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Yeh Un Dinoñ Ki Baat Hai: Urdu Memoirs of Cinema Legends
Peppered with heartfelt accounts and charming anecdotes, Urdu film magazines were in great favour with the public from the 1930s through the 1990s – a considerable period of seven decades. Unfortunately, as Urdu got progressively marginalised in later years, these magazines were not archived, for the most part; leading to their inevitable disappearance from popular imagination. Tracking down these lost publications, Yasir Abbasi followed leads – some futile, some fruitful – to obscure towns and people's homes in a last-ditch effort to save valuable records of Indian cinema. As challenging as it was to locate faded issues and original texts, he managed to uncover and translate many fabulous memoirs covering a wide gamut of our favourite old artistes at their candid best. A gloom-laced piece on Meena Kumari by Nargis, a rollicking description by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan of an eventful evening with Manto (not to mention a mysterious woman and a house on fire), Jaidev writing about his chequered career, Balraj Sahni introspecting about the relevance of Hindi and Urdu in films – it's a rich mix of engrossing narratives brought back from oblivion.
- GenresNonfiction
560 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 18, 2018
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August 22, 2021If you want to know why the 1950s is called the golden period of Indian cinema, then you need to read this book. It's like having a conversation with legends of Hindi cinema. Nargis will tell you about how Meena Kumari died a lonely death. The music director Jaidev who gave evergreen songs will talk about how Sahir Ludhianvi one of the greatest lyricists was responsible for his success as well as his downfall. How a benevolent gentleman offered the job of a gatekeeper at Metro cinema to Ajit, one of the greatest villains of Hindi cinema. How his Hindu brothers protected Kamal Amrohi during the Communal riots at Sion in Mumbai.
My favorites:
1.Since his arrival in Bombay, Sahir has produced more money than poems - not for himself but for the taxi driver. Friends, taxis, and omelettes - these are among the highlights of his life.
- Kaifi Azmi
2.Asif saheb (director of Mughal-E-Azam) laughed and threw the bundle back. "Sethji, do you think I am a broker? If my friend comes to know that I did this for money, what would he think of me? Also you are offering fifty thousand to a man who is capable of earning fifty crores.
- Naushad.
3.Mughal-E-Azam rained gold and not money on the distributors, but the creator (K. Asif) of the film continued to live in a rented house and travel in a taxi.
- Naushad
4.To cut a long story short - the year was 1947; when Indians were all of a sudden told that they were not Indians but Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs. The mother's statement ("Balya, now you are our only hope!") was soaked in helplessness, but it was so poignant that it led Sunil Dutt on the path of a lasting battle against fanaticism.
- Dr. Rahi Masoom Raza
5.Mohammed Yusuf Sarwar Khan (Dilip Kumar) turned things around to inspire superlative actors (Amitabh Bachan, Kamal Haasan, Aamir Khan) across generations to come.
-Yassir Abbasi
Cinema was not a source of money for them; it was a passion for them. It was in their blood and that is what made the 1950s the golden period of Hindi Cinema.
I grew up in Mumbai and for me, Hindi cinema was not cinema but religion.
My favorites:
1.Since his arrival in Bombay, Sahir has produced more money than poems - not for himself but for the taxi driver. Friends, taxis, and omelettes - these are among the highlights of his life.
- Kaifi Azmi
2.Asif saheb (director of Mughal-E-Azam) laughed and threw the bundle back. "Sethji, do you think I am a broker? If my friend comes to know that I did this for money, what would he think of me? Also you are offering fifty thousand to a man who is capable of earning fifty crores.
- Naushad.
3.Mughal-E-Azam rained gold and not money on the distributors, but the creator (K. Asif) of the film continued to live in a rented house and travel in a taxi.
- Naushad
4.To cut a long story short - the year was 1947; when Indians were all of a sudden told that they were not Indians but Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs. The mother's statement ("Balya, now you are our only hope!") was soaked in helplessness, but it was so poignant that it led Sunil Dutt on the path of a lasting battle against fanaticism.
- Dr. Rahi Masoom Raza
5.Mohammed Yusuf Sarwar Khan (Dilip Kumar) turned things around to inspire superlative actors (Amitabh Bachan, Kamal Haasan, Aamir Khan) across generations to come.
-Yassir Abbasi
Cinema was not a source of money for them; it was a passion for them. It was in their blood and that is what made the 1950s the golden period of Hindi Cinema.
I grew up in Mumbai and for me, Hindi cinema was not cinema but religion.
November 14, 2020
इश्क़ की दास्तान हैं प्यारे
अपनी-अपनी ज़ुबान हैं प्यारे !
4.5/5 A surprisingly good read that caught my eye in the library’s movies section. The author has painstakingly collected articles from Urdu film magazines spanning decades , and selected and translated them himself. So, we have a piece-to-die-for by a great like Naushad on K.Asif and the making of Mughal-e-Azam. Despite having read a book on the making of Mughal-e-Azam earlier, this felt like out of this world !
There is another mindblowing piece on “Manikda” (Satyajit Ray) and the making of “Shatranj ke Khiladi” by Javed Siddiqui. What a joy to read about Ray’s perfectionism !
There are a no. of other pieces - 30 in total by famous actors, directors, musicians, lyricists, script-writers and most of them were a delight to read. However, I ended up skipping 6 autobiographical pieces as the artists were totally unknown to me.
Finally, worth a read for cinema buffs !
अपनी-अपनी ज़ुबान हैं प्यारे !
4.5/5 A surprisingly good read that caught my eye in the library’s movies section. The author has painstakingly collected articles from Urdu film magazines spanning decades , and selected and translated them himself. So, we have a piece-to-die-for by a great like Naushad on K.Asif and the making of Mughal-e-Azam. Despite having read a book on the making of Mughal-e-Azam earlier, this felt like out of this world !
There is another mindblowing piece on “Manikda” (Satyajit Ray) and the making of “Shatranj ke Khiladi” by Javed Siddiqui. What a joy to read about Ray’s perfectionism !
There are a no. of other pieces - 30 in total by famous actors, directors, musicians, lyricists, script-writers and most of them were a delight to read. However, I ended up skipping 6 autobiographical pieces as the artists were totally unknown to me.
Finally, worth a read for cinema buffs !
February 11, 2019
This book from is such a lovely read that took me to through time bringing some very well known Hindi film personalities and some not so well known through its pages. The beauty of this book which is a collection of carefully selected pieces from Urdu film magazines (which were hugely popular at one point of time before what is known as film tabloids took over) is that it also features lyricists and script writers and not just actors and directors.
