BOLLYWOOD: THE BOOK
Photographer Mark Bennington’s book Living the Dream– The Life of the ‘Bollywood’ Actor, strips away the glamour to look at the real people behind the reel stars. The New York-based
lensman’s book gives readers a peek into the thoughts of the who’s who of Bollywood: Ranbir Kapoor, for example, says he wouldn’t want to disappoint his fans, while Riteish Deshmukh wishes fans were more considerate; Deepika Padukone says she’s still nervous, and Hema Malini would like to own a house in the Himalayas.
“One of my goals was to humanise the narrative of the actor,” says Bennington. That said, not all the voices featured are insightful or informative. The ones that resonate the most are of actors in independent cinema and what Bennington calls the “fringe” group. They include the strugglers (mimic Gabbar Singh’s moving account) and the outsiders (transgender actor Bobby Darling on her fraught journey). Bennington also succeeded in getting one actress to open up about the ‘casting couch’. “It is a very real part of the business, but almost no one will go into detail [at least, on record] because they feel they have too much to lose,” he says.
Having met over a hundred actors, Bennington noted that while nepotism is prevalent, “in India nobody takes anything for granted”. “Everyone I met was very hard-working and positive,” he says. “It was refreshing, because in the States there is a lot of bitterness and apathy.” Bennington also singled out Dev Anand, who died in 2011, a year after being photographed. “He really stood out. He was so inquisitive and engaging with me about my own career and [even] gave me advice.”