Hazaar fundas about a film shoot

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ENTRY FROM BACKSIDE ONLY: HAZAAR FUNDAS OF INDIAN-ENGLISH
Binoo K John
Penguin Books India
Rs 95
224 pages

"Backsides have a frontal position in Indian-English. In cluttered, crowded alleys there can be seen the notice 'Entry from backside', a usage not exactly meant as a come-hither line to gays."

From the early days of the Raj, the Indian version of English has been on a growth trajectory that has led to the evolution of what is, for all practical purposes, a language of its own. A hybrid form of English stalks the land, flaunting its illegitimacy, brashness and popularity.

The rise of Indian-English runs parallel to tectonic changes in social aspirations. English, says the author, is the Porsche on the porch of the arriviste. There can be no social advancement without the glittering sword of English in your hands.

This compendium is thus a journey through a sub-genre that has evolved against all odds. It entertains as well as educates while weaving together a history of verbal patterns that reflect social and cultural trends.

TRUST ME
Rajashree
Rupa & Co
Rs 95
242 pages

Parvati has learnt her lesson late in life, but she has learnt it well "" all men are bastards. Her boss, the fatherly Mr Bose, is the exception to this rule, the one shoulder she can cry on and the one man she never expects a pass from "" but she soon stands corrected.

After being dumped by her boyfriend, Parvati quits her job and joins the unit of Jambuwant ("call me Jumbo!") Sinha, assisting him in the making of his latest Hindi feature film.

Jumbo is a typical Bombay filmmaker "" he believes in white shoes, black money and the casting couch. Manoj, the chief assistant, makes a pass at every woman he meets because he doesn't want anybody to feel unwanted. And Rahul, an actor, claims to have fallen in love with her.

First-time novelist Rajashree has been a Hindi film buff since she was a kid, and it shows in this breezy book, another addition to the quickly (and cheaply) produced canon of mass-market fiction that can increasingly be seen in bookstores.