Comprising of three sections: Khaakay - Pen Portraits; Aap Beeti - Reminiscences and Nuqta-e-Nazar – Perspectives; this book is a delight for Hindi film enthusiasts. The pen portraits section not only serves as profiles of various film artistes but bring out the camaraderie of people struggling to get a foothold in the film industry, the role of mentors and associations and of course, the rivalries and frictions.
The book also features photographs of film shoots as well as film posters. I will recommend this book in case you love to read about the Hindi film industry. It is a very intimate look at the Hindi film industry, one that continues to enthrall people across generations and language.
Comprising of three sections: Khaakay - Pen Portraits; Aap Beeti - Reminiscences and Nuqta-e-Nazar – Perspectives; this book is a delight for Hindi film enthusiasts. The pen portraits section not only serves as profiles of various film artistes but bring out the camaraderie of people struggling to get a foothold in the film industry, the role of mentors and associations and of course, the rivalries and frictions.
The book also features photographs of film shoots as well as film posters. I will recommend this book in case you love to read about the Hindi film industry. It is a very intimate look at the Hindi film industry, one that continues to enthrall people across generations and language.
November 19, 2019
An almost unbelievable collection of pieces by stars of the Golden Age of Hindi cinema (add a decade or two on either end). Digging out such gems from now-defunct Urdu magazines and then translating them into lucid English was clearly a labour of love... and it shows!
The highlight is the galaxy of stars who have written beautifully and objectively about their contemporaries: Nargis about Meena Kumari, Kaifi Azmi about Sahir, Rahi Masoom Raza about Sunil Dutt, Naushad about K Asif and (my favourite one) Javed Siddiqui about Satyajit Ray. That section alone makes the book a collector's item.
The highlight is the galaxy of stars who have written beautifully and objectively about their contemporaries: Nargis about Meena Kumari, Kaifi Azmi about Sahir, Rahi Masoom Raza about Sunil Dutt, Naushad about K Asif and (my favourite one) Javed Siddiqui about Satyajit Ray. That section alone makes the book a collector's item.
January 4, 2019
Before I begin, I convey my sincerest gratitude to Bloomsbury India for giving me the opportunity to review such a gem of a read. And I solemnly swear to safeguard this priceless piece of literary brilliance from the gnawing clutches of oblivion.
Yeh Un Dinoñ Ki Baat Hai should not be viewed nor read as merely a collection of Urdu articles, memoirs, and anecdotes related to Indian Cinema. Instead, this book should be perceived as the timeless effort of an individual, a devout film fanatic, who did not lose hope to bring forth this treasure trove of the lives of Indian Cinema legends. Such perseverance and hardwork, I assure you, has paid off very well. Beginning the new year with one of the most brilliant nonfiction books by an Indian writer is more than a feeling of bliss. I am glad I came across such a book.
Each and every article complied in Yeh Un Dinoñ Ki Baat Hai has an air of nostalgia emanating through every word. To look back to a past I was not a part of ignites a sense of awe within. Each memoir presents to the reader the two entities of every artiste — the personal self dominates the public entity in these anecdotes. Therefore, to critique the book's content for the sake of my job as a book blogger would be an unethical step on my part. I would rather focus on the technical aspect of the book.
To begin with, the contents of the book have been arranged very intelligently, so that the reader's attention is easily captured from the very first page of the book. The translations begin with the articles on cinema legends written by other cinema legends themselves. This list is initiated with Nargis's writeup on the account of Meena Kumari's unfortunate demise. On humanitarian grounds, one can perceive this style of content arrangement as a very significant aspect of the book; with the magazine article by Nargis, the book establishes the fact that this nonfiction read is a solemn tribute to the heydays of Indian Cinema encapsulated in Urdu film magazines, when the world of entertainment witnessed the emergence of some of the most outstanding people in the realm of Films and Cinema. The other feature I admire in Yeh Un Dinoñ Ki Baat Hai is how the translator challenges his work by presenting a memorable transliterated excerpt from the original Urdu text. Though hailed as an important skill in English literature on the global platform, translation is detested by many people, because of one reason — the possibility of losing the natural essence that is retained in an original text. Like the way Bengali readers complain that the translations of Rabindranath Tagore's writings can never capture the raw flavour that can only be found in the original Bengali text, a similar question can be raised by Urdu speakers themselves. However, this question of natural flavour is rendered nonexistent in Yeh Un Dinoñ Ki Baat Hai. The translations have been done with much care, so that the beauty of the original text is not lost in translation. And to unintentionally test one's skills of translation by presenting excerpt of the original text is a big step indeed. Some way or the other, it reflects the dexterity of the individual in the skill of translation. To capture the genuine beauty in a different language is not an easy task, but Abbasi presents it as if it were a person's cup of tea.
In this book of anecdotes, the Introduction page moved me a lot. I wouldn't exactly call this desperation. It is, rather, sacred respect towards film magazines that drove the writer towards this endeavour. And, a note of appreciation is just not enough. The patience and perseverance to compile the magazine articles, the memoirs, the write-ups...all this is immeasurable and unfathomable to readers like us. Therefore, I solemnly swear to safeguard this book, because I won't let the ravages of time trample upon the past glories of Indian Cinema.
Other than the brilliant translation work done by Yasir Abbasi himself, one cannot forget how Geetika Narang Abbasi's portraits have etched a mark in the reader's heart. To describe the portraits as being beautiful is an understatement. Though I am not an art connoisseur myself (my art skills are limited to stickmen, and tracing), the sketches are beyond words of expression. Kudos to the illustrator for her wonderful work!
Urdu should not be considered as a language of a particular religious community. In a democratic and secular country where saffronisation is desperate to hoist its orange flag, such prejudices regarding Urdu and its speakers is a latent support to irrational theocratic ideas. A language is the strongest weapon of a people. It is language that unites ideas, thoughts, and brings its speakers in one unified whole. Let not language be viewed as a signifier of religion. Let language be respected for what it is. I convey my best wishes to the writer for his future endeavours.
Yeh Un Dinoñ Ki Baat Hai should not be viewed nor read as merely a collection of Urdu articles, memoirs, and anecdotes related to Indian Cinema. Instead, this book should be perceived as the timeless effort of an individual, a devout film fanatic, who did not lose hope to bring forth this treasure trove of the lives of Indian Cinema legends. Such perseverance and hardwork, I assure you, has paid off very well. Beginning the new year with one of the most brilliant nonfiction books by an Indian writer is more than a feeling of bliss. I am glad I came across such a book.
