Bollywood films have always been called masala movies since the 1970s as they mix several genres like romance, action, comedy, drama, and thriller in one, just like in the spicy Bhelpuri, the puffed rice snack dipped in various sauces and spices, famous especially in Mumbai. This is what makes them unique and magical and every Indian has grown upon them.
I have loved reading film magazines secretly and wide-eyed as a kid and my love for all things Bollywood never quite stopped even in my medical college years and beyond. The little pieces I wrote after watching movies for family and friends needed a larger sharing; hence, it has come in the form of this light and frothy book which takes you through a ride of impressions of Bollywood movies through the 1970s to 2020s, through single screens to OTT platforms-the times and techniques may have changed, but the heart still remains of a "movie connoisseur"!
The world would indeed be a better place if we discussed more movies!
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Dr. Rashmi Sarkar, MD, FAMS, IFAAD is a Director Professor (Senior Professor) of Dermatology at Lady Hardinge Medical College and associated hospitals, New Delhi, India. She has done her MBBS from Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana, and MD Dermatology from PGI, Chandigarh, India. She is a popular teacher serving for nearly 24 years to undergraduate and postgraduate medical students in 5 eminent medical institutes of India.
Dr. Sarkar has always been interested in writing short pieces and blogs. Bollywood has been her area of interest and she has read film magazines extensively close to more than four decades as well as several books on the subject as well as listened to interviews on films, film personalities avidly. She brings together several small pieces of writing which she enjoyed penning over the several years and shared on social media with family and friends in this book, for a light yet "spicy" reading. She has occasionally written small pieces for The Tribune and The Hindu Business Line.