Review from our first East African reader. At Goodreads

Review of #DirectorsDiaries from our first East African reader, at Goodreads. - Ritesh Barot.

It requires tremendous efforts to document and write such a book. 12 of Bollywoods most prolific filmmakers/ Directors giving the audience an in-depth insight into the "road to their first film" is worthy of applause. #RakeshAnandBakshi has truly researched and written an undeniably gripping, educative and entertaining book. #DirectorsDiaries begins with a brief introduction of author Rakesh Anand Bakshi followed by a wonderful picture with his father the Legendary lyricist Anand Bakshi to whom this wonderful book is dedicated. After a brilliantly focused, precise and informative foreword by Meghna Ghai Puji (Daughter of legendary filmmaker Subhash Ghai, & President of Whistling Woods International) it is clear that this book has educational value to upcoming talents and those enrolled in courses at the academy. 

The foreword by Professor Karl Bardosh (New York University) further sets the mood for the book, explaining the art of film making, artistic quality & craft of film making (or being an Auteur). 

A beautifully written introduction highlights the importance of direction during the film making process. The book then begins to unravel the stories we have all been waiting for since the initial viewing of the front cover ( as the cover of the book shows twelve photographs, each capturing a profile of a filmmaker). Anurag Basu, Asutosh Gowarikar, Farah Khan, Govind Nihalani, Imtiaz Ali, Mahesh Bhatt, Prakash Jha, Santosh Sivan, Subhash Ghai, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Vishal Bhardwaj, Zoya Aktar - each give us a candid account of their lives, what led them to film making, their journey into the film world and their personal journeys that shaped their vision in film making.

Beautifully written interview like segments keep the readers attention affixed to the content. I am a film buff, yet I was unaware of the journey, personal struggles or of the interesting theatre, television shows and movies these wonderful filmmakers were associated with at the very beginning of their foray into the film land. Truly gripping reading material.

Without giving much away, I would like to emphasize that this book Directors Diaries by Rakesh Anand Bakshi is a "Must Read - Must Have" book for all who are interested in bollywood films; for all interested in film making; for all interested in anecdotes and glimpses into the life of a director/filmmaker; for those seeking real life stories of encouragement and most importantly, for all interested in reading good content - as this book surely has captivating content.

Huge round of applause for the tremendous efforts by Rakesh Anand Bakshi into bringing Directors Diaries into fruition and we truly are a very lucky audience to have such an captivating, entertaining and equally educative book available.

On Farah Khan:

‪#‎FarahKhan‬'s segment it truly interesting. From what I have understood, Farah is truly very passionate about filmmaking. Farah explains how choreography was like an internship to becoming a director.

She mentions "There are different ways different actors need to be handled; that is why I said in the beginning that a director required the skill of dealing with people to help them reach the director's level", and "there are different ways of handling difficult egos, sometimes you speak to them like a family member, sometimes they just want some sincere attention, a smile maybe; sometimes you have to scream at them, whatever it takes to get the best for your film"

It is after reading this segment that I understood the dilemma of a director, and as an audience we are unaware of their strain in making a good movie, because when we see the end product, such as Main Hoon Naa, we are truly filled with joy and are cheerful, and take back fond memories and look forward to repeated viewings, without the awareness of the intensity of work involved, editing involved and directorial contribution. Truly applause the work of Directors and editors.

- #RieshBarot - Film Buff and Financial Markets Global investor and Analyst. 

Review link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25823384-directors-diaries?search_version=service