Each and every article complied in Yeh Un Dinoñ Ki Baat Hai has an air of nostalgia emanating through every word. To look back to a past I was not a part of ignites a sense of awe within. Each memoir presents to the reader the two entities of every artiste — the personal self dominates the public entity in these anecdotes. Therefore, to critique the book's content for the sake of my job as a book blogger would be an unethical step on my part. I would rather focus on the technical aspect of the book.
To begin with, the contents of the book have been arranged very intelligently, so that the reader's attention is easily captured from the very first page of the book. The translations begin with the articles on cinema legends written by other cinema legends themselves. This list is initiated with Nargis's writeup on the account of Meena Kumari's unfortunate demise. On humanitarian grounds, one can perceive this style of content arrangement as a very significant aspect of the book; with the magazine article by Nargis, the book establishes the fact that this nonfiction read is a solemn tribute to the heydays of Indian Cinema encapsulated in Urdu film magazines, when the world of entertainment witnessed the emergence of some of the most outstanding people in the realm of Films and Cinema. The other feature I admire in Yeh Un Dinoñ Ki Baat Hai is how the translator challenges his work by presenting a memorable transliterated excerpt from the original Urdu text. Though hailed as an important skill in English literature on the global platform, translation is detested by many people, because of one reason — the possibility of losing the natural essence that is retained in an original text. Like the way Bengali readers complain that the translations of Rabindranath Tagore's writings can never capture the raw flavour that can only be found in the original Bengali text, a similar question can be raised by Urdu speakers themselves. However, this question of natural flavour is rendered nonexistent in Yeh Un Dinoñ Ki Baat Hai. The translations have been done with much care, so that the beauty of the original text is not lost in translation. And to unintentionally test one's skills of translation by presenting excerpt of the original text is a big step indeed. Some way or the other, it reflects the dexterity of the individual in the skill of translation. To capture the genuine beauty in a different language is not an easy task, but Abbasi presents it as if it were a person's cup of tea.
In this book of anecdotes, the Introduction page moved me a lot. I wouldn't exactly call this desperation. It is, rather, sacred respect towards film magazines that drove the writer towards this endeavour. And, a note of appreciation is just not enough. The patience and perseverance to compile the magazine articles, the memoirs, the write-ups...all this is immeasurable and unfathomable to readers like us. Therefore, I solemnly swear to safeguard this book, because I won't let the ravages of time trample upon the past glories of Indian Cinema.
Other than the brilliant translation work done by Yasir Abbasi himself, one cannot forget how Geetika Narang Abbasi's portraits have etched a mark in the reader's heart. To describe the portraits as being beautiful is an understatement. Though I am not an art connoisseur myself (my art skills are limited to stickmen, and tracing), the sketches are beyond words of expression. Kudos to the illustrator for her wonderful work!
Urdu should not be considered as a language of a particular religious community. In a democratic and secular country where saffronisation is desperate to hoist its orange flag, such prejudices regarding Urdu and its speakers is a latent support to irrational theocratic ideas. A language is the strongest weapon of a people. It is language that unites ideas, thoughts, and brings its speakers in one unified whole. Let not language be viewed as a signifier of religion. Let language be respected for what it is. I convey my best wishes to the writer for his future endeavours.
November 24, 2020
3.5/5
While the book provides quite a bit of new information/information from a different perspective, I feel something lacking. May be it is because of the translation. The revelation of some of the characters was quite shocking! We read about some incidents in magazines but they were superficial and perhaps from a different perspective. A must-read for a film-buff.
While the book provides quite a bit of new information/information from a different perspective, I feel something lacking. May be it is because of the translation. The revelation of some of the characters was quite shocking! We read about some incidents in magazines but they were superficial and perhaps from a different perspective. A must-read for a film-buff.
June 19, 2020
The anecdotes and stories are reminiscent of a time which has long since passed. I do, however, wish the author had made available more bits of the original articles as opposed to providing translations in English. Some of the excerpts shared had more of an impact than the translated text of the article. I think it would become more appealing to an Indian audience then.
January 1, 2019
The tradition here is to worship the rising sun - no one is bothered about a sinking one. At a place where bloom of youth is the yardstick, who cares for dropping shadows?
So many companions have gone away right before my eyes. All kinds of friends - affable and articulate - have moved on, while I am left reminiscing and writing down the memories. Memories - the earnings from one's existence that keep the lamp of life burning bright. One day the lamp of my life will get snuffed out too, and I'll get added to the cumbersome memories of someone else's mind. Such is life.- Kidar Sharma, Yaadein, Yaadein, published in Shama - January 1982
A beautiful collection of memories from the lives of yesteryears legends from Bollywood industries.
During the period from 1930 - 1990, Urdu magazines favoured Hindi cinemas. All the cinema advertisements, interviews, memoirs used to get printed in Urdu. In 1947, after the partition, Urdu remained the national language in Pakistan. But India declared Hindi as its national language. Still, with the similarity of Urdu with Hindi, the magazines published the filmy sections. It was claimed that the language used in Hindi films was Hindustani. But with time, as the usage of Urdu diminished, these Urdu magazines stopped getting printed. Most of these magazines were not archived. So, most of the contents disappeared as the magazines folded up.
The author Yasir Abbasi put so much effort to track down the memoirs that got lost as the popularity of Urdu language decreased. Most of the collections in the book are from the Urdu magazine Shama, where many of the heartfelt accounts of Hindi Cinema personalities was published during the period from 1930 - 1990. Abbasi not only tracked down such articles but also translated them from the original Urdu language.
There are few legends about whom I loved reading in the book: Meena Kumari, Ashok & Kishore Kumar, Prithviraj Kapoor, K. Asif, Sa'adat Hasan Manto, Sunil Dutt, Satyajit Ray, Meena Shorey, Ajit, Johnny Walker, Kidar Sharma. The pencil sketch portraits are very beautiful. Not to forget the Urdu snippets, gazals mentioned as and when relevant.
A very good collection that opens the window to the untold stories and memories of cinema legends.
February 21, 2019
This is a book in English - a translation of memoirs from the original Urdu - of film personalities who belonged to the years gone by.
If you are a movie buff, an aficionado of Hindi movies in particular, especially of the golden era (50s and 60s) then you will feel deeply indebted to Yasir Abbasi. This is a labour of love rarely seen - the extensive research, the navigation through God knows how many journals and sources, the thoughtful selection and then finally the translation - to sketch out certain profiles that would have forever remained hidden from those like me who are (or shall I say have been) mesmerised by "kaanton ko sookhne ka khauf nahi hota" but keep going back with awe to some classic like "and so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past ".
No back issues of Filmfare, Stardust or Screen etc will give you gems like this book can. It is an absolutely unique book because the stories and portraits have been culled out from the archives of Urdu journals, magazines and books.
