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Dharmendra: A Biography: Not Just a He-Man
A teacher’s son from the hinterlands of Punjab who dreamt of doing what Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor did on screen and expecting to own ‘a flat and a Fiat’ consequently, has emerged as one of the most loved icons of Hindi cinema.
This ever-humble Jat attributes his hard-earned superstardom and global following to parental blessings, the Power Above and the love of the people. It’s been over fifty-five years of blockbusters like Phool Aur Patthar, Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Sholay, Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Pratiggya, Chupke Chupke and Dharam-Veer, with fabulous performances in many of these and notable productions including Satyakam, Betaab and Ghayal.
What’s more, this Padma Bhushan awardee has also dabbled sincerely albeit fruitlessly in politics and writes poetry that comes straight from his heart. There may be a million stars, but there can be only one Dharmendra.
This ever-humble Jat attributes his hard-earned superstardom and global following to parental blessings, the Power Above and the love of the people. It’s been over fifty-five years of blockbusters like Phool Aur Patthar, Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Sholay, Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Pratiggya, Chupke Chupke and Dharam-Veer, with fabulous performances in many of these and notable productions including Satyakam, Betaab and Ghayal.
What’s more, this Padma Bhushan awardee has also dabbled sincerely albeit fruitlessly in politics and writes poetry that comes straight from his heart. There may be a million stars, but there can be only one Dharmendra.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published December 20, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
February 2, 2019
We usually don't read/review biographies, we have done some memoirs time to time, but biographies are still less preferred. Recently we started taking interest in Bollywood - movies, and actor related books. During one such hunch, we were reading "The Legends of Bollywood" by Raaj Grover which was a compilation of various legends of Bollywood. In that book, 15-20 pages were dedicated to Dharmendra and I liked whatever information was given about the star in that book. That short description was not enough for the legend, so when the opportunity arose to read a dedicated book on the star (that to his Biography) we jumped for it.
Before we go to the content, let me tell you if you are looking for a book that can give distinctive view to your shelf/table/compartment then this book is a perfect choice. It is hardbound, with a wonderful cover picture of the actor. The book contains some legendary pictures of the actor with different cast & crew. A perfect gift material to a movie buff.
The content of the book is designed in a semi-structural way. By semi-structural I mean, though the author has started with how Dharamji's life started from Dharminder to Dharmendra, at every stage, few important characters were quoted in narration along with their recent / after star era of Dharmendra. The book takes you through how he got succeeded in his second attempt (almost after 5-6 years of previous struggle) through talent contest. Then comes era when he started working with that eras legends as side role or second lead. His innocent and humble nature has won hearts then and it is still true today. Authors second inning with Apne and continuous devotion to a greater cause (keep working in subline movies to help families dependent on him) touched my heart.
I know 300 pages are still not enough to describe Dharamji. But I would say the author has done commendable efforts to bring information from various sources and to compile it into an interesting narration.
A-must-have-copy for the movie buff.
Detailed Review link - https://chevusread.blogspot.com/2019/...
Before we go to the content, let me tell you if you are looking for a book that can give distinctive view to your shelf/table/compartment then this book is a perfect choice. It is hardbound, with a wonderful cover picture of the actor. The book contains some legendary pictures of the actor with different cast & crew. A perfect gift material to a movie buff.
The content of the book is designed in a semi-structural way. By semi-structural I mean, though the author has started with how Dharamji's life started from Dharminder to Dharmendra, at every stage, few important characters were quoted in narration along with their recent / after star era of Dharmendra. The book takes you through how he got succeeded in his second attempt (almost after 5-6 years of previous struggle) through talent contest. Then comes era when he started working with that eras legends as side role or second lead. His innocent and humble nature has won hearts then and it is still true today. Authors second inning with Apne and continuous devotion to a greater cause (keep working in subline movies to help families dependent on him) touched my heart.
I know 300 pages are still not enough to describe Dharamji. But I would say the author has done commendable efforts to bring information from various sources and to compile it into an interesting narration.
A-must-have-copy for the movie buff.
Detailed Review link - https://chevusread.blogspot.com/2019/...
March 3, 2019
‘Dharmendra’ by Rajiv Vijayakar was a pleasant insight into the world of the He-Man. I do enjoy my share of old Hindi Classics but I can’t say I have watched a lot of Dharmendra movies.. and am nowhere a die-hard fan of the man. All that being said, the Jat Yamla Pagla Deewana of Bollywood was a Golden Boy of the yesteryear.. No matter how less you know about Old Bollywood.. chances are you have come across his famous dialogue “Kuttay, Kaminey.. main tera khoon pee jaoonga” 😀 Probably his most famous dialogue ever.. from the cult 1974 classic Sholay, arguably one of the most popular movies ever made!!
The cover gives a very retro feel and helps one get into the feel of diving back into the golden years of Indian Cinema. The book gives a lot of trivia and tid-bits while chronicling his journey from being the village lad to the superstar that he is rose to become! The one big problem with this was that a lot of information came in randomly and events felt haphazard despite the broadly separated timelines.
I know this is somebody’s reality and must not be judged.. but I totally judged him for a lot of things. Without going into much details, all I will say is that I felt that many things are accepted with a smile on the face and even celebrated because they are famous celebrities and frowned upon when it is a common person. The double standards of the Indian society were glaringly real.
If you are amongst the people who has known and loved this man.. heart and soul, you will enjoy the book.. To others like me, it may appear a little dragging at parts.. but overall it can be a read that will bring you closer to Bollywood. It certainly has increased my To-be-watched list! The book contains his entire filmography – which spans almost 50 pages!!!!!
The cover gives a very retro feel and helps one get into the feel of diving back into the golden years of Indian Cinema. The book gives a lot of trivia and tid-bits while chronicling his journey from being the village lad to the superstar that he is rose to become! The one big problem with this was that a lot of information came in randomly and events felt haphazard despite the broadly separated timelines.
I know this is somebody’s reality and must not be judged.. but I totally judged him for a lot of things. Without going into much details, all I will say is that I felt that many things are accepted with a smile on the face and even celebrated because they are famous celebrities and frowned upon when it is a common person. The double standards of the Indian society were glaringly real.
If you are amongst the people who has known and loved this man.. heart and soul, you will enjoy the book.. To others like me, it may appear a little dragging at parts.. but overall it can be a read that will bring you closer to Bollywood. It certainly has increased my To-be-watched list! The book contains his entire filmography – which spans almost 50 pages!!!!!
February 26, 2019
First of all, I will say that I loved the cover of the book. It is a beautiful hardcover and it looked like a colourful poster. It gave me the vibes of 70s. I loved the title too.. language is easy. The writing style is so good. Narration is well paced. There are beautiful pictures of him with his colleagues and family. The titles of the chapters have lines of songs. This book has few unknown facts about him like his interest in poetry. Overall a very good book with a beautiful cover having story of a man who started from nothing and made it big.
