To be or not to be: Amitabh Bachchan (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Pictorial biography of Amitabh Bachchan, b. 1942, Hindi film star, brought out on the ocassion of his 60th birthday.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 399 pages
• Publisher: Saraswati Creations (2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 8190151703
• ISBN-13: 978-8190151702
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,999,690 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for all Indians, July 16, 2003

By	AMIT ANSHU (Gurgaon, India) - See all my reviews

JAYA BACHCHAN gave a wonderful gift to hubby dear on his 60th Birthday - the book To be or not to be Amitabh Bachchan.
The book is wonderfully written and presented, full of rare pictures. The critical analysis of the Big B's career, and the open-heart flowing Interview are the key highlights of the book. The sections written by Abhishek, Shweta and Jaya are also quite impressive.

An absolutely "must read" book for every Indian considering the status of our most loved icon ever. For all die-hard Big B fans, this book is surely a collector's item.

3.0 out of 5 stars A Love Letter to Amitabh Bachchan, January 26, 2006

By	Himanshu Mahendra (Baltimore, MD (USA)) - See all my reviews

Being fond of Amitabh Bachchan films from my childhood, I decided to look for a credible biography of this icon of Indian cinema. There are precious few books out there, that try to delve into the persona of the man behind the larger-than-life image. I must iterate, I am not interested in 'gossipy' stuff (I could not care less about the alleged affair with Rekha, the Bofors scandal, etc.). What I was looking for, was a detailed view into the psyche of the man who has been the hero of billions of Indians, and also a peek into the creative process of his most famous films - Zanjeer, Deewar, Sholay, Trishul, etc.

I got what I was looking for - just not to the depth I wanted to plumb. The book is dominated by a Q&A between the interviewer (author) and the famous star. Amitabh is a consummate professional, and a master diplomat. There is precious little candour, and too much of the "I'm just a regular jobbing actor", "My colleagues are/were such wonderful people", and other such 'safe' platitudes. Those of us who are looking to understand the man who rose to astronomical heights of fame, fought a life-and-death battle during the infamous 'Coolie' accident, survived the ruthless game of politics, made several comebacks, teetered on the brink of oblivion with the ABCL debacle are going to be sorely disappointed because precious little OBJECTIVE insight is offered.

If the photos are eliminated, what really is left in terms of matter?

Make no mistakes: this is a coffee table book with lots of lovely pictures. It is what it is: a love letter by Amitabh's family and the author to him on his 60th birthday.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, August 18, 2003

By A Customer

This is an excellent book to add to a collection of memorabilia. The book is really good quality. It's not available...in many places and I suggest buying it!