Bollywood Confidential (Avon Books) [Paperback]

Sonia Singh (Author)

Book Description

Series: Avon Books | Publication Date: June 28, 2005

After seven years of slogging through film roles too embarrassing to mention, twenty-eight-year-old struggling L.A. actress Raveena Rai has finally been offered a lead! A potentially career-making turn in a major Hollywood epic, perhaps? A meaty part in a serious drama with Oscar® written all over it? Not! To Raveena's great dismay (and her mother's delight) she's flying off to India to star in a new Bollywood extravaganza.

Oh well, a lead is a lead, after all. Never mind that it's a million humid degrees in Bombay, the Los Angeles of the East; that she has to live with a wacko distant uncle who sleeps under furniture and is the most stressed-out wannabe swami on the continent; that her director is a lecherous hack and his movie has the potential of being the very worst flick ever made anywhere! At least Raveena's leading man is the supremely sexy Siddharth, Bollywood's biggest star. But while their on-screen chemistry is electric-hot, off-screen the arrogant hunk treats her with total disdain ... or, worse still, ignores her. Raveena's one consolation is that things couldn't possibly get any worse.

Oh yeah? Want to bet? Lights, camera, action!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Singh takes a lighthearted look at "masala moviemaking" in this snappy overseas romp (after Goddess for Hire) starring aspiring actress Raveena Rai. Raveena isn't having much luck in Hollywood as an Indian beauty, so when her agent nabs her a starring role in a Bollywood film, she jumps at the chance and relocates to Bombay. Singh paints the scene with broad strokes: the bad guys are short and greasy, the gay best friend is predictably campy and supportive and Raveena proves unfailingly plucky. We get a few quick sketches of the teeming Indian streets and meet a host of comic Indian characters, including Raveena's eccentric Uncle Heeru (a failed actor who lives in a house overrun by pigeons), a lecherous Bollywood director and the extraordinarily handsome romantic interest, Bollywood mega-star, Siddharth. In her depiction of the haphazard making of a nonsensical movie, Singh offers a mild critique of Bollywood product (as too lowbrow and derivative), while also celebrating her heroine—and the Indian film industry's verve. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

This zany, laugh-out-loud romp should be required reading for anyone whose spirits need a lift. The TV and movie worlds of Los Angeles and Bombay offer Singh a wealth of eccentric characters, from ineffectual agents to ego--driven directors. Her wry actress heroine, Raveena Rai, is the perfect foil for these way-out wanna-bes. When Raveena's L.A. agent finally gets her a leading role, she's delighted--until she finds out that it's in a Bollywood movie to be shot in Bombay. Although excited to explore her Indian roots, Raveena is nervous about the long journey. Her hotel is so horrible she stays with her uncle Heeru, the funniest character in the story. While avoiding the advances of her spoiled director, Raveena falls for her gorgeous leading man, a godlike creature appropriately named Siddharth. Singh provides a compelling description of Bombay, and, like Raveena, readers will be simultaneously fascinated and repelled by the complex city. Delicious summer reading for those with a taste for spice. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 215 pages
• Publisher: Avon; First Edition, Ex-Library edition (June 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060590386
• ISBN-13: 978-0060590383
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,808,673 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars It was... ok., April 11, 2006

By 

SugarCaneJane (Studio City, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bollywood Confidential (Avon Books) (Paperback)

Sonia Singh came up with some great characters -- the uncle, "Daddy," the Bollywood star and his family. The characters were worthy of a better book. The author touches on some interesting points, that India is not a third world country -- there are two Indias, rich and poor, living together. I enjoyed when she spoke about Bollywood films as an escape for those in poverty.

The scene in which the Reena gets her revenge was, to be blunt, ridiculous, if not for her actions, then for the speech she gives.

This book was an entertaining read, but it could have been so much better.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars lampoons the Bollywood movie industry, June 29, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bollywood Confidential (Avon Books) (Paperback)

Wannabe actress Raveena Rai has failed to make it in Hollywood so when her agent informs her that he has a starring role in a Bollywood movie, she immediately accepts the job. Without waiting for anyone to change their mind, Raveena quickly heads to Bombay where she assumes fame and fortune await her.

However, upon reaching her destination in India Raveena finds nothing is remotely like that described by her agent she now considers slime. Her hotel is a dump, but she cannot move in with her Uncle Heeru as his home is overrun by wild pigeons. Even worse, her script is not written and she must dance more than act. To make her stay more miserable her director uses a hands on method touching her everywhere while trying to get her on the casting couch; all this without a script. On the positive side of this disaster is her leading man, mega hunk Siddharth, who Raveena believes is her destiny though she has a few rivals who consider the most popular Bollywood actor of the moment as fair game.

Using stereotypes as support cast, Sonia Singh lampoons the Bollywood movie industry for making inane films that are so undemanding and unoriginal yet at the same time Raveena toasts the industry for its vigor and energy. The story line is well written as the audience wonders whether Raveena will get the leading man and finish the movie while eluding the fast hands of the lecherous director. Contemporary readers will welcome this fine absorbing look at the dynamic Indian film industry.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Chick Lit Goes to India..., July 29, 2005

By 

Rian Montgomery "Rian Montgomery" (Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bollywood Confidential (Avon Books) (Paperback)

I absolutely love chick lit that feature Indian characters, so I was glad when I learned Sonia Singh had a second novel out entitled "Bollywood Confidential". Although her first novel was average at best in my opinion, this latest book was a great read.

Raveena is a struggling Indian actress currently living in Los Angeles. She is tired of not getting anywhere in her acting career. After much deliberation, she decides to accept her agent's latest offer: the lead in a Bollywood film - that takes place and shoots in Bombay, India. Despite her misgivings about living in another country for six months, she figures it would be worth it; after all, she is playing the leading role!

Despite the fact that she is of Indian decent, Raveena has grown up in the USA and is unprepared for how India really is: extremely dirty, crowded and hot. Her hotel is a dump, and she is forced to move in temporarily with her seemingly crazy uncle. The director is lecherous and determined to get her into bed, and her costar, the extremely handsome and famous Indian movie star Siddharth, is charismatic and famous, but aloof and uninterested. Too bad Raveena is attracted to him.

Worst of all, the as-of-yet unwritten script turns out to be downright terrible. Raveena is afraid she has made a big mistake by accepting this offer to star in what will obviously be a flop of a movie. But she is determined to stick it out.

If the Indian food and water doesn't kill her first...

Just when it seems Raveena might have caught Siddharth's attention, she gets embroiled in a love triangle with India's number one actress, who is also interested in Siddharth.

Bollywood Confidential was a tantalizingly delicious read. Filled with glitz, glamour, poverty, backstabbing, and rivalry - I was hooked from the start. Raveena is a smart, admirable main heroine that I liked reading about. Sonia Singh has a fluid, engaging writing style that made me want to continue reading until the end.

The only downfall to this book was that it was a bit predictable overall. Also, the last couple of chapters were downright ridiculous and far-fetched, for the most part.

But overall, the great writing and engaging story line made up for any bad parts. I highly recommend this book to all who want to enjoy a great story about actresses and India.