In a trend that started with India’s very first talkie Alam Ara in 1931, the content of any regular film produced out of Bombay –both dialogues as well as songs –has been majorly steered by Urdu. This impacted not just the writing in films but their vital documentation as well.
Since Urdu or more correctly 'Hindustani' dominated the Hindi film industry, many major writers in those days were either Muslims or non Muslims who wrote (most times only) in Urdu. Even several Hindi film personalities were familiar with the Urdu script and were comfortable writing in it. In that sense this wonderful collection of stories is truly rare because I think it would be difficult to find anywhere else major film personalities (both Muslims and Hindus) like Dilip Kumar, Suraiyya, B R Chopra, Balraj Sahni, Dharmendra and Johnny Walker (to name just a few) writing, sharing and commenting about themselves, their peers, their films and their own philosophies. You will therefore find gems like a truly touching piece by Nargis on Meena Kumari for you to savour and cry over!
(Nargis referred to Meena Kumari as Manju out of affection! I personally found this trivial fragment of trivia very sweet and unstated in its secularism. Just as one may find the opposite in Yusuf Khan feeling the need to change his film name to Dilip Kumar.)
The chronicles have been divided into three sections. The first has pen portraits, autobiographical pieces constitute the second, and the third includes general essays. Most of the articles are very absorbing –some even precious. Reading about the life and career of Jaidev (the music director of Hum Dono) in his own words is not something one would come across often. Lucid and engaging, all the writers candidly share memorable incidents and experiences that have defined their lives. Some prevalent myths are also set straight along the way. And some are confirmed to be no myths at all!
Visualise this - the leading hero of his era and a renowned writer, inseparable friends, play a prank on a third friend, a lyricist. The practical joke spins out of control, so much so that the lyricist abandons his home and attempts to flee out of Bombay.......Fortunately the train is just about pulling out of the station when the pranksters, now in hot pursuit, reach the station.....the three friends reunite and walk out into the night, arms around shoulders!
Such was the era - when Bombay breathed films, both within its many studios and without (in real life too). You now start to understand where the city got its moniker, Mayanagari, from!
There is a detailed piece on the making of Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khiladi - you read it and you will understand why Ray stood so tall even in world cinema. Every frame of every movie of his, was for him, a piece of art. You will understand how and why.
Then you have Dilip Kumar writing about himself! - his 'tragedy king' persona taking him to a psychiatrist in London.....
"Akseer ban chala hooñ, ik aañch ki kasar hai [I’d turn into an elixir, if only I could simmer a little more]."
Kamal Amrohi writes about himself and even though his intention is the opposite, he does not seem to realise that in doing so, he ends up revealing that he was a very vain and ungrateful man.
Where would you get to read
- In the 'Loin's' own words about how he came into films, about those who touched his life with kindness, advice, help and humour. How would you ever get to like a man called Ajit (his film name) for his obvious goodness of heart - so famous yet so unheard of? He was a friend of both Dilip Kumar and Madhubala - he knew both sides of their story but all he could do was watch and suffer the breakup from the sidelines, his shoulders still wet with her tears in a way.....
- About Johnny Walker's distance from Dev Anand even though he was under the employ of Navketan for years.......his shying away from playing the witness's role during Shammi Kapoor's runaway marriage with Geeta Bali.....his 'deadly' superstition about the city of Madras....
- Javed Akhtar's short memoir. You can't help but pause and look for hidden meanings is his story about his Sikh friend Mushtaq Singh, who he has not met for years but whose 'kada' he still wears......at least he did till the time he wrote this piece (1997)........Something in the way he writes, something in what he writes, tells me there is something in him which is not as straight as he comes across to be!
- Of the humility of a top hero when he writes "Watching some rushes of the film left me quite dismayed. Dilip saheb has always been my favourite hero, and awareness of the glaring contrast between us as actors hit me like a thunderbolt. I realised that I was just no match for him."
- Of a leading heroine saying "This is the true character of the man who is revered as a deity of cinema." I for one am left wondering about this tall icon of the film industry - he towers like statue on a pedestal even today - will later history make him fall off his lofty perch?
Though the author does not say so, you can't help but exult at the (almost) total disregard of religion as any kind of block in the industry - what greater example than - Mann Tarpat Hari Darshan Ko Aaj - music Naushad, lyrics Shakeel, singer Rafi.....
I could go on and on......I invite you to read this book because in it you will also find answers to some very intriguing questions:
1. Why did Meena Kumari walk out of her home while still married to Kamal Amrohi?
2. Which Hindi film actor, in shifting his base from from Calcutta to Bombay, got reduced from 'hero' to 'extra'?
3. Why did Ashok Kumar buy a Rolls Royce only to banish it forever to his garage within a few days of the purchase?
4. Had Dilip Kumar got married to Madhubala?
5. "The emergence of the mirror maker from the mirror itself " - which great poet said this of the persona of a fellow poet? One wrote the lyrics of Pyaasa and the other of Kaagaz Ke Phool!!
6. Which colossus of the film industry stood outside his theatre with his 'jholi phailaye' collecting funds for his project?
7. Which singer was paid ₹25000/- per song in a film at a time when the best of playback singers (Rafi, Lata, Mukesh, Talat.....) were paid between ₹300/- to ₹1000/- per song?
Yeh Unn Dino Ki Baat Hai......
If you are a movie buff, an aficionado of Hindi movies in particular, especially of the golden era (50s and 60s) then you will feel deeply indebted to Yasir Abbasi. This is a labour of love rarely seen - the extensive research, the navigation through God knows how many journals and sources, the thoughtful selection and then finally the translation - to sketch out certain profiles that would have forever remained hidden from those like me who are (or shall I say have been) mesmerised by "kaanton ko sookhne ka khauf nahi hota" but keep going back with awe to some classic like "and so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past ".
No back issues of Filmfare, Stardust or Screen etc will give you gems like this book can. It is an absolutely unique book because the stories and portraits have been culled out from the archives of Urdu journals, magazines and books.
In a trend that started with India’s very first talkie Alam Ara in 1931, the content of any regular film produced out of Bombay –both dialogues as well as songs –has been majorly steered by Urdu. This impacted not just the writing in films but their vital documentation as well.
Since Urdu or more correctly 'Hindustani' dominated the Hindi film industry, many major writers in those days were either Muslims or non Muslims who wrote (most times only) in Urdu. Even several Hindi film personalities were familiar with the Urdu script and were comfortable writing in it. In that sense this wonderful collection of stories is truly rare because I think it would be difficult to find anywhere else major film personalities (both Muslims and Hindus) like Dilip Kumar, Suraiyya, B R Chopra, Balraj Sahni, Dharmendra and Johnny Walker (to name just a few) writing, sharing and commenting about themselves, their peers, their films and their own philosophies. You will therefore find gems like a truly touching piece by Nargis on Meena Kumari for you to savour and cry over!
