My book is not being judgmental about SRK!

My book is not being judgmental about SRK!

Bhavesha Maniar
Posted online: Friday, November 03, 2006 at 0000 hours IST

Still Reading Khan by Mushtaq Sheikh is on the best seller list of Non-Fiction. Screen chats up with author Mushtaq Sheikh...
How trying was it to write a book on such well-known public personality?
It was not only difficult but very difficult! When it comes to a celebrity everybody has a point of view concerning him or her. They think they know him well enough to voice their opinion. They react to his image as they perceive it to be! So as a writer to write a book on a celebrity who is not only a celebrity but a superstar the task definitely was arduous. Also you don’t know what the readers are expecting from you as the author. Plus there are media reports, magazines, newspapers, radio, television, the internet pouring information constantly about him. It was like a huge cobweb and it was upto me to find my perspective from this huge net that was built around the star. Thankfully I knew how to break this clutter and had a clear perspective about what I wanted to write about ShahRukh Khan. But it was not a cakewalk! It was difficult. More so because ShahRukh Khan is a difficult person to tap! He is always on the move. His span of attention is like that of a child and cannot pay heed to anything for more than five minutes. What is striking about the actor is that every time you meet him, he entertains you with something new. But at the end of the day I hope I have done justice to the persona.

Does the book expose his shortcomings as an actor and person?
I want to clarify that the book is not being judgmental about ShahRukh Khan. If people want to know about the controversies surrounding the actor they can just log on to google search engine and obtain all information about him. People I have spoken to, have spoken about him honestly. They have not given sugarcoated quotes just to please the star. They have been candid about him as the common man has been about his opinion on political leaders. People have spoken from the heart.

Even ShahRukh Khan is penning his biography
I have read some of the passages of ShahRukh Khan’s autobiography and it is no exaggeration when I say that the passages can make you laugh and cry at the same time. ShahRukh Khan is an intense writer and believe me if his work fails to be published people especially his fans will be deprived of not only wonderful work but also to learn what passionate writing is all about. ShahRukh Khan has taken a break from writing as of now. There was a time when he was intensely into it but since he is busy and on the move he has been unable to devote time for it. Compared to that I would describe my book as a film that was in the making for four years and it is finally going to hit the theatres.

What about hunting for a publisher. Did you have a tough time finding one?
No! I already had a book to my credit as an author so there were no problems as such. In fact things were easier because the subject matter of my book was ShahRukh Khan a brand name himself. I was not writing a book on Bonsai that it would take me ages to hunt for a publisher and by the time I’d actually find on who’d agree to publish my work my Bonsai would turn into a coniferous tree.

Do you think celebrity books are in demand in a developing country like ours?
As far as books about film and film personalities are concerned, I think there’s a vacuum that desperately needs to be filled. I have walked into book stores and I have observed that there are very few books written on Hindi cinema and India actors. It is a market that needs to be tapped. Here I need to mention that out of the millions and millions of Hindi film audience even if 2% buy my book my target is achieved.



What has been Shah Rukh’s reaction to your book?
I fleetingly mentioned to him that I should write a book on him. But when I began work on this book I chose not to involve him at all. I was well aware of the tight schedules that a star like ShahRukh Khan had and to constantly call him and ask him to provide me with information and photographs would be being very insensitive. I knew that it would work out best if I did all the groundwork myself. So I travelled to Delhi. Obtained all the information. And it is only when I saw it taking shape did I tell ShahRukh Khan that I was writing a book on him. Also I have observed that Shah Rukh is always interested in seeing something tangible. It is only then that he reacts instinctively immaterial whether it is good, bad or ugly.

People say that it is too early to write a book on ShahRukh Khan.
I don’t agree! I have travelled with him to different parts of the world and people are crazy about him. Fans just go berserk just to catch a glimpse of him. And to think that here was a man who right from his humble beginnings from Delhi came to Mumbai and who had no clout in the film industry and yet made a distinct place for himself today and became India’s biggest superstar. People feel that he must have made it easy. But no, he has not had it easy. He has slogged his butt and as they say God always helps those who help themselves. SRK is a shining example of it.

http://www.screenindia.com/fullstory.php?content_id=14047

from the book i did get the feeling that people that worked with srk in the tag group were maybe at some level jealous of srk and his sucess....(my opinion) they really didn't have great things to say about his acting style or movies

I wonder how many members have bought the book? Whoever's read it, why don't you start a review thread?

