An Unsuitable Boy: Karan Johar’s autobiography
Finished reading Karan Johar’s autobiography ‘An Unsuitable Boy’. Like KJo’s Koffee with Karan, the book doesn’t pretend to be remotely cerebral. It is chatty and you almost feel as if Karan is talking to you. Like he says- he doesn’t write his scripts. He narrates them and someone else writes them down. This too feels as if it has been narrated rather than written. But he has always been articulate so it isn’t a painful read.
The book talks about the expected plots- SRK, his so called different sexuality, his strong attachment to his parents and his work. What comes across strongly is his pride in how he has built up Dharma Productions, the way he has allowed fresh new talent to proliferate and his ability to market a product well. And yes the book has been marketed well with meaty and gossipy excerpts being selectively released.
There is an underlying streak of loneliness which runs through the book – his fear of having no one to call his own as he nears the fifty mark.
Published by Shobhaa De books, a division of Penguin Random House Publishers – this English book has huge chunks in Hindi presuming that the reader would be familiar with the language. But then who else but a reader familiar with Bollywood would be interested in reading this book.
It is a breezy read to grab while waiting between flights. Only one false note. Wonder why a quote stated by Adi Chopra has been wrongly attributed to Shah Rukh Khan on the back flap. And yes.. I don’t think Karan Johar is an unsuitable boy at all. He has his talents but seems to be trapped in some unfair societal norms and expectations.
