''Bollywood Striptease'' is a 2012 novel by

Neeta Shah Neeta Shah (born 2 Jan 1981) is an Indian producer, author, and marketing consultant in Bollywood. Biography Shah grew up in a part-Parsi, part-Gujarati family in the Breach Candy locality of South Mumbai. Though she became interested in acti ...

. The book is published by Rupa & Co. According to the author Neeta Shah, the novel is a "factual, but fictionalised" description of the

Hindi film industry Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

Plot

The central character of the novel is Nikki, an attractive chartered accountant who aspires to become a Bollywood actress. Nikki quits her stable job to pursue her ambition but is met with hostility by her family and other people because of her unconventional decision. Her only source of encouragement is her two good friends, Shonali and Karan. In the

film industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post ...

, she meets unexpected situations including rejections at

auditions An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece giv ...

, "

casting couch The casting couch is a euphemism for the practice of soliciting sexual favors from a job applicant in exchange for employment in the entertainment industry, primarily acting roles. The practice is illegal in the United States. Predominantly male ...

" offers, and a difficult relationship.

Reviews

Lasyapriya Sundaram of CNN-IBN has described the novel as "a light and frothy take on the big bad world of Hindi cinema". According to Sundaram, "More than being an intriguing narrative the book is closer to being a handbook on 'how to' navigate your way in a world which comes with its share of the good, bad and the ugly." However, the CNN-IBN review criticized the book for failing to portray the inside of Bollywood accurately. Blessy Chettiar in her review on ''

Daily News and Analysis Publications established in 2005 Newspapers published in Mumbai English-language newspapers published in India Daily newspapers published in India Essel Group 2005 establishments in Maharashtra ...

'' asserted the author used "flowery language" in the novel to depict Nikki's daily experiences. The review claimed the language used is "not necessarily enlightening". She concluded, "Not insightful even by a long shot, Bollywood Striptease is only a tease, telling and re-telling what you already know." Actress

Riya Sen Riya Sen (born Riya Dev Varma; 24 January 1981) is an Indian actress and model. who predominantly appears in Hindi, Bengali, English, Telugu and Tamil films. Sen comes from a royal background; her father Bharat Dev Varma hails from the royal ...

, who launched the book, claimed the novel exposes the inside of Bollywood, saying, "This book has everything and I think what she has written is true."'Bollywood Striptease' speaks the truth: Riya Sen
''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

References

{{reflist

External links

''Bollywood Striptease''
at

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...

Indian English-language novels Bollywood in fiction Novels set in India Rupa Publications books 2012 Indian novels Novels about actors