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'We don't just watch movies but live them'

Abu Dhabi - Shiekh likes to tell stories about movies and hence more books like Asoka the Making, Devdas the Indian Hamlet and the Making of Om Shanti Om.

An author is using the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair as a platform to spread the word about India's rich cinematic heritage.
Mushtaq Shiekh is an Indian author, screenplay writer, producer and actor who has written screenplays for Hindi movies like Ra.One, Om Shanti Om and Billu Barber. He also authored the biography of actor Shah Rukh Khan titled Still Reading Khan and its second edition, Shah Rukh Can.
Shiekh likes to tell stories about movies and hence more books like Asoka the Making, Devdas the Indian Hamlet and the Making of Om Shanti Om.
But why is there a need for books on movies? "We take our cinema for granted. The cinematic history of how it is made and the hard work behind it is always lost. If somebody wants to research about Guru Dutt's 1959 movie Kaagaz Ke Phool, they draw a blank. There is not much data to understand the art form, technology used or the reason behind the soundtrack etc. So, such a book helps me catch a part of history."
Kaagaz Ke Phool is regarded as the first Indian film in CinemaScope and considered much ahead of its time. "Movies had that golden heritage but they are just lost. This is my way of catching it in pages and keeping the art form alive. We don't just watch movies but live them," he noted. Mumbai-based Shiekh does a lot of research before penning his books. 
"I studied about the various Devdas movies in different languages and tried to find out why we are all fascinated by that character. Still Reading Khan took five years to be put together. But then Shah Rukh Khan's success story is inspirational and needed to be told.
He terms himself "a fly on the wall of Indian cinema scene". 
"I wish more books were written about movies for people who are genuinely interested in knowing how this art form is made. When we talk about movies, what comes to mind apart from actors are gossips, red carpet launches and rest but the serious art of making movies is lost," Shiekh, a former film journalist, said.
The Indian author was impressed by the Abu Dhabi Book Fair. "I have been to book fairs around the world but haven't seen anything so beautiful like this. The best part is the cart they give you to carry books if you have so many in hand. I loved it." 
Shiekh held a session on the opening day and more on Thursday. "There are many countries participating and so much to read. I am going to be here for the next few days with books." 
He plans to wind up his stay in the UAE with a visit to the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com