Superstar India: From Incredible To Unstoppable by Shobhaa De
Superstar India: From Incredible To Unstoppable by Shobhaa De
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Tuesday, 21, Apr 2009 08:46
Published by Penguin, out now, paperback, 456 pp.
In a nutshell...
Disjointed, angry, hastily written, mildly interesting.
What's it all about?
This book is a consideration of India's progression since its independence from the British Empire and a look at how foreigners view the country. It also professes to consider the successes and failures of the country and where its aspirations place it in the modern world. Young people, old people, fame, money, traditions, sex, work and India's changing industries and landscapes all receive a mention.
Who's it by?
This book is the work of Shobhaa De, who, at 61, claims to have grown and developed in unison with her country of birth, India. She gained success as the founder of various publications, an erotic author and freelance writer and remains in Mumbai where she lives with her husband. She has six children and has often been referred to as the Jackie Collins of India. Her best-known novels, such as Bollywood Nights and Snapshots, are well-known for their break from traditional Indian literature and their frank addressing and exploration of taboo subjects.
As an example...
"It's nobody's fault but our own that most foreigners are so abysmally ignorant about one-sixth of the entire world - us!"
"Yes, there are more lingerie stalls in the malls than shoe boutiques, but I wonder which Indian woman goes to bed wearing a blood red thong with dyed chicken feathers over her pubis?"
Likelihood of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster
Too honest and underdeveloped for Hollywood or even Bollywood but may raise curiosity among anthropologists, scholars or travellers.
What the others say
"Superstar India should leave you with a feeling of indifference perhaps punctuated by despise, if you are a politically conscious individual. If not, I do not think this is the right book to usher yourself in the debate." - Mouthshut.com
"De seems to be taking a view on everything from the prism of her own affluent lifestyle and that of her inner circle of friends and acquaintances - trips abroad, living in posh star hotels, visiting spas, shopping in Milan and Paris." - naachgaana.com
So is it any good?
Far from being a well-structured study in historical events and cultural developments alongside a personal perspective, Superstar India comes across as an indulgent, poorly executed and weak argument as to why the rest of the world is ignorant to Indian culture.
Although this is about India as De knows it, she seems self-conscious and almost apologetic about the way she assumes the rest of the world views India and in her generalising, often gets this wrong. The lack of interviews and specific examples here confirms this feeling further.
Plus, though De prides herself on having stayed in the country of her birth despite her success, she comes across as being bitter and harbouring an air of martyrdom due to her decision.
After all, by her own admission, she does not live like a typical Indian, seeing the impoverished through the eyes of a privileged, upper-class individual on the 'right' side of a limousine window.
De's voice sounds almost like that of the visiting foreigners she so often ponders in this book, her speech littered with Americanisms sitting uncomfortably beside the Indian words, each one unexplained and understandable only to bilingual readers. What's more, this book has a rushed quality to it even includes the odd spelling mistake.
Overall, De has unfortunately, not made her country seem any more accessible to a reader unfamiliar with India. The best lesson that can be learnt from this book is that it is more advisable to invest in a plane ticket and form decisions based on personal experience than to sit and read a poorly-supported account of what someone assumes you really think of India.
4/10
Denise Tench