(Nargis referred to Meena Kumari as Manju out of affection! I personally found this trivial fragment of trivia very sweet and unstated in its secularism. Just as one may find the opposite in Yusuf Khan feeling the need to change his film name to Dilip Kumar.)
The chronicles have been divided into three sections. The first has pen portraits, autobiographical pieces constitute the second, and the third includes general essays. Most of the articles are very absorbing –some even precious. Reading about the life and career of Jaidev (the music director of Hum Dono) in his own words is not something one would come across often. Lucid and engaging, all the writers candidly share memorable incidents and experiences that have defined their lives. Some prevalent myths are also set straight along the way. And some are confirmed to be no myths at all!
Visualise this - the leading hero of his era and a renowned writer, inseparable friends, play a prank on a third friend, a lyricist. The practical joke spins out of control, so much so that the lyricist abandons his home and attempts to flee out of Bombay.......Fortunately the train is just about pulling out of the station when the pranksters, now in hot pursuit, reach the station.....the three friends reunite and walk out into the night, arms around shoulders!
Such was the era - when Bombay breathed films, both within its many studios and without (in real life too). You now start to understand where the city got its moniker, Mayanagari, from!
There is a detailed piece on the making of Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khiladi - you read it and you will understand why Ray stood so tall even in world cinema. Every frame of every movie of his, was for him, a piece of art. You will understand how and why.
Then you have Dilip Kumar writing about himself! - his 'tragedy king' persona taking him to a psychiatrist in London.....
"Akseer ban chala hooñ, ik aañch ki kasar hai [I’d turn into an elixir, if only I could simmer a little more]."
Kamal Amrohi writes about himself and even though his intention is the opposite, he does not seem to realise that in doing so, he ends up revealing that he was a very vain and ungrateful man.
Where would you get to read
- In the 'Loin's' own words about how he came into films, about those who touched his life with kindness, advice, help and humour. How would you ever get to like a man called Ajit (his film name) for his obvious goodness of heart - so famous yet so unheard of? He was a friend of both Dilip Kumar and Madhubala - he knew both sides of their story but all he could do was watch and suffer the breakup from the sidelines, his shoulders still wet with her tears in a way.....
- About Johnny Walker's distance from Dev Anand even though he was under the employ of Navketan for years.......his shying away from playing the witness's role during Shammi Kapoor's runaway marriage with Geeta Bali.....his 'deadly' superstition about the city of Madras....
- Javed Akhtar's short memoir. You can't help but pause and look for hidden meanings is his story about his Sikh friend Mushtaq Singh, who he has not met for years but whose 'kada' he still wears......at least he did till the time he wrote this piece (1997)........Something in the way he writes, something in what he writes, tells me there is something in him which is not as straight as he comes across to be!
- Of the humility of a top hero when he writes "Watching some rushes of the film left me quite dismayed. Dilip saheb has always been my favourite hero, and awareness of the glaring contrast between us as actors hit me like a thunderbolt. I realised that I was just no match for him."
- Of a leading heroine saying "This is the true character of the man who is revered as a deity of cinema." I for one am left wondering about this tall icon of the film industry - he towers like statue on a pedestal even today - will later history make him fall off his lofty perch?
Though the author does not say so, you can't help but exult at the (almost) total disregard of religion as any kind of block in the industry - what greater example than - Mann Tarpat Hari Darshan Ko Aaj - music Naushad, lyrics Shakeel, singer Rafi.....
I could go on and on......I invite you to read this book because in it you will also find answers to some very intriguing questions:
1. Why did Meena Kumari walk out of her home while still married to Kamal Amrohi?
2. Which Hindi film actor, in shifting his base from from Calcutta to Bombay, got reduced from 'hero' to 'extra'?
3. Why did Ashok Kumar buy a Rolls Royce only to banish it forever to his garage within a few days of the purchase?
4. Had Dilip Kumar got married to Madhubala?
5. "The emergence of the mirror maker from the mirror itself " - which great poet said this of the persona of a fellow poet? One wrote the lyrics of Pyaasa and the other of Kaagaz Ke Phool!!
6. Which colossus of the film industry stood outside his theatre with his 'jholi phailaye' collecting funds for his project?
7. Which singer was paid ₹25000/- per song in a film at a time when the best of playback singers (Rafi, Lata, Mukesh, Talat.....) were paid between ₹300/- to ₹1000/- per song?
Yeh Unn Dino Ki Baat Hai......
March 4, 2021
As Abbasi mentions in the introduction, his interest was piqued after reading a translation of Sa’adat Hasan Manto’s collected writings on his contemporaries in film. It led him to explore the original writings, and then, wonder about Urdu writing on cinema. And so, he ventured on a search that soon resembled the labours of Sisyphus, tracing leads to obscure towns and the homes of people he didn’t even know to collate the lost records of those golden days.
Ye Un Dinon ki Baat Hai is divided into three sections – Pen Portraits, Reminiscences and Perspectives. The piece on Meena Kumari, penned by Nargis as an obituary to the actress who became her friend only in the late 50s, though they worked in the same industry for years, is a stinging commentary on the loneliness of fame. Titled Meena – Maut Mubarak Ho, Nargis writes a scathing condemnation of an industry that took her Manju away from her.
Similarly, Shama’s pen drips with sorrow of a woman pushed into the industry in her childhood, only to be treated as a golden goose by her own parents and other relatives. It’s a stunning glimpse of the exploitation she underwent and her fervent plea to be allowed to be happy.
Shama's story is mirrored in Ismat Chugtai’s narration of Suraiya, where she mentions how Suraiya only got a break from the studios if someone died, so she would pray that someone would die every day so she could be free from the confines of the studio. You are left with the lingering sense of the unhappiness and loneliness these women faced behind the glamour and the fame. I reacted viscerally to these pieces, and wondered how much more powerful these words must have been in the original.
Then there’s Jaidev who frankly acknowledges Sahir Ludhianvi’s contribution to his career, but also condemns him as being responsible for the death of it. And Javed Siddiqui’s insights into working with Satyajit Ray – by far, the most interesting piece in the collection, but even there, Siddiqui remarks on how a renowned Bengali director snapped sarcastically, “His craving for publicity just doesn’t subside. He freezes every two minutes to enable Nimai Ghosh to click his pictures.”
