Trifles makes perfection, and perfection is no trifle’ goes a famous saying, often ascribed to Michelangelo. Bollywood films are far from perfect, but a ‘crazy trivia guide to Bollywood’ can be as mesmerizing as a blockbuster is to the countless addicts of Hindi commercial cinema.
The pan-India appeal of films made in Bombay (should Bollywood be now renamed Mullywood in view of its changed name to Mumbai!) continues unabated despite challenges from the South. Its stronghold over public psyche cannot just be explained away as crass entertainment. Behind their popular success lie mighty reasons that deserve the attention of serious scholars and sociologists. Deciphering some underlying patterns of such movies by an acute observer like Diptakirti Chaudhuri, therefore, evokes admiration. Such discoveries, narrated in a style that is both humorous and often tongue-in-cheek, make fascinating reading!