Ten Years with Guru Dutt by Sathya Saran

Guru Dutt is probably the only Indian film-maker who, within the parameters of the box office, made a personal statement with his cinema. His films stand testimony not only to his own genius but also to the creativity of his team, comprising stalwarts like cameraman V.K. Murthy, music director S.D. Burman, and writer Abrar Alvi, among others.

In Ten Years with Guru Dutt: Abrar Alvi’s Journey, Sathya Saran looks at the tumultuous yet incredibly fecund relationship between the mercurial director and his equally talented albeit unsung writer, a partnership that evolved over a decade till Guru Dutt’s tragic death in 1964. Starting his career as a driver and chaperone to Guru Dutt’s producer on the sets of Baaz, Abrar soon caught the attention of the director with his sharp ear for and understanding of film dialogue.

With Aar Paar in 1954, Abrar rewrote the rules of dialogue-writing in Hindi cinema, till then marked by theatricality and artificiality. He followed it up with masterpieces like Mr and Mrs ’55, Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool, before donning the director’s mantle with great success in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. Brimming with lively anecdotes—about how Abrar honed his skills by writing over 300 love letters; how an accident involving a buffalo led to the discovery of Waheeda Rehman; Guru Dutt’s visit to a kotha to get the ambience right for Pyaasa—this acclaimed book is a warm and insightful look at two remarkable artistes who inspired each other to create movie magic.

Swar Samrat Mohammad Rafi by Choudhary Zia Imam

The boy had the blessings of a fakir who would wander around in his village, singing songs. The boy would follow him around, singing after him. One day, the fakir picked him up and said: 'Son, the world shall take your name with love and reverence, people will aspire to become like you.' The boy grew up to be Mohammad Rafi.

In this vivid biography, Zia Imam tells us things we never knew about the greatest playback singer India's Hindi film industry has ever had.

The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks

After more than 20 years of marriage, Wilson Lewis, son-in-law of Allie and Noah Calhoun (of THE NOTEBOOK) is forced to admit that the romance has gone out of his marriage. Desperate to win back his wife Jane’s heart, he must figure out how to make her fall in love with him...again. Despite the shining example of Allie and Noah’s marriage, Wilson is himself a man unable to easily express his emotions. A successful tax attorney, he has provided well for his family, but now,

with his daughter’s upcoming wedding and an impending empty nest, he is forced to face the fact that he and Jane have grown apart and he wonders if she even loves him anymore. Wilson is sure of one thing - his love for his wife has only deepened and intensified over the years. Now, with the memories of his in-laws’ magnificent fifty-year love affair as his guide, Wilson struggles to find his own way back into the heart of the woman he adores.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

Noah Calhoun has just returned from World War Two. Attempting to escape the ghost of battle, he tries to concentrate on restoring an old plantation home to its former glory. And yet he is haunted by images of the beautiful girl he met there fourteen year before, a girl who captured his heart like no other.

But when these memories begin to slide into reality, the passion that had lain still is ignited once more though so much is in their way the miraculous force of their love refuse to fade.

24 Akbar Road by Rasheed Kidwai

In India’s constantly changing political, social and economic milieu, the Congress party has stayed one step ahead by constantly reinventing itself to stay in touch with peoples’ aspirations and the political realities of the day. Normally, a political party is known for its commitment to specific economic, social and political issues, but in the case of the Congress, ‘ideology’ does not seem to matter in equal measure. In most cases, the Congress’s concept of ‘continuity with change’ has helped the party tide over many crises.

However, even though it is always adapting and changing, the Congress can by no stretch of the imagination be viewed as an ideologically-neutral organization. Over the years, the grand old party has developed an ideology of its own, albeit in a rather flexible and amorphous manner.

This book tracks the story of the contemporary Congress – its key characters, its ideology, its failure and its success, in the years after the Emergency. Using the Congress seat of power at 24 Akbar Road as his vantage, author Rasheed Kidwai draws a compelling account of the rule – both backseat and forefront – of the various Congress leaders, from Indira Gandhi to Rahul Gandhi, who have helped steer its course.