Recommended : Yes
Rating : 🌟🌟🌟🌟.25 / 5
Recommended : Yes
Rating : 🌟🌟🌟🌟.25 / 5
February 26, 2019
Honest rating: 2.75 stars
One of the biggest reasons why I wanted to read this book is because of the star it is about - obviously! Dharmendra is one of the only yesteryear leading men who I had and still have a crush on. And to read about his journey from beginning to end would have been an amazing thing to happen to me.
But that's not what happened. Not all the way.
I did enjoy reading about how Dharmendra started off and how he is as a person. But I have a problem with the writing. The way the narrative meanders all over the place makes it annoying to get through. Plus, there is a bunch of motivational dialogues that look like they've been narrated just for fun and don't find a place to fit in here. Cliche statements and explanations could have been avoided to make for an intriguing read of a charismatic superstar.
At one point, all I felt was that the author is flinging names and dates at me, as if he's doing it just because he has taken it upon himself to write the biography. There's no uniqueness to this narrative, with important facts being inserted into places that one would not think to look at. And there's also the fact that the writing is disjointed in many places, with unnecessary exclamations taking up important processing time by annoying the reader.
The biggest positive about this book, however, is that it lists out the filmography of one of the greatest actors of Hindi cinema with diligent formality. It shows, even if it's in bits and pieces, the kind of person that Dharamji is. Yes, we would have liked to read more about his relationships, but I'm not really worried about that, to be truthful.
So basically - I love the man this book is about and the facts it gives out about him, but not the way it is presented. It could have been so much better!
One of the biggest reasons why I wanted to read this book is because of the star it is about - obviously! Dharmendra is one of the only yesteryear leading men who I had and still have a crush on. And to read about his journey from beginning to end would have been an amazing thing to happen to me.
But that's not what happened. Not all the way.
I did enjoy reading about how Dharmendra started off and how he is as a person. But I have a problem with the writing. The way the narrative meanders all over the place makes it annoying to get through. Plus, there is a bunch of motivational dialogues that look like they've been narrated just for fun and don't find a place to fit in here. Cliche statements and explanations could have been avoided to make for an intriguing read of a charismatic superstar.
At one point, all I felt was that the author is flinging names and dates at me, as if he's doing it just because he has taken it upon himself to write the biography. There's no uniqueness to this narrative, with important facts being inserted into places that one would not think to look at. And there's also the fact that the writing is disjointed in many places, with unnecessary exclamations taking up important processing time by annoying the reader.
The biggest positive about this book, however, is that it lists out the filmography of one of the greatest actors of Hindi cinema with diligent formality. It shows, even if it's in bits and pieces, the kind of person that Dharamji is. Yes, we would have liked to read more about his relationships, but I'm not really worried about that, to be truthful.
So basically - I love the man this book is about and the facts it gives out about him, but not the way it is presented. It could have been so much better!
February 26, 2019
I read this book solely because of my daddy. Dharmendra is the actor whom my dad adores. Since it is a biography we all know how much of hard work goes into research and writing so kudos to the author for a wonderful job.
The bond of friendship and the will to do something is what I was liked the most about this great actor. The writing is amazing. The information about his personal and professional life is nicely conveyed. The book is divided in 3 parts and have a collection of 21 chapters and that includes about his struggles, his family, his stardom and many many more topics. The incidents about his personal life is what I enjoyed the most because I got to know a lot about him.
The thing I didn't like much was every movie of his was explained in depth and at points I was taking break from it. But if you are a bollywood and Dharmendra fan you will pass this point and go ahead.
The bond of friendship and the will to do something is what I was liked the most about this great actor. The writing is amazing. The information about his personal and professional life is nicely conveyed. The book is divided in 3 parts and have a collection of 21 chapters and that includes about his struggles, his family, his stardom and many many more topics. The incidents about his personal life is what I enjoyed the most because I got to know a lot about him.
The thing I didn't like much was every movie of his was explained in depth and at points I was taking break from it. But if you are a bollywood and Dharmendra fan you will pass this point and go ahead.
March 20, 2019
Dharmendra: A Biography: Not Just a He-Man by Rajiv M. Vijayakar is a wonderful book that tells about the journey of Dharmendra. Divided into 2 Parts and 21 Chapters, The author describes how he began his career to the struggle he faced in an apt way.
Firstly, I loved the way the author starts every chapter of the book. It starts with a song or movie name of Dharmendra ji. The book is well narrated and wonderfully written.
The narration of the book is crisp up to up to the point. The book is well sequenced and gives the glimpse about Dharmendra Ji's personal and professional life. It’s a wonderful book with the journey and some facts about Dharmendra and the things that happened in his life.
The pace and flow of the story are smooth. The language used by the author is simple and relatable. I liked the writing style of the author. It's commendable. One can connect to the story well. The author has added some dialogues which keep the reader invested in.
The book started at the low key with his journey from Dharminder to Dharmendra but after a few chapters, the story gets interesting. It’s a detailed and well-researched book. There are some pictures and some quotes, lines in the books which will melt your heart.
I fell in love with the cover of the book. It's beautiful with the songs of Dharmendra.
If you're a Bollywood fan and like to read more about stars, Go For This one.
February 25, 2019
Dharmendra: A Biography: Not Just a He-Man
Do you love Bollywood movies? Do you know great actors from old Bollywood.? You must have heard about Dharmendra. A great actor of Bollywood movie.
Usually I don't like to read biography. This is probably 3rd biography from my shelf after Miss. Obama. The reason I picked up this book, I wanted to know the struggle of old Bollywood. This book have all that I searched for. From starting of career to success and what's all after that.
Starting of the book specific talk about Dharmendra. A indeed great information about actor. From this book actually I came to know that his original name is "dharamindar" (as I'm not great fan of old book, only reason I picked this).
Book also talk about his success after 5, 6 years of struggle. The way he approached to flims, his behaviors everything is greatly described.
The narration is so smooth and lucid. At the middle some photographs helps us. The good going book with hooked up.
I believe it's hard to describe someone life in words. But, author did great job.
Do you love Bollywood movies? Do you know great actors from old Bollywood.? You must have heard about Dharmendra. A great actor of Bollywood movie.
Usually I don't like to read biography. This is probably 3rd biography from my shelf after Miss. Obama. The reason I picked up this book, I wanted to know the struggle of old Bollywood. This book have all that I searched for. From starting of career to success and what's all after that.
Starting of the book specific talk about Dharmendra. A indeed great information about actor. From this book actually I came to know that his original name is "dharamindar" (as I'm not great fan of old book, only reason I picked this).
