AN EVERGREEN AFFAIR
Romancing With Life by Dev Anand
(Penguin/Viking )
He is 80-plus and still going strong. His creativity finds new outlets of expression and his biography, Romancing With Life, is yet another example of the evergreen hero’s youthful zest for life. Born Dharam Dev Anand – known to the world as Dev Anand – he is the man who has straddled the silver screen from the days of black and white movies to the age of Technicolour – the actor writes of moments known to countless fans and unknown to a new generation of readers.

Rumoured to be a ladies’ man (on screen and off it) Anand writes in an easy manner about the several women who crossed his path – from Usha and Florence in his early years to the mature women and personal friends of his later time…. Yet, in spite of the many characters that flit in and out of his book, the biography that hit the stands on his birthday, September 26, has cast him in the stellar role. For, as he had admitted, “The book is about me and only me” when he had launched it officially earlier.

Naturally, he has perhaps glossed over several details – that is to be expected in an autobiography of a public figure. He gives us his version of what happened. But the story of the boy who graduated in English literature from the Government College, Lahore (now in Pakistan) and whose love for acting made him leave his hometown for the centre of the Hindi film industry, Mumbai, makes for an interesting read. Little anecdotes pepper the story to bring it alive. Interestingly Anand began his career in the military censor office at Churchgate, Mumbai, for a salary of Rs 160. And today, hits and flops notwithstanding, after so many decades, his romance with life… and the silver screen continues.

FAMILY ALBUM
Mr and Mrs Dutt Memories Of Our Parents by Namrata Dutt Kumar and Priya Dutt
(Lustre Press/Roli Books)
Not knowing more than what the paparazzi had chronicled over the years about the golden couple of Hindi cinema, Nargis and Sunil Dutt – and honestly not having followed their real life experiences closely – I picked up their daughters’ tribute with a degree of anticipation. Mr and Mrs Dutt – Memories of Our Parents by Priya Dutt and Namrata Dutt Kumar did not fail to disappoint, even though it perhaps did not throw much new light on what is already known.

The journey is down the road of their personal lives in the voice of Namrata. So, if, as the writers say in the Foreword, ‘the reader is looking for an understanding of the films Mom and Dad were involved with, or an analysis of their politics, this isn’t the book to provide that view’. It is based instead on the reminiscences of the three children – letters and pages from carefully preserved childhood albums, countless old photographs that vividly paint the picture of loving parents. That is the strength of the work. So, even though some events are not thrust too obviously into the harsh glare of the public eye (like the Dutt Srs’ reaction to ‘Sanju baba’s’ repeated indiscretions) and are just emotionally narrated, the tome is a collector’s edition.

The glimpses into their universe, the umpteen photographs – of different occasions, moods and moments – the narration that traces the growth of the offspring and the bonds that tied them through thick and thin…all these deserve a closer look.

BEHIND THE SCENES
Faces of Indian Art: Through the lens of veteran photographer Nemai Ghosh by Nemai Ghosh
(Art Alive Gallery)
This book is like a time machine that transports the reader on a unique journey into an otherwise private world – the studios of 52 of the best contemporary Indian artists. Renowned for his stills of Satyajit Ray’s films, celebrated photographer Nemai Ghosh captures artists like Akbar Padamsee, Altaf, Amit Ambalal, Anjolie Ela Menon, Arpita Singh, Badri Narayan, Bikash Bhattacharjee, Dhruva Mistry, Jehangir Sabavala, K.G. Subramanyan, Manjit Bawa, Manu Parekh, M.F. Husain, Paritosh Sen, S.H. Raza, Sudhir Patwardhan, Thota Vaikuntam and Tyeb Mehta while they paint/sculpt.
Traversing half a century chronologically, it offers rare and fascinating glimpses into the mindscape of those who have created history in the world of Indian art like Benodebehari Mukherjee, Jamini Roy and Ramkinkar Baij. Among the treasures it contains are haunting portraits of Somnath Hore in his last days, M.F. Husain starting and completing a painting during the course of the shoot, and the various moods of introspection of Ram Kumar and Rameshwar Broota while they are absorbed in their creative process.
To balance this visual extravaganza, there are revealing insights from editor Ina Puri and eminent art historians/critics like Geeti Sen, Keshav Malik, R. Siva Kumar and Samir Dasgupta – who share their recollections, both personal and professional, that throw light on the artists’ working process. The book, published by Art Alive Gallery, ends with lucid bio sketches. For those who have admired these legendary artists from afar, it is the perfect vehicle to travel into their past and understand them. Definitely a collector’s item!

