Decoding star charisma
Reviewed by Nonika Singh

Supertraits of superstars: Success secrets of Bollywood’s brightest
by Priyanka Sinha Jha.
Rupa. Pages 186. Rs 195

Ah the stars and their charmed lives! Razzle dazzle we so erroneously believe in is the stuff film industry and its beautiful men and women are made of. But the lives of film stars go way beyond masaledaar gupshup, the juicy trivia and torrid romances. Superstars who breathe glamour, money and showbiz in every breath, they are not only trailblazers on silver screen but in real life too.

Journalist-turned-writer Priyanka Sinha Jha in her inspirational book on superstars decodes star power and takes us on the unexplored path dotted by the success secrets of the Bollywood's brightest. Undeniably, their super traits shine like beacons, motivating and worth emulating. Big B shows the way with his unerring punctuality and 'work is worship' attitude. Equally inspirational are the attributes of three Khans.

However, what makes the book worth reading is not only the sterling qualities of our favourite stars but the manner in which Priyanka strings them. She tells us how Big B arrives at a function where he is a chief guest half an hour before the stipulated time. Be it the perfectionist Khan that is Aamir or confidence epitomised 'I can' SRK or excellence driven Ranbir Kapoor, we stand acquainted with their super traits via interesting anecdotes, their words of wisdom and observations of significant others.

With vivid detail, play of words and necessary research, the writer builds the character sketch of each one of them. She provides us glimpses into their larger-than-life personas, lists out their exceptional achievements and goes behind the scenes to cull out what makes them who they are. Emphatically, she reminds us that success is neither an accident nor a byproduct of luck.

The star lives are blessed alright, but not without the import of the maxim 'fortune favours the brave' ringing loud. No doubt these are brave men and women who dare to flow against the current. Take Vidya Balan, the gutsy actor not only ignored the fashion police hooting each time she stepped in public domain, also the gumption to bounce back with right choices. And then there is Ranbir Kapoor, the inheritor of the illustrious Kapoor legacy. The star-actor who would rather be known by his name doesn't believe in resting on laurels. He observes, "You can't be too self-assured or paranoid, it has to be a bit of both."

If Vidya proves nice girls don't always finish last, Aishwarya's rise to the number one slot underlines you can be on the top of the world even when you lose out in the first round. Remember she had to settle for the runner-up title at Miss India contest but since has gone out to beat competition just by focusing on the positives. And if John Abraham thrives on humility, SRK rides high on his bravado to be the best. Ultimately, they all are egged on by a desire to succeed, no matter what it takes. John endorses the sportsman's winning attitude "You don't win the silver, you lose the gold." SRK believes, "perfection is not inspiring but overcoming one's imperfection is."

Actually the book is replete with nuggets of wisdom straight from the stars mouths. Priyanka's own pen thinks as intelligently if not equally sardonically. That's why one is forced to wonder why she had to pepper it with so many quotations of others. Yet the book remains not only eminently readable but worth treasuring.

Finally, the book emerges not only as simple encapsulation of super traits of superstars but a mini kaleidoscope allowing us a peep into the awe-inspiring ways of some of the most-eminent names of Hindi cinema. In short, big people think big. The book stands as a testimony to their broad vision, and extraordinary abilities to come up trumps even when the odds are against them.

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