There’s Johnny Walker's humorous narration of how his marriage with Noor came to be; Kidar Sharma's interesting story of his entry into films, and filming the nude scene with Mehtaab for Chitralekha; Raja Mehdi Ali Khan’s unwitting expose of Manto’s cruel (in my opinion) sense of humour…
Ye Un Dinon ki Baat Hai is more than a collection of tales, however; it is the story of fickle fame, of the greed that cowers behind the glamour, of creative relationships and the clash of egos, of unparalleled grace and unswerving passion. Above all, it’s a much-needed record of ‘Once upon a time’, a retrieval of voices that had been lost to the ages. And Abbasi treats the authors and the material with the respect they deserve.
Translating from one language to the other is always a fraught task. Translating from Urdu to English adds a layer of difficulty – as Abbasi himself says, a sentence in Urdu can occupy a whole paragraph without a break. The fact that Urdu words can hold a variety of meanings, nuance and implications is yet another challenge, not to mention the issue of compound words that are so descriptive in Urdu, but just cannot be translated to English without losing their meaning, or worse, sounding extremely artificial. That Abbasi has succeeded in doing so, writing in simple, elegant English that is easily comprehensible yet doesn’t lack the nuances of the original writing is extremely remarkable. Especially considering that he says at the outset that he’s no writer.
Adding charm to the book is some fabulous artwork – photographs, film posters, advertisements, letters written by celebrities, and last but not the least stunning portraits of the authors of the articles or the people they wrote about by Abbasi’s wife, Geetika Narang Abbasi. Some articles are bound to be more interesting than others, of course, but the book as a whole is an intimate look at the Hindi film industry from within, and as such, a must-read for anyone interested in films.
*A longer, more comprehensive review of this book is available on my blog.
Ye Un Dinon ki Baat Hai is divided into three sections – Pen Portraits, Reminiscences and Perspectives. The piece on Meena Kumari, penned by Nargis as an obituary to the actress who became her friend only in the late 50s, though they worked in the same industry for years, is a stinging commentary on the loneliness of fame. Titled Meena – Maut Mubarak Ho, Nargis writes a scathing condemnation of an industry that took her Manju away from her.
Similarly, Shama’s pen drips with sorrow of a woman pushed into the industry in her childhood, only to be treated as a golden goose by her own parents and other relatives. It’s a stunning glimpse of the exploitation she underwent and her fervent plea to be allowed to be happy.
Shama's story is mirrored in Ismat Chugtai’s narration of Suraiya, where she mentions how Suraiya only got a break from the studios if someone died, so she would pray that someone would die every day so she could be free from the confines of the studio. You are left with the lingering sense of the unhappiness and loneliness these women faced behind the glamour and the fame. I reacted viscerally to these pieces, and wondered how much more powerful these words must have been in the original.
Then there’s Jaidev who frankly acknowledges Sahir Ludhianvi’s contribution to his career, but also condemns him as being responsible for the death of it. And Javed Siddiqui’s insights into working with Satyajit Ray – by far, the most interesting piece in the collection, but even there, Siddiqui remarks on how a renowned Bengali director snapped sarcastically, “His craving for publicity just doesn’t subside. He freezes every two minutes to enable Nimai Ghosh to click his pictures.”
There’s Johnny Walker's humorous narration of how his marriage with Noor came to be; Kidar Sharma's interesting story of his entry into films, and filming the nude scene with Mehtaab for Chitralekha; Raja Mehdi Ali Khan’s unwitting expose of Manto’s cruel (in my opinion) sense of humour…
Ye Un Dinon ki Baat Hai is more than a collection of tales, however; it is the story of fickle fame, of the greed that cowers behind the glamour, of creative relationships and the clash of egos, of unparalleled grace and unswerving passion. Above all, it’s a much-needed record of ‘Once upon a time’, a retrieval of voices that had been lost to the ages. And Abbasi treats the authors and the material with the respect they deserve.
Translating from one language to the other is always a fraught task. Translating from Urdu to English adds a layer of difficulty – as Abbasi himself says, a sentence in Urdu can occupy a whole paragraph without a break. The fact that Urdu words can hold a variety of meanings, nuance and implications is yet another challenge, not to mention the issue of compound words that are so descriptive in Urdu, but just cannot be translated to English without losing their meaning, or worse, sounding extremely artificial. That Abbasi has succeeded in doing so, writing in simple, elegant English that is easily comprehensible yet doesn’t lack the nuances of the original writing is extremely remarkable. Especially considering that he says at the outset that he’s no writer.
Adding charm to the book is some fabulous artwork – photographs, film posters, advertisements, letters written by celebrities, and last but not the least stunning portraits of the authors of the articles or the people they wrote about by Abbasi’s wife, Geetika Narang Abbasi. Some articles are bound to be more interesting than others, of course, but the book as a whole is an intimate look at the Hindi film industry from within, and as such, a must-read for anyone interested in films.
*A longer, more comprehensive review of this book is available on my blog.
November 6, 2025
Yeh Un Dino Ki Baat Hai - A vivid memoir about the black and white age of Bollywood
When I was growing up, we did not have a colour TV. So the sunday leisure options were to either wrestle with my siblings, or watch Doordarshan with my Amma (grandmother, whom I called Amma coz my parents called her Amma). On sunday noons, Bioscope was the program on air which meant movies of Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Mehboob, Ashok Kumar, Meena Kumari, Madhubala, Gurudutt et al were played - depicting actors who emoted and acted and delivered performances very different from the 4 pm superstars (Govinda, Akshay Kumar, et al). Their dialogues were so poised and deferent, the stories were so grounded, the sets were immersive, and the songs were melodious and unfeigned. I have strong nostalgic attachment to this era of bollywood, so it was a very easy decision to thrift this book.
This book is a collection of pen-portraits of the stalwarts of the Bollywood in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, in Urdu, written for now-extinct magazines like Shama, Ruby, and Gulfam. The book is divided into 3 parts based on the type of articles: Biographic accounts, Reminiscences, and Perspectives (I have added images of index for details). All the articles are accompanied by sketches of the original writers and subject, and there are pages dedicated to movie posters (in colour), making this book a really great addition to any collection.
The translation is fairly accurate and does justice to the subject. At the end of every article, a paragraph from the original text is included, which will help you gauge how good the translation is. The articles collected cover almost all the important personalities of the period, and are a great insight into an almost forgotten era. Reading them, I was able to demarcate between the art of the period and the mass product that is produced now.