Book also talk about his success after 5, 6 years of struggle. The way he approached to flims, his behaviors everything is greatly described.
The narration is so smooth and lucid. At the middle some photographs helps us. The good going book with hooked up.
I believe it's hard to describe someone life in words. But, author did great job.
March 13, 2019
I always adore Bollywood celebrities and Dharmendra Ji is one of the finest actors of the Industry. The book follows the journey of an ordinary village boy Dharmendra Ji who worked hard to achieve his goal of becoming an actor.
He hailed from a traditional family and got married at the early age of 19, but marriage didn't stop him to pursue his dreams. The story gives us an insight to Dharmendra Ji's personal as well as professional life.
I really enjoyed reading the book and got to know so much more about him. The narration is smooth and the book is well paced. The language is easy and understandable.
Recommended to all the Bollywood lovers!
He hailed from a traditional family and got married at the early age of 19, but marriage didn't stop him to pursue his dreams. The story gives us an insight to Dharmendra Ji's personal as well as professional life.
I really enjoyed reading the book and got to know so much more about him. The narration is smooth and the book is well paced. The language is easy and understandable.
Recommended to all the Bollywood lovers!
February 26, 2019
I don’t read biographies much but this book caught my attention and it’s the best thing that had happened to me. I knew very little about his life. All I knew about him is his movie “sholay” and little bit about his personal life but now can definitely say that I am going to see all his famous movies. Well written. A must read for all of his fans and good one. I recommend it.
February 16, 2019
The book has been divided into three parts and also has a prologue, a post-script and ends with a bibliography and list of the films of the actor.
At the outset, in the prologue, the author mentions that he was predestined to write this book, why because by the time he was ten, he was a veteran of a few Dharmendra films, courtesy his parents.
The first part of the book talks about how Dharminder of Sahnewal in Ludhiana became Dharmendra. This part also deals with his journey in films from 1960s. the second part of the book talks about the movies that never took off, person that he is, the team player that he is and how he values relationships. The third part of the book deals with Dharmendra, the human being, the caring co-star, his lasting ties with people who belong to his village and surrounding areas, the softspoken man, the family man, his second family and the poet within him.
The language is simple and the narrative is interesting and it makes the reader feel the he knows Dharamji well. The author has touched on his personal life as well. Each chapter has a few lines from his songs in the title. There are some pictures of Dharamji with his colleagues and the production team. These are also some lines from his various poems and also excerpts from what his friends have to tell about him.
I liked the book and would recommend it to all Dharmendra fans.
At the outset, in the prologue, the author mentions that he was predestined to write this book, why because by the time he was ten, he was a veteran of a few Dharmendra films, courtesy his parents.
The first part of the book talks about how Dharminder of Sahnewal in Ludhiana became Dharmendra. This part also deals with his journey in films from 1960s. the second part of the book talks about the movies that never took off, person that he is, the team player that he is and how he values relationships. The third part of the book deals with Dharmendra, the human being, the caring co-star, his lasting ties with people who belong to his village and surrounding areas, the softspoken man, the family man, his second family and the poet within him.
The language is simple and the narrative is interesting and it makes the reader feel the he knows Dharamji well. The author has touched on his personal life as well. Each chapter has a few lines from his songs in the title. There are some pictures of Dharamji with his colleagues and the production team. These are also some lines from his various poems and also excerpts from what his friends have to tell about him.
I liked the book and would recommend it to all Dharmendra fans.
July 6, 2024
Detailed Review - https://www.anuradhagoyal.com/dharmen...
March 8, 2019
Dharmendra
Being born in a middle class family with traditional parents. I've grown up watching bollywood movies. Let it be the legendary 'Sholay' casting Amitabh Bacchan or 'Newton' by Rajkumar. My dad is a crazy movie fanatic & when it comes to watching films he's totally crazy about it. Right from Hollywood to Bollywood to Tollywood. He almost watched every major & minor movie irrespective of his workload & time constraints!
I know there maybe many who don't like bollywood movies much. However, I like them. They've a unique way of portraying things. I don't generally read biography or books from nonfiction genre. However, there're certain books which gain my interest. This is probably one of the few biographies I've read in a long time. One of the very reason I picked up this book, is because of the cover. It's so alluring & at the same time, captivating. Not to forget the title, which is attractive, unique & at the same time impactful!
The book firstly lays hands on career aspect of the legendary actor, then moves on to success & at the end, his personal life & family. It deals a great amount of space discussing crucial information pertaining to his 5-6 years of struggle. Being from a Punjabi background, his zeal to never giving up in life has been highlighted effectively via his approach to flims. From a nobody to an actor to a living legend, the book presents everything in a good way. The respect & love he shares with his colleagues & coactors have also been shown well.
However, there're some drawbacks which I would like to discuss here. The book has extrapolated the professional life extensively. On a short account, it didn't seem much like a biography. On certain occasions, I felt the agenda of the book is entirely different. What really put me off, is that the actor's family & personal life found a very insignificant minor place - that too only in the last scare number of pages. It gives only a short insight talk about his first family when he was married to 'Parkash Kaur' at the age of 19 & later to Hema Malini, his current second wife. The The things that have been showcased are nothing new, the readers already have a fair deal of knowledge about them. So I was dissatisfied & disappointed upto a certain extent, because when it comes to dealing with biographies, the reader deserve a fair share of interaction on the personal life of the person the book has been dedicated to....
Writing style is good. Language is simple, easy to understand. Narration is okay. A good onetime read.
Being born in a middle class family with traditional parents. I've grown up watching bollywood movies. Let it be the legendary 'Sholay' casting Amitabh Bacchan or 'Newton' by Rajkumar. My dad is a crazy movie fanatic & when it comes to watching films he's totally crazy about it. Right from Hollywood to Bollywood to Tollywood. He almost watched every major & minor movie irrespective of his workload & time constraints!
I know there maybe many who don't like bollywood movies much. However, I like them. They've a unique way of portraying things. I don't generally read biography or books from nonfiction genre. However, there're certain books which gain my interest. This is probably one of the few biographies I've read in a long time. One of the very reason I picked up this book, is because of the cover. It's so alluring & at the same time, captivating. Not to forget the title, which is attractive, unique & at the same time impactful!
The book firstly lays hands on career aspect of the legendary actor, then moves on to success & at the end, his personal life & family. It deals a great amount of space discussing crucial information pertaining to his 5-6 years of struggle. Being from a Punjabi background, his zeal to never giving up in life has been highlighted effectively via his approach to flims. From a nobody to an actor to a living legend, the book presents everything in a good way. The respect & love he shares with his colleagues & coactors have also been shown well.
