The Intellectual Hall at Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) was packed, oozing in anticipation for the arrival of one of Bollywood’s biggest stalwarts, Shatrughan Sinha.
Accompanied by the author of his recently published biography Anything but Khamosh, Bharthi S. Pradhan and his publisher Ajay Mago from Om Books International, Sinha took stage to talk about life, cinema, politics, his dreams and aspirations for India and more.
“I salute His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah for promoting reading and culture so passionately in the UAE. I am honoured to be given a platform to interact with my fans at the third largest book fair in the world,” said Sinha to open the evening’s discussion.
Bharathi S. Pradhan introduced his biography saying, “The book has drama, passion, determination; it is like a well-made Bollywood film. Seven years and over 200 taped conversations are what it took to create this incredibly moving and candid account.”
Mago added: “The way the book connects with the youth is phenomenal. It is meaningful yet not preachy. It is Sinha’s biography, but in essence it is every person’s life story. The book is being translated to Hindi and other regional Indian languages, and plans for Turkish translation are underway.”
Sinha spoke about his motives behind joining Indian cinema and then politics, sharing that he felt a responsibility towards giving back to the nation that gave him success, love and respect. “I told myself – if good people do not take responsibility they must be prepared to be governed by the bad ones,” he said sharing that he went against repeated warnings by family and friends to join politics.
“I want India’s younger generations to believe in their potential and take on challenges no matter how huge they may appear. If I could make two successful careers out of cinema and politics in India without any family connections or last names to go by, anyone and everyone can. All you need is self-belief and an unrelenting attitude towards achieving your goals,” he added.
Wrapping up on a lighter note, the actor expressed his desire to work with his longstanding friend and colleague, Amitabh Bachchan, saying, “I hope we can give our audience a Dostana 2 soon. Inshallah.”
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