English Book Review - January 16

Starry Nights
By Shobha De
Penguin Books, 234pp

She's a controversial Indian writer who has sold more English-language novels in India than any other wordsmith. The 49-year-old Shobha De, perfectly packaged, has played an important role on female liberation in her country with her numerous journalistic endeavours and works of pulp fiction.

Since 1989, this former model-cum-editor has written seven bestsellers, all but one heaving with its explicit encounters. De's novels portray the lusty world of Mumbai's elite, replete with the exploits of power-hungry tycoons and cheating husbands. The women, who form the central vein, are in De's own words "definitely not doormats. They're not willing to be kicked around."

Socialite Evenings, De's maiden novel, published in 1989, was an instant nationwide bestseller. When her second novel, Starry Nights, hit the stands in 1991, many of the male members of Mumbai's high society were furious. The book, set in the city's film industry, was packed with unscrupulous characters based on real-life tycoons and film producers.

So today's pick is definitely not new, but poles apart from last week's Jeremy Paxman. So I thought, why not? But there is also yet another reason, and that is De's fun. She might be extremely localised in her settings, but they make for excellent, fast paced reading.

The language is good, one isn't constantly assaulted by repetition of words and phrases to the point of inundation and the characters are not cardboard cutouts. So it's no big surprise that she sells by the thousands.

Coming back to Starry Nights, most of us have heard of the American dream, but not many know of the Indian dream. No, it has got nothing to do with hitting it big in Silicon Valley, but has everything to do with Bollywood. The capital of the Indian film industry, where thousands flock every day in the mere hope of being picked to star in a blockbuster.

A young girl from Madras travels to Bollywood via lewd movies and casting couches with the sole ambition of becoming a filmstar. Aasha Rani a.k.a Viji manages to get her break and the box office cash registers refuse to stop ringing. Young, dusky and with an hourglass figure, Aasha conquers all, except her own heart. She falls madly in love with a male superstar, who uses and abuses her no end.

When the book had been initially released, everybody wanted to know if Aasha was based on Rekha, a leading Bollywood star from southern India. De's answer was that she could have used virtually any southern actress in Mumbai "because they all end up in unconventional relationships".

Whoever might have been the inspiration for Starry Nights, it is intrinsically a sad story of exploitation and betrayal. It presents Bollywood in a stark, harsh light that strips away all the glamour and glory. De's novel is a quick read that makes you view stars in a kinder light.


Book courtesy: Right Selection