However, there're some drawbacks which I would like to discuss here. The book has extrapolated the professional life extensively. On a short account, it didn't seem much like a biography. On certain occasions, I felt the agenda of the book is entirely different. What really put me off, is that the actor's family & personal life found a very insignificant minor place - that too only in the last scare number of pages. It gives only a short insight talk about his first family when he was married to 'Parkash Kaur' at the age of 19 & later to Hema Malini, his current second wife. The The things that have been showcased are nothing new, the readers already have a fair deal of knowledge about them. So I was dissatisfied & disappointed upto a certain extent, because when it comes to dealing with biographies, the reader deserve a fair share of interaction on the personal life of the person the book has been dedicated to....
Writing style is good. Language is simple, easy to understand. Narration is okay. A good onetime read.
March 4, 2019
Name – Dharmendra – Not Just A He-Man
Author – Rajiv Vijayakar
Publication – Rupa
Pages – 269
Type – Hardcover
Rating – 3/5
Reading – Slow Read
Basanti In Kutton Ke Saamne Mat Nacchna
This is the 1st thing I remember when anyone talks about Dharmendra. His movie Chupke Chupke happens to be one of my most favourite movies & probably the only movie where I loved him. Being Garam Dharam, his signature dance moves, his family, sons, life with Hema Malini & much much more is what I was expecting from this book. But, the book was a let down.
The book cover will capture you attention for sure, with his picture & famous dialogues inscribed. Divided into 3 sections – the book talks about his journey from Dharminder to Dharmendra, his movie journey & his personal life. The author starts well by taking us through the actor’s childhood & his life in his hometown in Punjab, him participating in the talent hunt contest, winning it & coming to Mumbai leaving his wife & elder son behind. This is followed by his struggling days in Mumbai, staring as the second lead in films & then finally making it big. At various point, there are quotes from his co-stars, directors, etc which clearly highlight facts including – his love & connection to his roots, his hometown, him being an honest & down-to-earth person, etc. There is hardly any mention about his childhood, his growing up days, school, etc.
Moving on, the author just starts talking about his movies, his co-stars & how it was working with them. His relationship with Meena Kumari is also discussed very briefly. With input from other journalist’s, this section could have been presented in a much better fashion. I almost skipped this.
While I was really keen on knowing Dharmedra – the person, the last section does some justice to that. This section talks about his relationship with 1st wife, sons, falling in love with Hema Malini, getting married, being father to Esha & Ahana, Uncle to Abhay Deol. This section was the most interesting part of the book. The book ends with his entire filmography.
The book doesn’t do justice to Dharmendra, the mega star. The writing doesn’t keep you hooked & is more about just quoting stars, interview snippets.
Would I recommend the book? – Only if you are a Dharam fan.
Author – Rajiv Vijayakar
Publication – Rupa
Pages – 269
Type – Hardcover
Rating – 3/5
Reading – Slow Read
Basanti In Kutton Ke Saamne Mat Nacchna
This is the 1st thing I remember when anyone talks about Dharmendra. His movie Chupke Chupke happens to be one of my most favourite movies & probably the only movie where I loved him. Being Garam Dharam, his signature dance moves, his family, sons, life with Hema Malini & much much more is what I was expecting from this book. But, the book was a let down.
The book cover will capture you attention for sure, with his picture & famous dialogues inscribed. Divided into 3 sections – the book talks about his journey from Dharminder to Dharmendra, his movie journey & his personal life. The author starts well by taking us through the actor’s childhood & his life in his hometown in Punjab, him participating in the talent hunt contest, winning it & coming to Mumbai leaving his wife & elder son behind. This is followed by his struggling days in Mumbai, staring as the second lead in films & then finally making it big. At various point, there are quotes from his co-stars, directors, etc which clearly highlight facts including – his love & connection to his roots, his hometown, him being an honest & down-to-earth person, etc. There is hardly any mention about his childhood, his growing up days, school, etc.
Moving on, the author just starts talking about his movies, his co-stars & how it was working with them. His relationship with Meena Kumari is also discussed very briefly. With input from other journalist’s, this section could have been presented in a much better fashion. I almost skipped this.
While I was really keen on knowing Dharmedra – the person, the last section does some justice to that. This section talks about his relationship with 1st wife, sons, falling in love with Hema Malini, getting married, being father to Esha & Ahana, Uncle to Abhay Deol. This section was the most interesting part of the book. The book ends with his entire filmography.
The book doesn’t do justice to Dharmendra, the mega star. The writing doesn’t keep you hooked & is more about just quoting stars, interview snippets.
Would I recommend the book? – Only if you are a Dharam fan.
February 28, 2019
Dharmendra : Not Just A He-Man is the biography of the great evergreen star of Bollywood film industry Dharmendra written by famous entertainment journalist and author Rajiv M. Vijayakar. It is published by @rupa_publications .In the prologue the author who himself is a self confessed fan of Dharmji (lovingly called by his fans ) tells the readers about his 1st meeting with the great legend and how this association with him grew that he finally decided to write Dharamji's biography.
The book is divided into 3 parts and 21 chapters where each part depicts one of the major phases of his life. The book beautifully narrates the journey of a simple teacher's son from the hinterlands of Punjab who dreamt of doing what Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor did on screen and expecting to own a flat and fiat consequently went on to become the the most loved icons of Hindi Cinema. The cover of the book too is quite attractive and eye catching with the picture of Dharmendra in the middle and some of his famous dialogues written around it. The book gives an account of his career, struggles, failures, family, friends and his journey from a simple untutored villager having no idea of acting to a Star and then finally to a Superstar to whom the Hindi film industry would remain indebted forever. It also talks about some of the lesser known facts about him like his keen interest in writing poems etc. The great collection of his pictures in the book adds to the intrest and joy of the readers.
This was perhaps the 1st Biography I have ever read and I personally liked it very much. Dharmji's life inspires us to dream and struggle to convert that dream into reality.
One of the famous dialogues from a Bollywood movie quotes it as:
"Kehte hain ki ...... Agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaaho to puri kayanat usey tumse milane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai."
Finally i would like to repeat the author's words that "There may be a million stars,but there can be only one Dharmendra."
Highly recommended for all the book lovers who love to read the Biographies of great people.
The book is divided into 3 parts and 21 chapters where each part depicts one of the major phases of his life. The book beautifully narrates the journey of a simple teacher's son from the hinterlands of Punjab who dreamt of doing what Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor did on screen and expecting to own a flat and fiat consequently went on to become the the most loved icons of Hindi Cinema. The cover of the book too is quite attractive and eye catching with the picture of Dharmendra in the middle and some of his famous dialogues written around it. The book gives an account of his career, struggles, failures, family, friends and his journey from a simple untutored villager having no idea of acting to a Star and then finally to a Superstar to whom the Hindi film industry would remain indebted forever. It also talks about some of the lesser known facts about him like his keen interest in writing poems etc. The great collection of his pictures in the book adds to the intrest and joy of the readers.
