Khwaabon ka Safar

by Mahesh Bhatt

‘What a wonderful show [Khwaabon Ka Safar] by Mahesh Bhatt on Epic Channel. Saw the one on Filmistan. So insightful and interesting. My best.’

—Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap)

Relive the golden era of Hindi cinema with Mahesh Bhatt as he recounts the Khwaabon Ka Safar (the journey of dreams) of iconic film studios in India.

Did you know that German filmmaker Franz Osten partnered with an Indian studio on some of India’s earliest blockbuster films in the 1930s? Do you know which production house invented the Hindi ‘formula filmmaking’ style in the 1950s that still drives big budget Bollywood films?

Khwaabon Ka Safar with Mahesh Bhatt takes us through the incredible journey of Bollywood’s landmark film studios which gave us iconic stars and cinematic masterpieces. This book provides the captivating stories behind Bollywood’s top thirteen studios—from Prabhat Film Company (1929) to Filmayala (1958) with which the studio era ended.

The book weaves in various interesting anecdotes about our erstwhile studio system, the great entrepreneurial skills of the forefathers of Hindi cinema, their iconic films and the superstars they created.

A must-read for all film aficionados.

221 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Vishnu Chevli · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biggest benefit of reading is “it will leave you informative”. "Khwabon ka Safar" is one such book. It left me with many facts about Indian film industry called as Bollywood.

Talking about content, book covers around 10 studios/production houses of India from 1930-1960. Those were the times when films were produced inside studios. These studios had most of the things required to make a film, starting from shooting sets, orchestra/music department, processing lab etc. Those were the times when people working in the studio starting from janitor to actor-director were on fix wages. Each studio had a great dependence on its founder’s philosophies which can be seen in types of films they make.

It was good to know that compare to today’s commercially successful movies directors/producers wanted to make more impactful movies. Many such movies got/won awards at international level. They created the stage & platform of today’s Bollywood & regional cinema. Bollywood Indian Cinema today makes more movies than another part of the world. It also generates an equally big number of job & respect. I liked the book.

Detailed Review Link - http://chevusread.blogspot.in/2018/04...

[Surabhi Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a short encyclopedia of the film industry of India. The stories, the directors, the banners and the people behind the camera that shaped and brings the trend of Bollywood formula films that still works. The films that are still remembered as cinema classics, the films that give an identity to the Indian film industry on international stage, the films that give big names such as Guru Dutt, Durga Khote, all are coming together in this book.

Based on the popular television show by the same title on one of the leading entertainment platform, EPIC Television Channel. The show is the attempt to keep the history of cinema alive and revisit some of the early days of the foundation of the cinema. The book is for all the film fanatics. It brings back the golden past of the Indian cinema offering stories of Bollywood’s top thirteen studios beginning with Prabhat Film Company (1929) which later made into the Film and Television Institute on India (FTII) and concluding with Filmayala (1958) which gives romantic comedies to the cinema.

A great endearing read introduces you to some of the lost pages of cinema.

The show must go on.

https://thereviewauthor.com/

[E.T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Epic TV has produced some great TV series - Mid-wicket tales, Raja Rasoi aur anya kahaniya, Siyasat, Dharmakshetra and Khwabon ka safar to name a few. The perfect balance of information and entertainment was a hallmark of those series.
This book is based on the Tv series of the same name and tells the story of 13 of Bollywood’s film studios. Since the narrator is Mahesh Bhatt - a great film director himself, this adds to the credibility. It is also a sort of history lesson of Bollywood starting right from Prabhat studios which became FTII (Film and Television institute of India) in Pune to the now functioning B.R. Chopra’s studio. Reaf this while travelling and just loved it !

[Abhilash Ruhela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bollywood or say, Hindi Film Industry is something that has kept people of India united since its introduction. For any movie lover, knowing about its history and how the world of cinema progressed in all these years is the most exciting part. I have always tried searching good books on Bollywood but rarely do I find any. I recently picked up a book based upon the popular television show called “Khwaabon Ka Safar” with the same title written by Mahesh Bhatt. And when someone as prominent as him talks about the history of film studios, you have to read it no matter what.

The book discusses how the film studio formed in India pre-independence and post-independence and how they contributed in the progression of the Indian cinema’s well-being. It lets us know how World War 2 effected all the film studios in existence because of fund and investment issues. The book talks about the cinema changing right from silent movies to talking movies and how it generated more movie makers in our country. The way each and every studio is talked about by concentrating on their brand and value factor along with the reasons why it started falling down without being biased towards it- is the real USP of the book.

