by
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
with
Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta
ABOUT THE BOOK
The Stranger in the Mirror is the memoir of the legendary producer-director, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. Co-written by noted marketer-author, Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta, this book chronicles the richly experiential, multi-faceted life of one of India’s most celebrated and feted directors who has made critically acclaimed films like Rang De Basanti, Delhi-6 and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.
Though it may seem natural for an autobiography to have a primary narrator, what makes this book truly unique is its many narrators. It is this multi-dimensional, multi-character narration that will enable readers to delve deep and truly understand what it means to be as unselfish as Mehra, a man who gleefully steps back and lets the experts do their job.
Peppered with anecdotes from Mehra’s life—from the chai-biscuit college days to the popping of the proverbial champagne—it implores readers to pay attention to understand who is narrating, because the plot may have just shifted a little bit, just like his movies. At the end, what really stands out is how effortless the journey has actually been. And herein lies the greatest paradox because there is no lack of perseverance in this journey. The miraculous manner in which things fall into place naturally, like pieces of a pre-ordained puzzle with the universe acting as the ‘sutradhar’, is the fulcrum around which the joy of this remarkable journey is built.
ABOUT THE STRANGER IN THE MIRROR
The Stranger in the Mirror, the memoir of BAFTA nominated ace director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, is penned by noted author Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta. This marks her foray into biographies- two more of which are in the pipeline.
The book offers a multi-dimensional, multi-character narration of an unselfish protagonist, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, (lovingly called ROM by his cast & crew) a man who gleefully steps back and lets the experts do their job. The author projects Mehra as a passionate architect who endeavours to build a bridge between Indian & world cinema.
There are several anecdotes spread liberally all over the book; and you have to pay attention to understand who is narrating - because the plot may have just shifted a little bit- just like his movies. Structured as a non-linear narrative, there are several paths the reader can take within the book. Each movie has its own trajectory, along with first person narrations by almost everyone he has worked with.
Despite the obvious struggles, the miraculous manner in which things fall in place, like pieces of a pre-ordained puzzle, is the fulcrum around which the joy of this journey is built. The carefree days of penniless youth are every bit as exciting as the popping of the proverbial champagne. Here’s a roller-coaster ride hailed by Indian media as one of the best Hindi film biographies ever written.
The book is available on Amazon UK.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
RAKEYSH OMPRAKASH MEHRA
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra occupies a reverent mihrab of his own in the annals of Indian filmmaking. After working on almost 200 advertising films and a documentary, he found his calling on the big screen. His cinema is honest, powerful and holds a mirror to society. His unsentimentally crafted portraits of conflicts inside our own culture, the demonic behaviour of humans possessed by communal hatred, the inherent imperfections that humanize super-achievers, have always been ahead of their time. His brand of socially conscious, progressive filmmaking has its own signature. His work is archetypal, socio-political and philosophical spawning genres such as sports biopics and youth-oriented cinema. As a director, writer and producer, with a yen for timeless music, he established Flicks: The Motion Picture Company in 1987, which grew into Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Pictures in the year 2004. He is married to P.S. Bharathi. They have a daughter, Bhairavi, and a son, Vedant.
REETA RAMAMURTHY GUPTA
Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta hails from the marketing world and applies her vast knowledge of connecting with audiences to her writing. Her ability to bring pages alive with a lexical diversity that assimilates cultures and timelines and gripping parenthetical narratives has created a unique imprint in Indian writing in English. She is credited with the internationally acclaimed Red Dot Experiment, a decadal six-nation study on how ‘culture impacts communication.’ Her previous book, Rescript Your Life, was published by Rupa Publications. She is married and has two children.
EXTRACTS FROM THE BOOK
Rakeysh’s RDB was a blockbuster at another level: one of the top five hits of all time. To celebrate, we released quarter-page ads on the front pages of all the national dailies. I got a call from Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar asking for a meeting at the former’s office. I was half expecting a reprimand for bringing out competitiveness by comparing RDB’s success and trying to put it on some rank. However, both of them were convinced that my intentions were pure and they spoke of the film with admiration. The non-formula movie had arrived and I realized that this kind of movie was what I actually meant when we set out to push the envelope.
The music was a cult hit with AR doing what only he can do. Rang De Basanti became India’s official entry for the Oscars and further won a BAFTA nomination.
Rang De Basanti was chosen as India’s entry in the best foreign film category at the 79th Academy Awards in 2007. We missed an Oscar nomination, but joined Pan’s Labyrinth, Apocalypto and Black Book among other nominees in the category of best non-English film at BAFTA. The film travelled to festivals across the globe and broke box office records at the same time.
It won the golden lotus at the National Film Awards for best popular film providing wholesome entertainment. It also won three silver lotus awards: the first for best audiography (Nakul Kamte), the second for best editing (Bharathi) and the third for best playback singing (Naresh Iyer for the song ‘Rubaru’). But the irony remains. As Kamlesh Pandey beautifully puts it, ‘As long as the State remains the enemy of the nation and politics keep killing its young, RDB will remain relevant.’
COMMENTS
‘He was the one that designed my french beard for his film Aks; I have not removed it since!’.
—Amitabh Bachchan
Tune to college ke bahar bhi life ko nacha diya, kaakkey. Tim-luck-luck-tim... Love you, Mehra.
—Aamir Khan
“I resonate strongly with the fearlessness in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s films and his approach. He goes boldly into subjects that others would think twice about. He bats from the front foot!”
—Virender Sehwag, Cricketer
“It’s tough to constantly infuse your films with your own belief systems. Success or failure, Rakeysh has constantly done that. And that makes him a passionate and a true artist.”
—Shekhar Kapur, Filmmaker
“A master of the storytelling oeuvre, he has brought to life alternate narratives, whose success lies in their being relevant irrespective of the continuum of time.”
—Sanjoy Roy, Producer, Jaipur Literature Festival
“Read this book to understand the making of a genius.”
—Amish Tripathi, Bestselling Author
Rakeysh’s success is important because it is based on his integrity. Other than his obvious achievements, he is an icon because he has inspired millions of Indians to believe that cinema has integrity and soul.”
—N.R. Narayana Murthy, Founder, Infosys
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