO of HarperCollins India, Robert McCrum, literary editor of the Observer and George Brock, Saturday editor of the Times (UK) and several others. Readings by novelists and poets, film screenings and book launches were also on the agenda.