This was perhaps the 1st Biography I have ever read and I personally liked it very much. Dharmji's life inspires us to dream and struggle to convert that dream into reality.
One of the famous dialogues from a Bollywood movie quotes it as:
"Kehte hain ki ...... Agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaaho to puri kayanat usey tumse milane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai."
Finally i would like to repeat the author's words that "There may be a million stars,but there can be only one Dharmendra."
Highly recommended for all the book lovers who love to read the Biographies of great people.
March 4, 2019
Favourite Character - Dharmendra
Genre - Biography
Language & Grammar - Well written in terms of usage of words and the grammar. I came across a very minute error which can easily be ignored (Pg 52 - last line - repetition of that - ... that that... )
Page - 277
Plot - Mr. Dharmendra hails from a small town from up north - Punjab. The plot revolves around the rise and fall of his career, amidst his struggle to make a mark in the Indian cinema, with a subtle touch of his personal life.
Read Time - 8 to 10 hours
MRP - Rs 595 (Rs 358 on Amazon)
Rating - 3.25/5
Review - The writing was in much detailed fashion than I had thought of. Depth in work is clearly visible. However, there were times, where I wished the writing could have been more entertaining, interesting and lively. The cover is apt going by the protagonist's journey.
Honestly, I had not liked Mr Dharmendra, until now. I had always judged him because of his second marriage. But the author has helped me in realising that I had unnoticed a lot of things, and hence my judgement was partial and incorrect. Though the inputs of his second marriage isn't made much clear, but whatever little I could make out from the biography, I can very well comprehend that his first wife, Mrs Kaur, and their four children are still loved and taken care of unconditionally, much in the same way as his second wife and their daughters. This peaced my wandering soul.
Love is that, when one flies beyond his own imagination. And this gentlemen has lived all his life loving and caring for others. This makes him different from others. Living in good books of many is not a small task, and he has successfully achieved this. He is looked up to, respected and loved. This clearly shows what this man is made of - a genuine gem.
#ReviewFromMyHeart #VSSReview
Genre - Biography
Language & Grammar - Well written in terms of usage of words and the grammar. I came across a very minute error which can easily be ignored (Pg 52 - last line - repetition of that - ... that that... )
Page - 277
Plot - Mr. Dharmendra hails from a small town from up north - Punjab. The plot revolves around the rise and fall of his career, amidst his struggle to make a mark in the Indian cinema, with a subtle touch of his personal life.
Read Time - 8 to 10 hours
MRP - Rs 595 (Rs 358 on Amazon)
Rating - 3.25/5
Review - The writing was in much detailed fashion than I had thought of. Depth in work is clearly visible. However, there were times, where I wished the writing could have been more entertaining, interesting and lively. The cover is apt going by the protagonist's journey.
Honestly, I had not liked Mr Dharmendra, until now. I had always judged him because of his second marriage. But the author has helped me in realising that I had unnoticed a lot of things, and hence my judgement was partial and incorrect. Though the inputs of his second marriage isn't made much clear, but whatever little I could make out from the biography, I can very well comprehend that his first wife, Mrs Kaur, and their four children are still loved and taken care of unconditionally, much in the same way as his second wife and their daughters. This peaced my wandering soul.
Love is that, when one flies beyond his own imagination. And this gentlemen has lived all his life loving and caring for others. This makes him different from others. Living in good books of many is not a small task, and he has successfully achieved this. He is looked up to, respected and loved. This clearly shows what this man is made of - a genuine gem.
#ReviewFromMyHeart #VSSReview
March 28, 2019
We live in India and Bollywood is a very essential part of being Indian. There in atleast one bollywood star which we adore the most. For his looks, personality, acting, nature whatever the reason be, we have that one person.
"Dharmendra" is one such book clearly depicting how much the author adore this personality.
This book is about this Padma Bhushan awardee who once fantasize about what Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor did on screen. Being a typical Punjabi Jat he had a dream of owning a flat and a Fiat. How this extremely humble Jat stepped in bollywood and attained that global stardom. Acting in over 250 films this poetry lover recieved multiple awards.
" There may be a million stars, but there can be only one Dharmendra"
This book is just so beautifully written that if a person who is a not a fan of this man will eventually fall in love with him. It gives an insight into the world of this He-man of bollywood. Lodged with fascinating pictures and mind blowing facts about Dharmendra, this book becomes a must read for all his fans out there.
Being a non-fiction it is a little bit boring to me but for a fan this book will be an absolute bliss. Additionally not being a movie lover, the movie contexts given in the book just went over my head.
Talking about the cover, it is absolutely stunning. The retro look with all his famous dialogues and a lovely picture of him looks totally different.
In a nutshell, I will recommend this book to everyone and for his fans this book is a must read. You just can't miss this book.
"Dharmendra" is one such book clearly depicting how much the author adore this personality.
This book is about this Padma Bhushan awardee who once fantasize about what Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor did on screen. Being a typical Punjabi Jat he had a dream of owning a flat and a Fiat. How this extremely humble Jat stepped in bollywood and attained that global stardom. Acting in over 250 films this poetry lover recieved multiple awards.
" There may be a million stars, but there can be only one Dharmendra"
This book is just so beautifully written that if a person who is a not a fan of this man will eventually fall in love with him. It gives an insight into the world of this He-man of bollywood. Lodged with fascinating pictures and mind blowing facts about Dharmendra, this book becomes a must read for all his fans out there.
Being a non-fiction it is a little bit boring to me but for a fan this book will be an absolute bliss. Additionally not being a movie lover, the movie contexts given in the book just went over my head.
Talking about the cover, it is absolutely stunning. The retro look with all his famous dialogues and a lovely picture of him looks totally different.
In a nutshell, I will recommend this book to everyone and for his fans this book is a must read. You just can't miss this book.
February 26, 2019
This is not just a biography, it is a tale of a Punjabi Jat who was destined to achieve far more and magnificient than what he could have imagined!
Starting from appreaciating the cover; Cover artist and designers have really worked hard in giving it a 1970s script look with the flowing dailogues. It is so eye-catching and interesting that one glance of it and next second it is in your hand, your eyes scanning the text! One of the main reason this book made into my TBR was the attractive cover!
The author has collected many things from various sources and compiled them into this book with a simple and biographical narration.
The instances where you get to read his dailogues and the songs he was hit for, you are thrown back into the memory lane of Hindi Film Industry!
Divided into three parts, the book is a one-stop read for Dharmendra's fan and others alike. You get everything in it! His early life, his early career, his struggles, stardom and alp that stuff!
