More on "Voices from Other Lands"

If you look on a map of India, you won't be able to find Bollywood. Unlike its American cousin Hollywood, there's no town or specific location called Bollywood. Instead, this multi-billion dollar film industry is spread out over the whole city of Mumbai. With thousands of hopeful actors and actresses flocking to the city every year, stars are constantly being made and replaced. Underneath all the glitter and glamour, the elaborate song and dance routines, the dramatic costumes and the beautiful celebrities, is the brutal world of showbiz.

Indian author Shobhaa De knows this world well. One of the most popular and controversial English-language writers in India, De began her career in her early 20's as a writer for celebrity gossip magazines and would later go on to become a bestselling author of over 13 books. All of her novels are set in modern India; her main characters are always women struggling to deal with contemporary issues like career, sex, and family. "Bollywood Nights" is no exception. The protagonist Asha Rani is a sexy and successful actress who falls in love with a married actor who refuses to leave his wife. "Bollywood Nights" is a reprint of her 1992 novel "Starry Nights." 

Shobhaa De was in Beijing recently so I caught up with her to talk about "Bollywood Nights" and how she thinks Chinese readers will respond to the modern Indian of her book.

"Bollywood Nights" is available at the Bookworm Cafe in Beijing.