King of Bollywood : Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema

Here is the astonishing true story of Bollywood, a sweeping portrait about a country finding its identity, a movie industry that changed the face of India, and one man's struggle to become a star. Shah Rukh Khan's larger than life tale takes us through the colorful and idiosyncratic Bollywood movie industry, where fantastic dreams and outrageous obsessions share the spotlight with extortion, murder, and corruption. Shah Rukh Khan broke into this $1.5 billion business despite the fact that it has always been controlled by a handful of legendary film families and sometimes funded by black market money. As a Muslim in a Hindu majority nation, exulting in classic Indian cultural values, Shah Rukh Khan has come to embody the aspirations and contradictions of a complicated culture tumbling headlong into American style capitalism. His story is the mirror to view the greater Indian story and the underbelly of the culture of Bollywood.


"A bounty for cinema lovers everywhere."
--Mira Nair, Director, The Namesake and Monsoon Wedding




Shah Rukh Khan is the superstar in the exploding $1.5 billion Bollywood industry. He is also the face of a glittering new India. Shah Rukh is an international phenomenon - he generates. Beatlemania-like hysteria around the world, at appearances and performances across the U.S., throughout Europe, and beyond. Now, for the first time, his legendary success story is brought to life in King of Bollywood.
This book reveals how Shah Rukh Khan, a middle-class Muslim boy from Delhi, broke into the insular, nepotistic world of Bombay show business and became a sensation. His larger-than-life tale takes us through colourful and idiosyncratic Bollywood, where fantastic dreams and outrageous obsessions share the spotlight with extortion, murder, and corruption.
King of Bollywood is the first comprehensive narrative account of Bollywood published in the U.S. and the story of Shah Rukh Khan's rise to the top serves as a scintillating introduction to India's billion-dollar movie industry. Internationally renowned film critic. Anupama Chopra combines her knowledge of Bollywood with firsthand interviews and exclusive photographs for an insider's look at Shah Rukh Khan and the world of Bollywood.

Here is a true story of Bollywood, a sweeping portrait of a country finding its identity, a movie industry that changed the face of India, and one man's struggle to become a star. Shah Rukh Khan's larger-than-life tale takes us through the colorful and idiosyncratic Bollywood movie industry, where fantastic dreams and outrageous obsessions share the spotlight with extortion, murder, and corruption. Khan broke into this $1.5 billion business despite the fact that it has always been controlled by a handfulof legendary film families and sometimes funded by black market money. As a Muslim in a Hindu majority nation, exulting in classic Indian cultural values, Khan has come to embody the aspirations and contradictions of a complicated culture tumbling headlong into American style capitalism. His story is a mirror to the greater Indian story and the underbelly of the culture of Bollywood.--From publisher description.

A cultural survey of the changes taking place in India's entertainment industry is presented through the career of one of its top stars, evaluating his unlikely success in a genre dominated by powerful film families and subject to violent and corrupt forces.

A cultural survey of the changes taking place in India's entertainment industry is presented through the career of one of its top stars, evaluating his unlikely success in a genre largely dominated by powerful film families and subject to violent and corrupt forces.