A very less acknowledged fact about him is his interest in poetry, and it intrigued me so much! And the book is full-fledged with many such less known facts about his life!
With a good collection of memories in the form of a separate picture section definitely makes it a surreal read!
One of his poems go like this, ' I have sowed the seeds of love, which are now being reaped. Fame is ephemeral l, but love is forever. '
And Dharmendra is forever!
Overall, it was a very exciting read!!
Starting from appreaciating the cover; Cover artist and designers have really worked hard in giving it a 1970s script look with the flowing dailogues. It is so eye-catching and interesting that one glance of it and next second it is in your hand, your eyes scanning the text! One of the main reason this book made into my TBR was the attractive cover!
The author has collected many things from various sources and compiled them into this book with a simple and biographical narration.
The instances where you get to read his dailogues and the songs he was hit for, you are thrown back into the memory lane of Hindi Film Industry!
Divided into three parts, the book is a one-stop read for Dharmendra's fan and others alike. You get everything in it! His early life, his early career, his struggles, stardom and alp that stuff!
A very less acknowledged fact about him is his interest in poetry, and it intrigued me so much! And the book is full-fledged with many such less known facts about his life!
With a good collection of memories in the form of a separate picture section definitely makes it a surreal read!
One of his poems go like this, ' I have sowed the seeds of love, which are now being reaped. Fame is ephemeral l, but love is forever. '
And Dharmendra is forever!
Overall, it was a very exciting read!!
March 5, 2019
March has been a month of biographies for me. This was my second read and biography for this month after ‘Becoming’ by Michelle Obama.
I have not been a hardcore fan of Dharmendra so this book was a very good read for me. As I got to know a lot about his career choices and Bollywood a few decades ago. I have got an opportunity to meet Dharmendra twice in my life. And I have always been overwhelmed and intrigued by his charisma, aura and kindness. That was the prime reason why I picked up this book.
So let’s start with the gorgeous cover. The cover is simple yet very beautiful with a picture of Dharmendra. The tagline of the book is ‘Not just a He-Man’ which is very apt acknowledging the authors prime motive to prove that Dharmendra was actually a very versatile actor.
“Thaam le tu mast pawan ka lehrata aanchal
O manjhi chal “
The book takes us through the actor’s personal and professional life. His life before being an actor, his struggles in Bollywood, some important roles that he played are wonderfully described. I specially loved the individual titles of the chapters and use of song lyrics. There are pictures of the author so overall it’s a treat for any reader. I know that it’s very difficult to put life of an actor of his stature in merely 300 pages but the author has done a wonderful job.
I would definitely recommend this to the readers who love Bollywood movies and who love reading biographies.
I have not been a hardcore fan of Dharmendra so this book was a very good read for me. As I got to know a lot about his career choices and Bollywood a few decades ago. I have got an opportunity to meet Dharmendra twice in my life. And I have always been overwhelmed and intrigued by his charisma, aura and kindness. That was the prime reason why I picked up this book.
So let’s start with the gorgeous cover. The cover is simple yet very beautiful with a picture of Dharmendra. The tagline of the book is ‘Not just a He-Man’ which is very apt acknowledging the authors prime motive to prove that Dharmendra was actually a very versatile actor.
“Thaam le tu mast pawan ka lehrata aanchal
O manjhi chal “
The book takes us through the actor’s personal and professional life. His life before being an actor, his struggles in Bollywood, some important roles that he played are wonderfully described. I specially loved the individual titles of the chapters and use of song lyrics. There are pictures of the author so overall it’s a treat for any reader. I know that it’s very difficult to put life of an actor of his stature in merely 300 pages but the author has done a wonderful job.
I would definitely recommend this to the readers who love Bollywood movies and who love reading biographies.
March 6, 2019
Name- Dharmendra: Not just a He-Man
Author- Rajiv Vijayakar
Genre- Non Fiction, Biography
Pages- 288
Dharmendra: Not Just a He-Man by Rajiv Vijaykar is the biography of the legendary actor Dharmendra.
The book talks about the life of the star- how he rose from being a Punjabi nobody to one of the best actors of his era. The first half of the book talks about his professional life. It includes a lot about his films- hits and flops, completed and released ones and also about the incomplete ones. A lot of anecdotes are shared by his co-stars and the various directors, producers and other artists who have worked with him. Towards the end of the book, we see some personal accounts as shared by his sons Bobby Deol and Sunny Deol and nephew Abhay Deol.
The book has talked so much about the professional life of the actor that it didn't seem much like a biography to me. I was very excited to read about Dharmendra and know the nuances of his life but the book didn't give me that. It was the account of his films in a chronological order. In a 300 pages book, his family life found a place only in the last few pages. Very less has been talk about his first family and even aboit Hema Malini. The few things mentioned are not really what the readet won't already know. What was mentioned was good to read but it feels a lot has been left unsaid. The book, unfortunately, came as a disappointment to me to an extent that it became difficult to finish it.
Author- Rajiv Vijayakar
Genre- Non Fiction, Biography
Pages- 288
Dharmendra: Not Just a He-Man by Rajiv Vijaykar is the biography of the legendary actor Dharmendra.
The book talks about the life of the star- how he rose from being a Punjabi nobody to one of the best actors of his era. The first half of the book talks about his professional life. It includes a lot about his films- hits and flops, completed and released ones and also about the incomplete ones. A lot of anecdotes are shared by his co-stars and the various directors, producers and other artists who have worked with him. Towards the end of the book, we see some personal accounts as shared by his sons Bobby Deol and Sunny Deol and nephew Abhay Deol.
The book has talked so much about the professional life of the actor that it didn't seem much like a biography to me. I was very excited to read about Dharmendra and know the nuances of his life but the book didn't give me that. It was the account of his films in a chronological order. In a 300 pages book, his family life found a place only in the last few pages. Very less has been talk about his first family and even aboit Hema Malini. The few things mentioned are not really what the readet won't already know. What was mentioned was good to read but it feels a lot has been left unsaid. The book, unfortunately, came as a disappointment to me to an extent that it became difficult to finish it.
March 2, 2019
Book Review-
Book Name - Dharmendra - Not Just a He-Man
Author - Rajiv Vijayakar
❤️
First of all I was very fortunate to meet this living legend at a Book launch Event and then to review his Biography is like blessing from God.
❤️The Title of the book very well justifies Dharm Paaji. "Not Just A He-Man".
📖The Book has been divided into 3 parts -
1) Part 1-From Dharminder to Dharmendra
This part describes the birth, growing up, struggle and big break of Dharmendra. From lull stage of life to the present day of Dharm Paaji.
2) Part 2- The Man behind the He-Man.
