Once Upon A Star

There is much unrest in Vardaan, home to one of the most important film families. Raj, the superstar, has decided to leave his wife Simran for the reigning queen of Bollywood, Sia. Simran, former actress but homebody now, is out of shape and down in the dumps. Her in-laws dote on her but cant seem to dissuade their son. Besides, their only daughter, Ashima, has walked out of an unhappy marriage and returned home to announce she wants to be an actor. They have their hands full and in the midst of all this, Raj and Simrans children suffer as news of their fathers alleged affair trickles in relentlessly. How is Simran ever going to seek out happiness and perhaps love as well, in this dark maize of rejection? A saga of love and betrayal and the quest for ones true identity, Gajra Kottarys new novel gives us an insiders view of the world of cinema and the many faces of an industry where fame is fleeting and everything is as real as it is dramatic. About the Author Gajra Kottary is a multi-media writer. Her first collection of women-centric short stories, Fragile Victories, was published in 1996. It was followed by another collection, 'The Last Laugh', in 2003. Her debut novel 'Broken Melodies' was published by HarperCollins Publishers India in 2011 to critical acclaim, simultaneously with its Hindi translation Bikhre Sur. Gajra has written television serials like Hamare Tumhare, Astitva - Ek Prem Kahani, the nations most popular daily soap Balika Vadhu and more recently, Buddha and Veera. She has won many awards for her TV scripts / stories, among them are the 'Indian Television Academys best Teleplay Award', the 'Indian Telly Award', the 'Apsara Award' and the 'Global Indian Television Award'. She was also the script associate with Mahesh Bhatt on the film 'Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar' directed by Tanuja Chandra. This is her second novel.