When I was growing up, we did not have a colour TV. So the sunday leisure options were to either wrestle with my siblings, or watch Doordarshan with my Amma (grandmother, whom I called Amma coz my parents called her Amma). On sunday noons, Bioscope was the program on air which meant movies of Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Mehboob, Ashok Kumar, Meena Kumari, Madhubala, Gurudutt et al were played - depicting actors who emoted and acted and delivered performances very different from the 4 pm superstars (Govinda, Akshay Kumar, et al). Their dialogues were so poised and deferent, the stories were so grounded, the sets were immersive, and the songs were melodious and unfeigned. I have strong nostalgic attachment to this era of bollywood, so it was a very easy decision to thrift this book.
This book is a collection of pen-portraits of the stalwarts of the Bollywood in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, in Urdu, written for now-extinct magazines like Shama, Ruby, and Gulfam. The book is divided into 3 parts based on the type of articles: Biographic accounts, Reminiscences, and Perspectives (I have added images of index for details). All the articles are accompanied by sketches of the original writers and subject, and there are pages dedicated to movie posters (in colour), making this book a really great addition to any collection.
The translation is fairly accurate and does justice to the subject. At the end of every article, a paragraph from the original text is included, which will help you gauge how good the translation is. The articles collected cover almost all the important personalities of the period, and are a great insight into an almost forgotten era. Reading them, I was able to demarcate between the art of the period and the mass product that is produced now.
January 16, 2019
Imagine a 90’s Sunday evening with classic Bollywood songs and nothing to worry about, this book’s essence is just like that. Mixed with emotional stories around the Bollywood Legends, as derived from their Urdu memoirs.
Filled with beautiful images reminding you of a golden age, this book is a legendary tribute to many bests of Bollywood. I will be lying if I say that I know all of the people mentioned in this book but I knew enough of them when I started and understood all of them at a level on which I might not understand many people I meet daily.
More than enjoyable, this book was like a conversation for me and the beautiful portraits at the beginning of every single chapter was a healthy addition to the whole experience. Yes, I love the style and pronunciations of Urdu I might have never understood the book if it wasn’t for the smartly done translation which, as I confirmed from an old reader of the original Urdu Bollywood Magazines, was done without losing the originality of them.
If you want to know about the names of the people in the book, it’s going to take a while. so I’ll just assure you that it contains almost every legend from the golden age of Bollywood.
Coming to the writing style, I felt that each story was written to capture the hearts of the readers which it is doing quite flawlessly. I don’t know to whom should I give the credit for that, the original writers, the translators of the legends themselves whose stories are worth reading.
This is a book that I’m surely going to recommend my great friend who’s a lover of Bollywood. And if you are one too, this is a tribute which you shouldn’t be missing out on.
Filled with beautiful images reminding you of a golden age, this book is a legendary tribute to many bests of Bollywood. I will be lying if I say that I know all of the people mentioned in this book but I knew enough of them when I started and understood all of them at a level on which I might not understand many people I meet daily.
More than enjoyable, this book was like a conversation for me and the beautiful portraits at the beginning of every single chapter was a healthy addition to the whole experience. Yes, I love the style and pronunciations of Urdu I might have never understood the book if it wasn’t for the smartly done translation which, as I confirmed from an old reader of the original Urdu Bollywood Magazines, was done without losing the originality of them.
If you want to know about the names of the people in the book, it’s going to take a while. so I’ll just assure you that it contains almost every legend from the golden age of Bollywood.
Coming to the writing style, I felt that each story was written to capture the hearts of the readers which it is doing quite flawlessly. I don’t know to whom should I give the credit for that, the original writers, the translators of the legends themselves whose stories are worth reading.
This is a book that I’m surely going to recommend my great friend who’s a lover of Bollywood. And if you are one too, this is a tribute which you shouldn’t be missing out on.
February 3, 2019
I have known Yasir Abbasi for quite some time now. When I learnt about this book, I immediately got this book from Amazon.
Like I expected, the book fulfills all the promise, the name of Yasir provides. It is not only interesting but also very engrossing. Above all, nothing can be more authentic than this book.
This book and the personalities mostly belong to the Golden period, i.e. the 50s and after. Of course few artistes started from the 30s or 40s like Kardar or Kidar Sharma or Mirza Musharraf.
I paricularly liked articles on Meena Shrey- the Lara Lappa girl, Nasir Hussain-the Dream Merchant and I.S.Johar- a total misfit due to his own high intellect.
The best part is , since the book mainly describes stories in their own words, one finds different varieties of story telling.
I know how much efforts Yasir must have taken to get hold of all the original articles, because print media is highly elusive and there is no guarantee that a particular paper will be available at its expected place.
My heartfelt thanks to Yasir Abbasi, for providing us an authentic document on these individual artistes, in a manner which is very endearing.
I strongly recommend all those who are old film buffs and students of Film History, for here is something which is rare.
Thank You Yasir ji.
_Arunkumar Deshmukh, Mumbai.
Like I expected, the book fulfills all the promise, the name of Yasir provides. It is not only interesting but also very engrossing. Above all, nothing can be more authentic than this book.
This book and the personalities mostly belong to the Golden period, i.e. the 50s and after. Of course few artistes started from the 30s or 40s like Kardar or Kidar Sharma or Mirza Musharraf.
I paricularly liked articles on Meena Shrey- the Lara Lappa girl, Nasir Hussain-the Dream Merchant and I.S.Johar- a total misfit due to his own high intellect.
The best part is , since the book mainly describes stories in their own words, one finds different varieties of story telling.
I know how much efforts Yasir must have taken to get hold of all the original articles, because print media is highly elusive and there is no guarantee that a particular paper will be available at its expected place.
My heartfelt thanks to Yasir Abbasi, for providing us an authentic document on these individual artistes, in a manner which is very endearing.
I strongly recommend all those who are old film buffs and students of Film History, for here is something which is rare.
Thank You Yasir ji.
_Arunkumar Deshmukh, Mumbai.
June 27, 2019
This is a truly delightful book. As a researcher and writer it’s full of great information on a variety of people and artists associated with the Indian and Pakistani film Industry. Priceless.
This is a collection of writings (in translation) from the archives of Shama, an Urdu language film magazine. Yasir Abbasi, the editor, of the book has done an outstanding job of choosing selections from a diverse range of artists who write from an amazing range of perspectives. Their voices are authentic and human and reveal many different aspects of being involved in the industry.
The book is a celebration of good writing as well as of the Urdu language. I especially enjoyed the Romanised excerpts of each article that show off the beauty and melody of Urdu.
It’s a true labour of love. Thank you Mr Abbasi!
This is a collection of writings (in translation) from the archives of Shama, an Urdu language film magazine. Yasir Abbasi, the editor, of the book has done an outstanding job of choosing selections from a diverse range of artists who write from an amazing range of perspectives. Their voices are authentic and human and reveal many different aspects of being involved in the industry.
