A while back, a friend said to me, “What’s wrong with your friend, Gurpreet? Has he gone crazy? He keeps posting about Bollywood actress, Kareena Kapoor on Facebook.”
I did not know about the posts, so I did not respond. I later heard that Gurpreet penned a book about Kareena Kapoor Khan, I thought to myself, “What does Gurpreet have to say about a Bollywood diva? He’s a serious journalist!”
I started reading the book and could not put it aside until I was finished. I was amazed. I’ve never read a book like this before. Gurpreet has put a lot of effort in researching Kareena Kapoor’s life to write this book. It is obvious that Gurpreet followed her closely, considering his careful analysis of Kareena Kapoor’s social media posts, among other factors that allow access to her world, but also the way Gurpreet shows how she has taken a stand on social justice and condemned fascism.
This is a fascinating perspective of Kareena Kapoor beyond being a Bollywood actress. Gurpreet shows that balance by mentioning her different movie characters, and famous dialogues she delivered in her films, or occasions where she failed to speak up.
Gurpreet has also done an incredible job by uncovering the ugly side to the Indian government and the ways in which religious divides are causing harm to Indian society.
The author shows that Indian cinema, a cultural space that was once respected for its secularism, has been debased because of the present government’s policies and ideology. It takes some courage to write about such issues.
Gurpreet has an eye for seeing natural beauty within things one would not think to consider. I really enjoyed reading this book and hope others will also enjoy it as much as I did.
Harpreet Sekha is an award-winning Punjabi Canadian fiction writer. This is from his brief presentation at the launching of From Nazneen to Naina: 20 years of Kareena Kapoor Khan in Bollywood and what that means for India and the rest of the world, a book published by Gurpreet Singh in Surrey on November 28.