"It's difficult to hold SRK for more than 5 mins"

Wafa Didi once requested to post additional articles in seperate Threads and not to bury them in the
"Still Reading Khan..." Topic therfore I made a seperate Thread for this one.

by Bhavesha Maniar
Saturday, November 04, 2006; 14:26 IST
source: financialexpress.com

MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 4: Still Reading Khan by Mushtaq Sheikh is on the best seller list of Non-Fiction. Express chats up with author Mushtaq Sheikh...

How trying was it to write a book on such well-known public personality?

It was not only difficult but very difficult! When it comes to a celebrity everybody has a point of view concerning him or her. They think they know him well enough to voice their opinion. They react to his image as they perceive it to be!

So as a writer to write a book on a celebrity who is not only a celebrity but a superstar the task definitely was arduous. Also you don’t know what the readers are expecting from you as the author.
Plus there are media reports, magazines, newspapers, radio, television, the internet pouring information constantly about him. It was like a huge cobweb and it was upto me to find my perspective from this huge net that was built around the star.
Thankfully I knew how to break this clutter and had a clear perspective about what I wanted to write about ShahRukh Khan.
But it was not a cakewalk! It was difficult. More so because ShahRukh Khan is a difficult person to tap! He is always on the move. His span of attention is like that of a child and cannot pay heed to anything for more than five minutes. What is striking about the actor is that every time you meet him, he entertains you with something new.
But at the end of the day I hope I have done justice to the persona.

Does the book expose his shortcomings as an actor and person?

I want to clarify that the book is not being judgmental about ShahRukh Khan. If people want to know about the controversies surrounding the actor they can just log on to google search engine and obtain all information about him. People I have spoken to, have spoken about him honestly. They have not given sugarcoated quotes just to please the star. They have been candid about him as the common man has been about his opinion on political leaders. People have spoken from the heart.


Even ShahRukh Khan is penning his biography

I have read some of the passages of ShahRukh Khan’s autobiography and it is no exaggeration when I say that the passages can make you laugh and cry at the same time.
ShahRukh Khan is an intense writer and believe me if his work fails to be published people especially his fans will be deprived of not only wonderful work but also to learn what passionate writing is all about. ShahRukh Khan has taken a break from writing as of now.
There was a time when he was intensely into it but since he is busy and on the move he has been unable to devote time for it. Compared to that I would describe my book as a film that was in the making for four years and it is finally going to hit the theatres.

What about hunting for a publisher. Did you have a tough time finding one?

No! I already had a book to my credit as an author so there were no problems as such. In fact things were easier because the subject matter of my book was ShahRukh Khan a brand name himself.
I was not writing a book on Bonsai that it would take me ages to hunt for a publisher and by the time I’d actually find on who’d agree to publish my work my Bonsai would turn into a coniferous tree.

Do you think celebrity books are in demand in a developing country like ours?

As far as books about film and film personalities are concerned, I think there’s a vacuum that desperately needs to be filled. I have walked into book stores and I have observed that there are very few books written on Hindi cinema and India actors. It is a market that needs to be tapped.
Here I need to mention that out of the millions and millions of Hindi film audience even if 2% buy my book my target is achieved.

What has been Shah Rukh’s reaction to your book?

I fleetingly mentioned to him that I should write a book on him. But when I began work on this book I chose
not to involve him at all.
I was well aware of the tight schedules that a star like ShahRukh Khan had and to constantly call him and ask him to provide me with information and photographs would be being very insensitive. I knew that it would work out best if I did all the groundwork myself. So I travelled to Delhi. Obtained all the information. And it is only when I saw it taking shape did I tell ShahRukh Khan that I was writing a book on him.
Also I have observed that Shah Rukh is always interested in seeing something tangible. It is only then that he reacts instinctively immaterial whether it is good, bad or ugly.

People say that it is too early to write a book on ShahRukh Khan.

I don’t agree! I have travelled with him to different parts of the world and people are crazy about him. Fans just go berserk just to catch a glimpse of him. And to think that here was a man who right from his humble beginnings from Delhi came to Mumbai and who had no clout in the film industry and yet made a distinct place for himself today and became India’s biggest superstar. People feel that he must have made it easy. But no, he has not had it easy. He has slogged his butt and as they say God always helps those who help themselves. SRK is a shining example of it.

