Because He Is...

by Meghna Gulzar

All of us know Gulzar as a film-maker, screenplay and dialogue writer, lyricist par excellence, author and poet. Because He Is... presents a facet of the icon that none of us are aware of -- as a father. In iridescent prose, his daughter, Meghna, documents his life, revealing the man behind the in every way a hands-on father, who prepared her for school without fail every day, braiding her hair and tying her shoelaces, and who despite his busy career in cinema, always made it a point to end his workday at 4 p.m. because her school ended at that time, and who wrote a book for her birthday every year till she was thirteen. From her earliest memories of waking up in the morning to the strains of him playing the sitar to him writing the songs for her films now, Meghna presents an intimate portrait of a father who indulged her in every way and yet raised her to be independent and confident of the choices she made. She also records his phenomenal creative oeuvre, the many trials and tribulations of his personal and professional life, through all of which she remained a priority. Beautifully designed and illustrated with never-before-seen photographs, Because He Is... offers an incredible insight into the bond between a father and a daughter.

232 pages, Hardcover

First published January 6, 2004

Reviews

[dunkdaft · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much has been written about him which I've kept reading till now. Then, there is one beautiful book, Conversations with Nasreen Munni Kabir. So, I thought, what could be left now? How engaging this account of life of the beloved writer poet? But afterall, it was his own daughter who is penning this down. And indeed, that is the thing which makes it so special.

Talking about Gulzar's life as seen and as heard from him by his only daughter, Meghna - Bosky. A life account, that starts on really moving prologue by Gulzar himself. Further, Meghna's words aren't less magical. Often you get overwhelmed and moved by the events described. Be it her own birth, her wedding, love and separation of her parents, her parents becoming grandparents... And so on. What makes it more special, are beautiful, perfectly placed poems at the end of each chapter. Most of them, unpublished, a treat for readers. (Not to forget, the translation by Yashvant Vyas, who did complete justice). Add to this, the rare photos, another treat.

As it happens every time, such books makes my watchlist, playlist, and to-read list - longer. Happened here too. And I'm not at all complaining.

[Fiza Pathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a really moving read. Well penned & perfection achieved ! To get a look into the public & private life of Gulzar is to also get to know his uniqueness in Bollywood & his contribution to the arts. This book only made me love Gulzar more. I hope his river of poems, stories & writings continue to encourage & rejuvenate the artistic life of young aspiring Indians in the arts for a long time to come. To know more about the writer Gulzar & his work in chronological order, this book is a good start.

[Ankita Chauhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

PERFECT WINDOW TO HAVE A LOOK AT YOUR FAVOURITE POET'S LIFE. MUST READ.

[Mohd. Arshad · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful journey of a writer’s life.
Deeply encouraging and inspiring.

[Sumit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Gulzar and always want to know about his life. This book is very good in fulfilling my that desire but now the desire to know more arises. This book is a sketch of Gulzar's such a long illustrated life in very interesting manner.

I think the only person who will tell us more about Gulzar. other than his poems, films is Gulzar itself. I hope that someday I will be reading biography of Gulzar written by Gulzar.

[Piyusha Vir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the endearing and heartwarming book of a daughter's take of her father's life and accomplishments.