The book talks about the studios such as Prabhat Film company, New Theatres studio, Bombay Talkies, Rajkamal Kalamandir, Filmistan Studio, Mehboob Studio, Rajshri production, R. K. Studios, Navketan films, Bimay Roy productions, Guru Dutt films, B.R. Films and Filmalaya studio. The contribution of all the studios and how they launched various artists who went on becoming the legends later on is very well described. The book is nicely researched which helps us understand the contemporary times and the challenges faced by the proprietors and founders of each studio. The language used in the book is easy which helps you finish it in one sitting without getting confused in difficult words and sentences. I give this book 3.75* out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!!

[Rashmi · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are Bollywood buffs and then there are the selective buffs like me. I do not particularly like what Bollywood churns out every year in the name of cinema but then Bollywood has its own magic which attracts people like me, just like the fire attracts the fireflies.

A couple of years back, I saw my mother ardently watching this show on Bollywood on Epic Channel. Her eyes would be glued to the screen, come what may and when I heard that a book is being released on the same, I didn’t think twice before getting a review copy for my mother.

And I clearly was not disappointed, not only did my mother read it twice already, I have also managed to read it once. 😛
This book is a dream for any movie, especially Bollywood aficionados, filled with tales from the past, of movies, artists, and of studios, that will surely make one go on a trip through a sweet nostalgia of yesteryears. Every page is filled with very interesting infotainments, especially for people like me, who are but quite ignorant of their silver screen industry’s past.

For a detailed review check:

https://rareadssite.wordpress.com/201...

[Ashok Rao · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting anecdotes makes this book an interesting read. It tells us about how the hindi film industry evolved to what it is today. Maharashtra and Bengal played a very important role in it. But I am of the opinion that Mumbai is the real superstar here. Imagine B.R coming to Mumbai with just 2000/- in his pocket after the partition went on become a highly successful film maker. I grew up in Mumbai watching movies almost every week. It was like a religion. So I was able to reminisce those days when going for a movie was something we always looked forward to. It was always the actors, directors and music directors. We didn't give much importance to the studios that made these movies. So I am grateful to Mr Mahesh Bhatt for educating us about these film studios. We don't have studio system now but I think it will always be an inspiration for aspiring filmmakers.

[Anukriti Malik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am an ardent bollywood lover and like every other bollywood fan , I have always had keen interest in the making of movies – the scripts , the location and the sets. It’s a dream to visit the film cities and film studios and this book right here just increased my excitement about film studios.

The most important revelation for me was this show – Khwaabon ka Safar that aired on TV and I had no clue about this so while I winded up this book , I tuned into the web to search for the episodes of this show.

The book takes us on an entirely interesting journey where we revisit some of the most iconic film studious , how the different film companies and production houses came to be , the shooting of various movies and how some houses cease to be.

By the end of the book , you are left enlightened how movies were made back then and the movie buff in you feels satisfied.

The only issue I faced was the writing style which could have been a bit more lucid and make the reading experience a light one but with information like that , one can totally ignore this point.

All the Bollywood keedas should pick this one up.

[Siddhi Palande · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you know when was the first studio in India built? Which was first studio of independent India? How were the songs recorded? Or do you know who discovered the gem called Gulzar, we revere today? Or that Barjatya's were distributors before they entered production?

There these and many more aspects the book touches upon.

Khwaabon Ka Safar with Mahesh Bhatt was a popular program run on India's infotainer, Epic channel. But like me there are many who couldn't get a chance to watch the show regularly owing to the extreme work pressure. And makers, bringing back the show in the format of a book is a relief to the filmy keeda in me, the movie enthusiast in me.

entire book review on www.ofbookbabiesandmore.wordpress.com

[Akhil Jain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting bits:
In the early years of Hindi cinema, the influence of Western cinema can be easily spotted: Charlie Chaplin’s in R.K. Studio, German Expressionism in Bombay Talkies, Hollywood Noir films in Navketan Films and Guru Dutt’s films.

a military camp in Devlali which had a canteen. Dilip Kumar was the manager there—a good-looking, young and smart chap. They immediately found him to be a good fit for films and made him an offer.

Prabhat Film Company, which was established in 1929, was the first Hindi film studio in India. It made twenty-five films in its fifteen-year-long journey, giving Hindi cinema many big names like V. Shantaram, Guru Dutt, Dev Anand and Durga Khote, among others. It was later made the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII),

[Shubham Tiwari · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book on the history of the Hindi Cinema. As they say that, 'The Greatest History is the History of Cinema', I thoroughly loved it. The Book talks about, now obsolete, the Studio System in Indian Cinema.