Re: "It's difficult to hold SRK for more than 5 mins"

India’s biggest superstar. Thanks for sharing Gia

Re: "It's difficult to hold SRK for more than 5 mins"

!!

awww! i reallyy want this book! thanks x

Re: "It's difficult to hold SRK for more than 5 mins"

which is not too bad i think. i like shahrukh khan

Re: "It's difficult to hold SRK for more than 5 mins"

i have to send 50 post b4 i can view the images so sorry if im chattin crap

Re: "It's difficult to hold SRK for more than 5 mins"

i going to go now and chat in another topic i think so anyway bye 5 secs

Re: "It's difficult to hold SRK for more than 5 mins"

If it was so, dear Mushtaq, you've bored him!!! Otherwise, you know, even comparing ShahRukh to a child, there are children, when they are interested in something, they have a span of attention far more than 5 mn. Ask ShahRukh, he knows it!!!!

Yesterday I worked on that Interview and was a little confused...I'm not sure if I like that guy or not. On some parts I had have a mysterious impression...about how he speaks about Shahrukh. And than I thought they are old friends..in this interview it sounds other.

But I like the part in a way, how he describes Shahrukh as writer.....when he does something than with passion an in the best possible way.

Me, too, Michaela, I wondered a little. After having read more than the half of the book, I think it's not a real friendship between ShahRukh and Mushtaq, but something more on the surface.

sometimes i totally agree with you, but sometimes i think he sounds like a good friend to him.
don`t know how to share it, so i will do it here.
i have finished the book and sometimes it was difficult for me to read, because its the first english book in my life. sometimes i feel very close to shahrukh while i am reading it, so that i can`t take the book away without thefeeling of loosing the closeness. mushtaq sometimes wrote in way that you feel very close to shahrukh and to all what happend during his carreer and in his life.
after finishing the book i had the feeling, that i had to say him what my meening is about his still reading khan. i took a long time about thinking if i shall write to him. finally i do.
i never thought that he would really reply. but he did. in such a sweet way that you know he has read your message, because he entered into details of your message. i was happy when i heard from him. i can imangine that some things he wrote , he wrote it in his own feelings. but shahrukh could live with how it sounds from his mouth. if he wouldn`t like the book, he wouldn`t allow to release.
i was happy got get an reply from a person who is near to him. i hope you can understand my feelings.

WOW!!! You've got a reply from him!! I've sent a mail too, but no answer...


I had mixed feelings on the book too, I know it well because I'm translating part of it in French, as I'm sure no one else will ever do this, and sometimes he seems to know Shahrukh pretty well like his personal life, his acting, his carreer, and then, he starts on another subject, like erotism in Hindi movie, very technical and not about Shahrukh anymore..

Also, he did really stupid mistakes in dates and he just speaks about the movies HE liked, so I couldn't read about the movies I like in his book!! And of course, the whole chapter on brands and adds, that we know nothing about in France...

But it's the only book so far, except for Hall of Fame, I'm really looking forward to reading the next one, which should be out early January, if I'm not mistaken!!

Thanks for sharing, Still Reading Khan is a big part of my life right now, it is great to have someone else talking about it!!

We did not write a Mail to him....that's an interview.

I was repplying to Andrea who wrote a mail to Musthaq who answered to her!!! At the end of the book, he put an email address to contact him to get writers' comments direct to him!!

She received a reply and I didn't and my message was a reply to hers...

I had the same impression and I expectetd a lot more from this book. For my taste there is too much film related technical/theoretical stuff and he seems to jump randomly from subject to subject. There is nothing slightly personal in the actual SRK interview bits, why wouldn´t I try to confirm some personal details/points of view with the person I´m writing about?

My feelings, exactly!! He didn't leave enough room to Shahrukh to express his views about acting!!

I was looking forward to learning more about some behind-the-scenes stuff, his relations with people. In the various interviews, the author spoke about interviewing Shahrukh's kids and sister, his in-laws, people close to him, but we got only his friends, film industry people and a wonderful but small piece by Gauri. I was hopping to find more about Shahrukh "by himself" in this book, anyway, I'm happy this way but looking for more nevertheless...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this book, though

the same to me. i am allways looking for news about him. i want to know, how the person shahrukh is in reality. but we only have friends who can tell us or people like wafa, weda and others who met him. and that is only a very small part of him, he shows us.