The book is a celebration of good writing as well as of the Urdu language. I especially enjoyed the Romanised excerpts of each article that show off the beauty and melody of Urdu.
It’s a true labour of love. Thank you Mr Abbasi!
Read
March 25, 2022Leaves you with the Hint of Nostalgia
Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai, Urdu Memoirs of Cinema Legends could be said as a small anecdote of all the major celebrities of the 70s era, like Meena Kumari, Ashok & Kishor Kumar & Raj Kapur which is nothing more than translated from Urdu magazine. On an honest note, this book is a big hit for the people who miss the retro time. This book has beautiful illustrations of celebrities as well as further divided into three main parts, khaakay - pen portraits, Aap Beeti & Nuqta-e-Nazar. This book is a gem for people who like to read about the golden era of Bollywood
There were a few chapters that I liked, one was of Meera Kumari narrated by Nargis, Kishor Kumar and Javed Akhtar. I don't think I have ever read a book solemnly dedicated to Urdu artists but I enjoyed reading this book and highly recommended it.
Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai, Urdu Memoirs of Cinema Legends could be said as a small anecdote of all the major celebrities of the 70s era, like Meena Kumari, Ashok & Kishor Kumar & Raj Kapur which is nothing more than translated from Urdu magazine. On an honest note, this book is a big hit for the people who miss the retro time. This book has beautiful illustrations of celebrities as well as further divided into three main parts, khaakay - pen portraits, Aap Beeti & Nuqta-e-Nazar. This book is a gem for people who like to read about the golden era of Bollywood
There were a few chapters that I liked, one was of Meera Kumari narrated by Nargis, Kishor Kumar and Javed Akhtar. I don't think I have ever read a book solemnly dedicated to Urdu artists but I enjoyed reading this book and highly recommended it.
April 1, 2022
Khuda nigehbaan ho tumhara,
Dhadakte dil ka payaam le lo
Tumhari duniya se ja rahe hain,
Utho, hamarasalaam le lo 🍂
[ 'May the lord always keep you safe,
This is the message of my heart's beating
I'm leaving your world forever now,
Arise and accept my farewell greeting' ] 🍂
~ B O O K R E V I E W ~
Review
This book is a collection of beautiful piece of art. So many Artists that leave their marks in the histroy. Through this book we got the glimpse of their lives and different aspects of their lives. Reading this book - I felt like I was reading poetry. 'Urdu memoirs of our Cinema Legends' is beautifully translated by Yasir Abbasi.
The book consists of Khaakay [Pen Portraits], Aap Beeti [Reminiscences], Nuqta-e-Nazar [Perspectives] by various legends of our cinema history.
If you are interested in peeking in lives of cinemas legends, this book is for you. 🍂
Dhadakte dil ka payaam le lo
Tumhari duniya se ja rahe hain,
Utho, hamarasalaam le lo 🍂
[ 'May the lord always keep you safe,
This is the message of my heart's beating
I'm leaving your world forever now,
Arise and accept my farewell greeting' ] 🍂
~ B O O K R E V I E W ~
Review
This book is a collection of beautiful piece of art. So many Artists that leave their marks in the histroy. Through this book we got the glimpse of their lives and different aspects of their lives. Reading this book - I felt like I was reading poetry. 'Urdu memoirs of our Cinema Legends' is beautifully translated by Yasir Abbasi.
The book consists of Khaakay [Pen Portraits], Aap Beeti [Reminiscences], Nuqta-e-Nazar [Perspectives] by various legends of our cinema history.
If you are interested in peeking in lives of cinemas legends, this book is for you. 🍂
February 24, 2019
This is one of the books which can be read in bits and pieces retread for nostalgia and the time when film writing was serbusiness and literature at its best Combining Nostalgia of Hindi Films and the power of Urdu the sheer sincerity of the pieces and also depth of the articles translated is a sheer gem. probably every year demands a new addition.Just finished reading Extracts on Manto by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan and sheer poetry in urdu through which Mantos character comes across ever forcefully "" Uski Jazbàat ki Shiddat mand nahi padi,us ke qalam ke ravaani mein sust nahi aayi.Use khud pe yakeen ye qamil tha .Sachaai or imaandari ka leharata parchaam tha jisay koi jhuka nahi saka."
January 9, 2019
The book Yeh Un Dinoñ Ki Baat Hai published by Bloomsbury India is one treasure trove for Bollywood lovers, especially if you love retro. The translator and the torch bearer, responsible to bring all these memoirs come alive once again, is Yasir Abbasi. Had it not been for him these beautiful memories would have been buried deep, eating dust, in some corner of the archives or libraries.
Entire book review: www.ofbookbabiesandmore.wordpress.com
Entire book review: www.ofbookbabiesandmore.wordpress.com
April 3, 2020
Collection of articles
The book is a collection of articles from old Urdu film magazines. Mostly the articles are from the members of the film fraternity. It forms a part our culture and there is a need to preserve it. Its a step in the right direction. The book could serve as a guide to the Golden age of Hindi Cinema to the newer generation.
The book is a collection of articles from old Urdu film magazines. Mostly the articles are from the members of the film fraternity. It forms a part our culture and there is a need to preserve it. Its a step in the right direction. The book could serve as a guide to the Golden age of Hindi Cinema to the newer generation.
January 13, 2020
Film journalism in urdu has been very popular in pre-independence and early independent India. The author has translated articles from that era. I liked articles on Meena Kumari (by Nargis) and on Manto.
Enjoyef reading it.
Enjoyef reading it.
April 13, 2023
I really loved this book and recommend it to other Hindi movie lovers, specially those that enjoy movies and want to learn about artists from the 1950s & 1960s era. I picked it up last week and completed it within a few days, as it was really engaging.
January 3, 2019
Nostalgic. Enjoyable. And very well designed and well produced book.
March 8, 2020
A poignant read of the era and people gone by. Engaging narrative with fascinating anecdotes and trivia around the world of cinema.
September 27, 2021
Excellent read.
You literally time travel into the past.
You literally time travel into the past.
January 15, 2022
Sometimes I get to read a book for which 5 stars rating just don't seem enough. This gem is one such book.
January 24, 2024
An excellent book for those who would like to know about the history of Hindi Cinema and about its yesteryear film personalities and Urdu film journalism.
June 12, 2024
Love it. Love the introduction and Nargis' obituary to Meena Kumari is beautiful!
November 26, 2025
A decent collection. Many names were new to me so I could not relate to many stories. My favourite was the essay by I.S. JOHAR .
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews