Fantasies of a Bollywood Love Thief: Inside the World of Indian Moviemaking [Paperback]

Stephen Alter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 6, 2007

Bollywood movies are glorious, colorful spectacles of romance, action, drama, song, and dance. The biggest film industry in the world, Bollywood puts out some nine hundred movies a year, which are watched by passionate fans around the globe.

Stephen Alter—a writer who grew up in India and has inside access to Bollywood—acts as translator and tour guide in this firsthand look into the world of Bombay films. Following the making of a Bollywood version of Othello, he explores the enormous popularity of Hindi movies and reveals the actors, directors, musicians, and feats of artifice that make them so compelling and unique. From the blessing ceremony performed each time a movie starts shooting to the secrets behind the song- and-dance extravaganzas, Fantasies of a Bollywood Love-Thief is a beguiling introduction to the rituals and culture of a moviemaking industry so similar to and yet utterly different from our own.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Indian cinema goes by the shorthand Bollywood, which refers to Hindi-language films produced in Mumbai (formerly Bombay). The style of filmmaking is distinct—elaborate plots, lots of song and dance and colorful costumes. It's got its own celebrities, and a fan base bigger than the combined population of Europe and America. Producing more than 900 movies a year, Bollywood is an exotic mystery to Westerners. Alter (Elephas Maximus) lives and works in India; he's a natural guide into this complex world. He explains that Bollywood films are made by entrepreneurs rather than studios, with hit songs propelling the films, and along the way discusses the plots, the stars and the creators. Because romance is a key plot device, the love thief, a character who steals another's heart, boasts enduring appeal. Much of the book is devoted to the making of Omkara, an updated, uniquely Indian take on Shakespeare's Othello. Alter clearly loves the medium and sprinkles in a history of this fascinating industry, but by covering the production of just one film—however evocative—he doesn't fully capture the industry. (Aug.)
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Review

PRAISE FOR ELEPHAS MAXIMUS

"Magical and fascinating."—THE BOSTON GLOBE

"Deftly blend[s] Indian history and culture with current debates about animal conservation . . . Joyous."—THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE

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Product Details

• Paperback: 260 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; 1st Ed. edition (August 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156030845
• ISBN-13: 978-0156030847
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #622,222 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "We'll have to sort things out creatively", August 26, 2007

By 

--corinne-- (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fantasies of a Bollywood Love Thief: Inside the World of Indian Moviemaking (Paperback)

Stephen Alter notes an off-hand comment by an assistant director of the film Omkara could be the motto of the Hindi film industry, also known as Bollywood: "Hum ko creatively sort out karna padega" ("We'll have to sort things out creatively"). Improvisation is a skill people must have in the Indian movie industry. Indicative of Bollywood in general, the makers of Omkara wear many hats: the director is also a co-writer of the screenplay & the composer of its music and Ajay Devgan's secretary (similar to an American actor's agent) is also the producer of the film.
This work primarily focuses on the making of the 2006 film Omkara, a retelling of Shakespeare's tragedy Othello, starring Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan, and Kareena Kapoor. Alter compliments following the making of Omkara by interlacing his narrative with meetings and interviews of Hindi film industry luminaries such as actor Dev Anand, song lyricist and poet Gulzar, poster artist M. F. Husain, directors Madhur Bhandarkar, Shyam Benegal, Shekhar Kapur, Govind Nihalani, Soham Shah, and experts who specialize in different areas of the industry.
This was an effortless and involving work of nonfiction to sink into & Mr. Alter's writing is accomplished. If you are interested in learning more about what goes into creating & completing a film in the Bollywood film industry with current information "Fantasies of a Bollywood Love Thief" fits the bill. I found the narrative's conclusion to be somewhat abrupt, but the book was involving and engaging from beginning to end. The end book matter includes a bibliography for the book's few in-text citations & a comprehensive index.

Link to the movie: Omkara

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Peek behind the camera, January 30, 2008

By 

Cathytg "cathytg" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fantasies of a Bollywood Love Thief: Inside the World of Indian Moviemaking (Paperback)

Man, I enjoyed this! Alter does not have an earthshakingly great prose style, and he doesn't have the most piercing insights or analysis into the world of Hindi cinema -- but what he does have is real affection for the film world, and ACCESS. His cousin is a longtime industry figure, and in the insular world of Bollywood, once you have a connection you are hooked up with everyone, apparently.

Alter concentrates on the making of the film "Omkara" (very good; go see it), from the initial concept through to the cast and crew screening in Mumbai. We get to see a lot of the movie-making process -- although, because "Omkara" is not a very typical Bollywood film, I think what we're seeing is a little different from the norm. He also digresses in all kinds of fascinating directions -- the preference for light-skinned actors, the ties between film stars and product advertisements, the influence of the Hindu ultra-nationalist party the Shiv Sena and its thugs on Indian culture and politics. He tours a studio, hangs out with Bollywood legend Dev Anand, and watches the filming of a dance number in front of a mock-up of the Taj Mahal in 110-degree heat.

I wish he had touched on any of these subjects with a little more depth and insight (this is a short book, and could have been twice as long), and I wish he had given some more background on the many films and actors he mentions. Nonetheless "Fantasies of a Bollywood Love Thief" is a pure delight for any fan of Hindi films, full of tidbits of information. And as a little bonus, you get grainy black and white photos of stars and crew working on "Omkara." Looking good, Vivek!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good Book and insight on the culture of movie producing in Bollywood, March 27, 2011

By 

prya - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Fantasies of a Bollywood Love Thief: Inside the World of Indian Moviemaking (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book. It takes you through the production process of the bollywood film Omkara which is a masala film. A masala film is what movie goers in India call a melodrama film. In real life Masala is a specific mix of spices used for cooking. You can buy the (garam) masala in the store or you can buy the different spices and make it yourself. These spices infuse the body temperature literaly. So the author compares the film Omkara to Bollywood Industry masala film. If you are into hindi films and Indian comtempary culture you will enjoy this book. If you are into video production and cinematography you will also enjoy this as well.