The Longest Kiss: Devika Raniâs unusual story mirrors formative years of Bombay s film industry and its elite mores
Kishwar Desaiâs biography of arguably Hindi cinemaâs first female superstar registers historical moments in the nascent Bollywood of 1930s and 40s
20 Jan, 2021
In many ways, the particularity of an epoch and the place often creeps into a biographical sketch. This is the case in
The Longest Kiss: The Life and Times of Devika Rani by Kishwar Desai, an account of the unusual journey of arguably the first female superstar of Hindi cinema. The historical register of Bombay of the 1930s and 40s finds its way into the pages of the book, even if that may not have been the intention. While Desai doesnât let the leading lady slip out of the narrative frame, the book offers some slices of evolving elite and middle-class mores in Indiaâs western metropolis in the first half of the twentieth century.
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By Vishnu Makhijani
New Delhi– “I hope that I have managed to establish who Devika Rani really was. A rebellious and unusually talented and beautiful woman, a great actress and studio head who changed the course of Indian cinema in many ways, despite her intense personal suffering. A pioneer then and now,” writes author Kishwar Desai of “The Longest Kiss” (Westland), the biography of India’s first international superstar in the 1930s and 1940s.
“I hope this book will be of help to others who care to study this very important phase in Indian cinema, with its passion, idealism and entrepreneurship, in the days before it became a business like any other,” adds Desai, whose husband, Lord Meghnad Desai is a lifetime member of Britain’s House of Lords.
Devika Rani was an enigma to most - but not anymore(Book Review)
By
Vishnu Makhijani ( IANS) |
Published on
Mon, Dec 21 2020 19:12 IST |
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Devika Rani was an enigma to most â but not any more. Image Source: IANS News
New Delhi, Dec 21 : I hope that I have managed to establish who Devika Rani really was. A rebellious and unusually talented and beautiful woman, a great actress and studio head who changed the course of Indian cinema in many ways, despite her intense personal suffering. A pioneer then and now, writes author Kishwar Desai of The Longest Kiss (Westland), the biography of India s first international superstar in the 1930s and 1940s.