World Book Day: Bollywood stars who turned authors

As we observe World Book Day on April 23, here’s a look at the Bollywood actors who have done their bit to promote the culture of reading by writing their own. From witty novels to self-help books, these stars who breathe life into cinema lit up the literary world briefly ...

Twinkle Khanna: She may not have found success in acting or in her film career in Bollywood, but the daughter of late actor Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia proved her mettle as a cracking writer. Her three works — her non-fiction book Mrs Funnybones (2015), the anthology of short stories ‘The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad’ (2016) and her debut novel Pyjamas are Forgiving (2018) — was appreciated for its humorous undertones and her incisive take on life. “I like to make my readers laugh at the absurdities of life… I would not want to give them a sermon ever,” said Khanna in an exclusive interview with Gulf News earlier.

Rishi Kapoor: His autobiography ‘Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored’ was aptly titled and did what it promised on its cover. A string of shocking revelations tumbled out of his tell-all memoir. From revealing Bollywood’s adoration and partiality to acting legend Amitabh Bachchan to admitting that his actress wife Neetu Kapoor was a trooper for sticking by him for such a long time, Kapoor seems to believe in the warts-and-mole approach to storytelling. It wasn’t always flattering, but Kapoor impressed us with his candour. This book is straight from his heart. “Incredibly, she has done it without nagging me to change, and patiently puts up with my whims and moods,” said Kapoor about his wife in one of the chapters of the memoir.

Shilpa Shetty Kundra: She’s the queen of fitness and yoga, so it’s only natural that her first book was all about nutrition and healthy living. Her 2015 book ‘The Great Indian Diet’ chronicled her fitness journey and how she lost the weight that she had gained during her pregnancy through healthy and sensible eating habits. She co-authored the book with nutritionist Luke Coutinho.

Lisa Ray: The ‘Four More Shots Please!’ actress is a cancer survivor and her book ‘Close To The Bone’ marked her official debut as a published author. But she has loved world of words. Her blogs — The Yellow Diaries — which documented her personal battle with cancer was earnest and engaging. Her life experiences, including fighting cancer, forms the spine of ‘Close To The Bone’.

Soha Ali Khan: Sharmila Tagore’s daughter and Saif Ali Khan’s sibling came up with the title of her memoir ‘The Perils Of Being Moderately Famous’ on her own. In an interview prior to her appearance at the Sharjah International Book Fair in October 2018, Ali Khan said that that she wanted the title to capture the ‘tongue-in-cheek’ tone of the book. What is it being a minor celebrity in a family filled with majorly successful faces forms the crux of her memoir. “Moderately famous is something that I am — within my family and the entertainment industry. While I am not anonymous, I am not on top of my game either. I am somewhere in the middle and that has some wonderful advantages and challenges,” revealed Ali Khan.

Emraan Hashmi: Emraan Hashmi released his autobiography ‘The Kiss Of Life’ in 2016. Co-authored with Bilal Siddiqui who directed actor Hashmi in ‘The Bard Of Blood’ later in his career, the book chronicled Hashmi’s eventful life in films, his chequered career and how his world came crashing down when he learnt that his four-year-old son had a tumour in his kidney. He described his book as a hapless father’s account when their child falls sick.

Ayushmann Khurrana: In 2015, Ayushmann Khurrana wasn’t a bonafide superstar like he is now, nor was he delivering back-to-back blockbusters. The Bollywood outsider was moderately successful and his book, ‘Cracking The Code: My Journey In Bollywood’, reflected his journey from a nobody to a celebrity. The Chandigarh-born actor spoke about how difficult it is for an outsider to crack the Bollywood industry code. Considered a cheat sheet for all aspiring actors out there, this book is a sincere gift from Khurranna to all the actor hopefuls.

Anupam Kher: He’s Bollywood go to person for inspiring self-help books. His book ‘The Best Thing About You is You’ is meant to be inspiring. Kher draws generously from his own life experiences to inspire others to find their own real selves. He touches upon pertinent issues like failure, stress, insecurity and fear in his inimitable witty style. As you progress through the pages of this book, you will come to believe that the best thing about you is often you. This is Kher’s crash course on life.

Sonali Bendre Behl: She is a voracious reader and spearheads a book club in Bollywood too. So it is no surprise that she turned author in 2014 with ‘The Modern Gurukul: My Experiments With Parenting’. She talks about balancing modernity and tradition during parenting and how to raise your child in the digital age. While there’s not a book in the world that will prepare you for the joys and trials of parenting, this is a good start.