This part describes the movies which never took off, how he was a team player and his coexisting with his own son sunny deol
3) Part 3- Ye Jat Yamla, Pagla, Deewana.
This part describes how he was family man despite of being a superstar, The poetic Dharmendra etc.
❤️The Book has been well researched and each and every part of his life has been mentioned here.
❤️The book is equally supported with images of his entire life journey, description regarding his movies, name of the movies acted and various other information on the living legend.
❤️📖The author has done a commendable job in researching and writing this bingo, as we all know how difficult it is to portray a character in a book and that too of a living legend.
❤️My Rating for this book has to be 5/5
Book Cover is awesome - 5/5
📖📖
Book Name - Dharmendra - Not Just a He-Man
Author - Rajiv Vijayakar
❤️
First of all I was very fortunate to meet this living legend at a Book launch Event and then to review his Biography is like blessing from God.
❤️The Title of the book very well justifies Dharm Paaji. "Not Just A He-Man".
📖The Book has been divided into 3 parts -
1) Part 1-From Dharminder to Dharmendra
This part describes the birth, growing up, struggle and big break of Dharmendra. From lull stage of life to the present day of Dharm Paaji.
2) Part 2- The Man behind the He-Man.
This part describes the movies which never took off, how he was a team player and his coexisting with his own son sunny deol
3) Part 3- Ye Jat Yamla, Pagla, Deewana.
This part describes how he was family man despite of being a superstar, The poetic Dharmendra etc.
❤️The Book has been well researched and each and every part of his life has been mentioned here.
❤️The book is equally supported with images of his entire life journey, description regarding his movies, name of the movies acted and various other information on the living legend.
❤️📖The author has done a commendable job in researching and writing this bingo, as we all know how difficult it is to portray a character in a book and that too of a living legend.
❤️My Rating for this book has to be 5/5
Book Cover is awesome - 5/5
📖📖
March 13, 2019
A person from the village of punjab whose sole interest was acting just for the love of it with no ulterior motive came to the city of dreams i.e. Mumbai and made the world fall for him.... The most striking thing about Dharam saheb is his ability to retain the real jatt in him no matter how high he climbed the ladder that is stardom.
I always felt that this star is never fully appreciated for what he is and what he brought to the industry and after reading the book I realised I'm not alone who thinks like that.
The book chronologically mentions the actor's time right from the first time the thought of becoming an actor struck him till now...most of the things we know,thanks to the media but there is always more to know and the fans of the actor will love it.
The book is divided into 3 parts and I think it is a very good and clever idea..it breaks the monotony and the reader is kept intrigued throughout the book.
Personally, I had a great time reading it..got to know so much more about the actor,the industry because I didn't know he is a poet as well and this is a pleasant surprise and he writes beautifully as well overall it was an enjoyble experience.
There are anecdotes from other big actors though which shed a light on what a great human this man is,that was the most interesting part for me.
3.5 star read for me.
March 2, 2019
'Not just a he man' - perfect way to put his whole life together. He's so much more than a he man, and this book takes us through those phases only.
*Firstly, I've to praise the cover. It's just so beautiful. The portrait of Dharmendra ji is showcasing what he really is.
*The way chapters have been named, its very interesting
*Special mention of the prologue, which the writer has written from his heart. It actually encourages the reader to go for it!
*The division of book into 3 parts provides a systematic and engaging turn to the events of the star's life.
* The overall description of his career, struggles, family, failures, stardom, friends is very descriptive and gives a very nice insight into the star's life.
*Inclusion of unheard or unknown facts about the star are also very informative and engaging.
*The pictures given in the middle are beautiful and show his major life events.
The book has given a very inspiring message; if the son of a simple middle class teacher can dream about becoming a star, and then put in everything he has, for the same, then anyone of us can dream too. And achieve whatever we want to. Required we work hard ❤️
*Firstly, I've to praise the cover. It's just so beautiful. The portrait of Dharmendra ji is showcasing what he really is.
*The way chapters have been named, its very interesting
*Special mention of the prologue, which the writer has written from his heart. It actually encourages the reader to go for it!
*The division of book into 3 parts provides a systematic and engaging turn to the events of the star's life.
* The overall description of his career, struggles, family, failures, stardom, friends is very descriptive and gives a very nice insight into the star's life.
*Inclusion of unheard or unknown facts about the star are also very informative and engaging.
*The pictures given in the middle are beautiful and show his major life events.
The book has given a very inspiring message; if the son of a simple middle class teacher can dream about becoming a star, and then put in everything he has, for the same, then anyone of us can dream too. And achieve whatever we want to. Required we work hard ❤️
May 25, 2022
Dharmendra has been my all time favourite hero. We grew up watching his movies. Chupke Chupke is my all time favourite film of his. The way he portrays the Professor and the Driver shows his range and capability! He was so handsome and came across as a gentle and sensitive soul. He did get stuck in formula films in the later stage of his life but he made a great comeback with Life in a Metro and Johnny Gaddar!
The biography charts his journey from being fascinated with movies and stars like Suraiyya and Dilip Kumar to his entry in film industry via Filmfare Talent Hunt to ending up being a superstar himself. More than the stardom, he has touched people with his warmth and love.
The book talks more about his films though it does touch upon some famous controversies (like Meena Kumari and Hema Malini) I would have loved to read more about his personal life anecdotes, but still is a good read and includes some unknown snippets of his life. Also, it was nostalgic to read about the old time movies and many of my favourite songs.
The biography charts his journey from being fascinated with movies and stars like Suraiyya and Dilip Kumar to his entry in film industry via Filmfare Talent Hunt to ending up being a superstar himself. More than the stardom, he has touched people with his warmth and love.
The book talks more about his films though it does touch upon some famous controversies (like Meena Kumari and Hema Malini) I would have loved to read more about his personal life anecdotes, but still is a good read and includes some unknown snippets of his life. Also, it was nostalgic to read about the old time movies and many of my favourite songs.
March 26, 2019
It's a pleasant thing to read the biography books .... Usually I don't like biographies to read ... I love to watch mostly 😄.
.
NOW , this made me a good opinion on reading too ....
It's a beautiful read to know more about damendhra's personal and careerlife .
I don't watch Hindi films ....
As I am South Indian and I am a pure Hindu ... I mostly watch Telugu films but .... I know dharmendra as a husband of hemamalini( she was an female famous actor ) ......
.
.
Now from this hardcover beauty I got to know so many things about his day to day life ... .
I loved the explanation through illustrations and the cover is really beautiful and so many members asked me the book in my office to read more about the famous actor..... I loved the thing my colleagues asked the book ....
And my lovely kind a hardcover of march reads..... .
.
I loved how author explained through words and illustrated pictures in the book 😍😍😍.
.
.
NOW , this made me a good opinion on reading too ....