FRANK MEMOIRS
Bonding, A Memoir by Vyjayantimala Bali with Jyoti Sabharwal
(Stellar)
If you can will yourself to ignore the abysmal grammar, then this book makes quite an interesting read. From a pampered, protected childhood, through a painful adolescence to laurels and international fame as a Bharatnatyam dancer and multilingual actress – Vyjayantimala’s life has all the ingredients of a bestseller.
Traumatised by the ugly proceedings of her parents’ separation, she immersed herself totally in her dance. At one of her dance performances she was noticed by the head honcho of AVM Productions who immediately signed her for Vazkhai, a Tamil film that was remade into Telugu and Hindi. Its stupendous success had both, Tamil and Hindi filmmakers queuing up to sign her. Forsaking her granny’s plans of higher education, the dancing sensation plunged headlong into films. Since abhinay is an integral part of classical dancing, emoting before the camera was not difficult, and the vivacious actress was lapped up by directors of the stature of M.V. Raman, Amiya Chakraborty, Bimal Roy, B.R. Chopra, Satyan Bose, Tapan Sinha, Vijay Anand and Raj Kapoor. Kathputli, Devdas, Naya Daur, Madhumati, Gunga Jamuna, Sangam, Jewel Thief…one blockbuster followed another...
With success came the inevitable controversies and gossip. First, aspersions were cast on her paternity, linking her with the royal family of Mysore. Then two huge male egos, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor, made her a pawn in their battle for supremacy and the actress found herself being unceremoniously thrown out from the Dilip Kumar-starrer, Ram Aur Shyam. Without mincing words, the actress states that, till date, she has not forgiven or forgotten this unprofessional behaviour by an actor of Dilip Kumar’s stature. The memoirs touch upon several sensational incidents of the Aiyanger actress’ life, sometimes in considerable detail, clearing the air about her famous link-up with Raj Kapoor as well as her shocking marriage, against all odds, to Dr Bali, a married man and father of three. The biography is interesting for less spicy reasons too. Cinema and dance as art forms have been discussed at length, providing valuable information to those interested in these two mediums.

COSMIC ENERGY
Sujata Bajaj: L’Ordre du Monde by Jean-Claude Carriere
(Albin Michel & Tao Art Gallery)
Why would a French writer, playwright and screenwriter who co-authored Conversations about the End of Time be writing about artist, Sujata Bajaj? The answer is revealed no sooner than you turn the first few glossy pages of this visually arresting coffee-table book. Almost 20 years ago, when the India-born and bred but Paris-based artist held her first exhibition in Paris, Jean-Claude Carrière was perhaps the first person in France to acquire her paintings. He reveals that he had just emerged, rather dazed, from a long spell of work with Peter Brook on the Mahabharata… and “found in young Sujata the vibrant echoes of that great epic in which India has always sought, and often found, herself”.
Captivated by the pulsating energy she transmitted through her paintings, he keenly followed her transition from the early monotypes she discovered as a student with Claude Visieux to collages created out of torn paper, silk, bits of rope, burnt cardboard, calligraphy and paint, to the additions of wax, chalk, gouache, ink and finally to painting with acrylic directly on to canvas. As you feast on glowing examples of these works while reading about her and her unique style of painting, you have to admit that Paris-based publishers, Albin Michel knew what they were doing when they let the mantle of author fall upon Carrière. As for the French title, it is best explained in the author’s words: “In India, everything is cosmic. Regardless of what we think, no gesture here is merely human, no word stands alone. Unknown to us, the fundamental notion of dharma knits all our thoughts and actions into the entire universe…. The crucial mission of establishing such a link is central to all of Sujata’s work, the key to her approach, and the reason why this book is entitled L’ordre du Monde.” Released in Mumbai amidst the artist’s recent works at Tao (on view till November 27), this book is a must-have for all aficionados of Indian art. The French version of the work will be released in Paris on November 27.

VISUAL INDULGENCE
Mughal Style: The Art & Architecture of Islamic India by George Michell
(India Book House)
At one level, Mughal Style: The Art & Architecture of Islamic India by George Michell is a feast for the eyes. Just flipping through the royal succession of gatefolds depicting its monumental architecture, sumptuous textiles, exquisite miniature paintings and dexterously crafted jade, glass and metal objects that are the legacy of Mughal rule in India, is an indulgence of one’s visual sense.
Not content with tracing and acknowledging the patronage of emperors like Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb that is responsible for the flowering of the arts that we treasure today, the author delves into the historical context as a prelude to a clear-cut analysis. Backed by the painstaking research of Mumtaz Currim, he divides the book into chapters focusing on the artistic sources and influences, materials and techniques, before analysing the various themes (geometry, arabesque, calligraphy, flowers, animals and birds) that characterise this style.
These intellectual offerings are interspersed with illustrative images – so you are left in no doubt about what constitutes the Mughal style. The piece de resistance comes at the end, as it ideally should, with a detailed catalogue of objects and key monuments, a glossary of terms and a select bibliography. Truly, this coffee-table book is a banquet fit for a king!