"The working title of the book is 'Interval'. The multi-person, non-linear narrative followed by Reeta Gupta is very unique. I'm excited at how its shaping up and the twists its taking," Mehra said.
This is Gupta's second book, after the first copies of her debut novel "Rescript Your Life" were taken to the UNESCO in Geneva. A marketer at heart, her jingles and iconic campaigns include "Ek Chammach Kam" for the Mumbai municipal corporation, SSaamne Aa" for Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and the "REV-UP" (register enable vote campaign) for the 2019 general elections, pushing for inclusion for the disability sector.
"What is not documented eventually gets erased from memory," Gupta said. "Verbal transmission can be untenable. I am looking to document the stories of the minds that have shaped India, known as well as unknown. There is a struggle behind every success story and that's what I enjoy writing about."
Mehra's better half Bharathi has contributed a lions share in piecing the book together. The book traverses the person and the phenomenon, whose iconic cinema such as Rang De Basanti, Delhi 6 and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag have had a deep impact on society.
Publisher Kapish Mehra of Rupa Publications said: "People have a hunger for books that not only provide a nuanced understanding of facts but are interspersed with a personal narrative. As it moves from struggle to inspiration to success, Rakyeshji's memoirs satisfy that hunger. It will occupy a prime position in our literary firmament for years to come."
Those interviewed for the book include Ronnie Screwvala, Sonam Kapoor, Atul Kulkarni, Farhan Akhtar, R Madhavan, cinematographer Binod Pradhan, Divya Dutta, Raveena Tandon, Prahlad Kakkar, Abhinav Dhar, Rajat Dholakia , Shankar Eshaan Loy, Waheeda Rahman, family members and friends.
Gupta has been commissioned to author two more Bollywood-based autobiographical accounts of a director and an actor that will hit the stands in 2020, besides a digital fictional series.
( With inputs from IANS )