Show Business (novel)

Show Business

Author	Shashi Tharoor
Language	English
Genre	Parody, Satirical, Postmodern novel with elements of Roman à clef,
Publisher	Penguin Books India
Publication date	1991
Publication place	India
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	310 (first edition, paperback)
ISBN	ISBN 0140154647 (first edition, paperback)
Preceded by	The Great Indian Novel(1989)
Followed by	Riot (2001)

Show Business is a postmodern satirical novel by Shashi Tharoor.

Plot introduction

Show Business parodies and satirizes formulaic Bollywood cinema, using it as a metaphor in an attempt to raise and answer questions about contemporary India and Indians. It is a fictional work that tells the story of Ashok Banjara, a Bollywood superstar. Ashok Banjara is critically injured while shooting for a film and his entire life in Bollywood flashes in front of his eyes as he lies suspended between life and death in a hospital. The character and many incidents of Ashok Banjara's life are inspired by that of Amitabh Bachchan, the biggest superstar in Bollywood's history.

Explanation of the novel's title

The novel describes the working of Bollywood (India's Hindi film industry) and the career of a fictional superstar in this "Showbusiness."

Plot summary

Template:Spoiler Show Business begins with Ashok Banjara, a superstar in Bollywood, fighting for his life in the intensive care unit of a hospital after an accident on the sets of a film that he is shooting. Suspended between life and death he sees his entire life in Bollywood flashing in front of his eyes like a film.

A young Ashok Banjara leaves Delhi and comes to Bombay to make his fortune and find fame in Bollywood. He achieves the big league with his second film Godambo that establishes him as an action star. Soon Banjara is known for playing the role of an angry young man fighting for the poor and the helpless against the establishment his very own. A succesful Ashok Banjara marries Maya, a talented co-star and convinces her to stay away from films for the sake of family. He has numerous affairs his heroines and the actress Mehnaz Elahi becomes his mistress.

At the pinnacle of his success as a Bollywood star, Banjara is enticed to join politics. Banjara wins the election easily (from his politician father's constituency). However to his dismay he finds that the party has no significant role for him and he languishes in the back benches in the parliament. Meanwhile Banjara makes a film, "Mechanic." This film is Banjara's first flop.

Sometime later Banjara is implicated in a money-laundering scandal. His party extricates him by saying that he is an irrelevant in the party's scheme of things. Banjara quits politics. The scandal has destroyed his fortune and Banjara finds that he has to seek work again. With no mainstream director or producer ready to cast him now, in desperation Banjara agrees to work in a mythological film (he hates mythologicals) called Kalki. It is on the sets of Kalki that Banjara meets his accident. Fate is not without its sense of irony. Kalki is supposed to be Banjara's comeback vehicle. His accident on the sets of Kalki sees an audience of hundreds gathered outside the hospital waiting for news on his health. Millions of others praying for his recovery from their homes.

Characters in "Show Business"

Some actors from Bollywood can be directly correlated to characters in the book. Other characters can be correlated to more general archetypal references especially in the context of formulaic Bollywood films.

Ashok Banjara, the protagonist of Show Business can be correlated to Amitabh Bachchan, Bollywood's biggest star till date. The characterization of Banjara is that of a typical Bollywood megastar and protagonist.

Maya, Ashok Banjara's wife, can be correlated to Jaya Bhaduri, a popular Bollywood actress of yesteryears and Amitabh Bachchan's wife. In the novel Maya is the archetypal dutiful wife and daughter-in-law of Hindi films.

Mehnaz Elahi, Ashok Banjara's mistress can be correlated to Rekha, a popular Bollywood actress and rumored to be Amitabh Bachchan's real-life flame. In the novel Mehnaz Elahi is characterized as a vainglorious and self-absorbed mistress.

Pranay, is a typical Bollywood villain and the archetypal friend with a heart of gold. He loves Maya and later has an affair with her.

Ashwin is Ashok Banjara's brother.

The Cheetah is a film magazine gossip columnist.

Kulbhushan, is Ashok Banjara's father who doesn't approve of his son's doings.

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Other Links

A detailed review and analysis of Show Business - A Novel