It's a beautiful read to know more about damendhra's personal and careerlife .
I don't watch Hindi films ....
As I am South Indian and I am a pure Hindu ... I mostly watch Telugu films but .... I know dharmendra as a husband of hemamalini( she was an female famous actor ) ......
.
.
Now from this hardcover beauty I got to know so many things about his day to day life ... .
I loved the explanation through illustrations and the cover is really beautiful and so many members asked me the book in my office to read more about the famous actor..... I loved the thing my colleagues asked the book ....
And my lovely kind a hardcover of march reads..... .
.
I loved how author explained through words and illustrated pictures in the book 😍😍😍.
.
March 17, 2019
How nice it would he to get closer to the people you adore? Just a sneak in the lives of those whom you have seen just like a dream-- to know their way of life -- to know that they too are as humane as we are -- to get to know their personality traits and to know them beyond the blood and flesh... this is what I went through while reading this book.
Beautifully embedded with stunning pictures and fascinating facts about the He-man of Bollywood. Though the tag line says; Not just a He-man. The tagline brings me back to the beautiful cover, it's a well illustrated cover with the famous dialogues around the picture of Dharmendra. It's eye-catching with bright colors and bold fonts.
Apart from the star facts I really liked the way of narration as the author described how he met Dharmendra in the opening chapters, it was really nice and soulful.
Beautifully embedded with stunning pictures and fascinating facts about the He-man of Bollywood. Though the tag line says; Not just a He-man. The tagline brings me back to the beautiful cover, it's a well illustrated cover with the famous dialogues around the picture of Dharmendra. It's eye-catching with bright colors and bold fonts.
Apart from the star facts I really liked the way of narration as the author described how he met Dharmendra in the opening chapters, it was really nice and soulful.
February 16, 2019
Dharmendra, a shining star, a veteran actor, living a shiny disco life, but the humble beginnings and a journalistic timeline, etched across pages which are a form of emotive Wikipedia!
I didn't know a lot about hus background so reading about Dharmendra Paji's childhood, his struggles, ambitions and knowing how he grew into a realistic poet with a knack for winning Bollywood!
The negative of the book was a sloppy timeline explaining what he did, which movies, a formality of sorts. A venture into his relationships would have given a zing but alas! 😀😁 This book has described the bodywork of one of the greatest of our silver screens and I accidentally fell in love with a dozen stories which are palpable and very connecting! 😊👀
I didn't know a lot about hus background so reading about Dharmendra Paji's childhood, his struggles, ambitions and knowing how he grew into a realistic poet with a knack for winning Bollywood!
The negative of the book was a sloppy timeline explaining what he did, which movies, a formality of sorts. A venture into his relationships would have given a zing but alas! 😀😁 This book has described the bodywork of one of the greatest of our silver screens and I accidentally fell in love with a dozen stories which are palpable and very connecting! 😊👀
February 22, 2019
Name of the book - Dharmendra by Rajiv Vijayakar
Stars- More than a five, cause I am still seeing stars so bright shining all around.
My take on the book -
My family is very filmy, I mean I am nicknamed after a Jaya Bachchan movie (Guddi). So you can imagine how exciting reading this book was.
I have adored the Dream Girl's He-Man cause of many of his roles. But hearing stuff about his personal life kinda made him more of a hu-man than some superheros who didn't seem to real.
But what made me even more happy was knowing the fact that he too dabbled in poetry.
QOTD - Given a chance which celebrity dead or alive would you like follow through out the day, with their permission and get to know them better?
AOTD - Me? That's gonna be one big list.
Stars- More than a five, cause I am still seeing stars so bright shining all around.
My take on the book -
My family is very filmy, I mean I am nicknamed after a Jaya Bachchan movie (Guddi). So you can imagine how exciting reading this book was.
I have adored the Dream Girl's He-Man cause of many of his roles. But hearing stuff about his personal life kinda made him more of a hu-man than some superheros who didn't seem to real.
But what made me even more happy was knowing the fact that he too dabbled in poetry.
QOTD - Given a chance which celebrity dead or alive would you like follow through out the day, with their permission and get to know them better?
AOTD - Me? That's gonna be one big list.
February 27, 2019
The book is divided into sections which talk about various aspects of his life, His early life, his early career, his struggles, stardom and soo on.
Talking about the cover - it shows the reflection of colorful 70s with scripts of diologue ,which is eyecatching and simple yet elegant at the same time...
I loved the thing that the book not only talks about his projects which worked,but about his failures too. Biography also portraits his actions as a artist, kind He-Man , loving father, his occasional strings with poetry , Padma Bhushan award and also his political career.
Overall I reccomend this book who love reading biographies.I could have given it a 5 star 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
Talking about the cover - it shows the reflection of colorful 70s with scripts of diologue ,which is eyecatching and simple yet elegant at the same time...
I loved the thing that the book not only talks about his projects which worked,but about his failures too. Biography also portraits his actions as a artist, kind He-Man , loving father, his occasional strings with poetry , Padma Bhushan award and also his political career.
Overall I reccomend this book who love reading biographies.I could have given it a 5 star 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
March 14, 2019
The book is a biography of Bollywood actor Dharmendra. The cover of the book is eye catching with the picture of actor in the middle and some of his famous dialogues written around it.
The book talks about the life of the star- how he rose from being a nobody to one of the best actors of his era.
The book takes us through the actor’s personal and professional life. It has been divided into three parts and twenty one chapters talk about various aspects of his life. The book not only talks about his projects which worked, but about his failures too.
I think it's a must read for all his fans and the ones who love reading biographies.
The book talks about the life of the star- how he rose from being a nobody to one of the best actors of his era.
The book takes us through the actor’s personal and professional life. It has been divided into three parts and twenty one chapters talk about various aspects of his life. The book not only talks about his projects which worked, but about his failures too.
I think it's a must read for all his fans and the ones who love reading biographies.
March 17, 2019
Firstly it is a hardcover book so it stole my heart just like the actor.
I have always adored Dharmendra and reading his biography was a great experience.
Initially the book speaks about his films in a chronological manner eventually talking about his life.
The Narration could have been way better and interesting as the book is written by a person with immense experience. Therefore the expectations from the book increases too.
Personally I think a lot more should have been spoken about his personal life because the book concentrates on his career so much and the latter is something that a reader doesn’t actually look for in a biography.
I have always adored Dharmendra and reading his biography was a great experience.
Initially the book speaks about his films in a chronological manner eventually talking about his life.
The Narration could have been way better and interesting as the book is written by a person with immense experience. Therefore the expectations from the book increases too.
Personally I think a lot more should have been spoken about his personal life because the book concentrates on his career so much and the latter is something that a reader doesn’t actually look for in a biography.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews