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Priyanka Chopra: The Dark Horse

Every time the odds were stacked against her, she beat them to keep emerging the winner. Turning every adversity into an adventure of triumph, Priyanka Chopra made her own rules, set a template for success. The riveting inside story of a consistent winner, narrated by the best names in show business, The Dark Horse goes backstage to see how some of her finest works were filmed. And how an unknown girl from Bareilly went on to put India on the global entertainment map. Her life is a Master Class in Winning. A stimulating, compelling read by best-selling author Bharathi S Pradhan. The world at her feet – after beginning as the underdog at the Miss India contest back home, Priyanka won the Miss World 2000 title at the Millennium Dome in London. “I won and my life completely changed. Arre, how did this happen?” she exclaimed. It was soon studios and shoots instead of studies and books My time or yours? Aseem Merchant, her first steady boyfriend in Mumbai. He was with her when she went through the highs and sighs of the world beauty pageant. And she stood by him when he faced tragedy at home The seductress at work – Priyanka took the risk of playing a man-stalking vamp in Mukta Arts’ Aitraaz which turned out to be a winner on all fronts. Apart from being a commercial success, it marked the arrival of a very competent actress who was unafraid to experiment with her roles. Aitraaz played a huge part in fetching her the lead role in Krrish, a plum assignment opposite heartthrob Hrithik Roshan. Interestingly, Aitraaz was directed by Abbas-Mustan who had once replaced Priyanka with Ameesha Patel in their film Humraaz The ‘Desi Girl’ tag stuck to her after she did that swinging number in Dostana. ‘Desi Girl’ was her calling card when she went West with her single ‘Exotic’ with Pitbull The 7 Lives of Susanna – Priyanka picked up the challenge of playing a woman who murders seven husbands in 7 Khoon Maaf, a film in which she aged and turned downright ugly too. “Every actor must work at least once with Vishal,” she enthused about her director Her fearless foray into downplaying her glamour to be in character won her the admiration of co-star Neil Nitin Mukesh who played one of her seven husbands in the film Mee Marathi – after she lost her father to cancer, Priyanka and her mother Madhu set up a film production house, Purple Pebble Pictures, in Mumbai, with the actress calling the shots long distance from the US. Straddling two continents, she astonished her colleagues by backing small-budget regional cinema in a big way. She came up trumps with the Marathi film Ventilator which Rajesh Mapuskar (below) wrote and directed for her company. Priyanka also had a coach in New York to teach her to pronounce the lyrics of ‘Baba’, a song she sang in Marathi (right) and dedicated to her late father

Globetrotting for Love

A cleaning lady frustrated with the lack of manners of the occupants of the building sets out to teach them a lesson or two. Philandering ways and addiction to alcohol force a marriage to flounder and the wife to seek divorce. In Sakhalin, the land of opportunities, a girl from the Russian hinterland flits from one man to another before settling down. A group of friends becomes victim to street hooliganism in the capital city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, while a young British girl succumbs to the vile machinations of a local Russian, jealous of her success, leading to her deportation. Tragic fate awaits a Russian girl who leaves her boyfriend for a seaman. Globetrotting for Love and Other Stories from Sakhalin Island is a brutal, yet honest compilation of stories told in a style that not only pounds on the reader's sensibilities and emotions but claws at the soul. The place is as much a character as the people who inhabit this collection. These are tales of love, lust, greed, hope, ambition and confusion resulting from the oil boom and its aftermath on the island and subsequent coming together of many worlds..

The Zero-Cost Mission and The Wily Agent

The Zero-Cost Mission, India's relations with Bangladesh are undermined by the activities of the Jamaat-e-Islami, whose camps and facilities are being used to help Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, which sends its agents to carry out acts of terror in India. Vijay Shukla, in charge of Bangladesh operations at India's external intelligence agency, has a plan - a daring one, and one that requires utmost secrecy, lest word gets out that India is interfering in Bangladesh's internal affairs. Only a certain type of operative can be entrusted with its execution. One with remarkable operational abilities, a taste for challenges and a certain disregard for authority. Vijay Shukla assigns Sujal Rath to orchestrate the destruction of several Jamaat facilities deep within Bangladesh, pulling off a mission that not only seems impossible but which runs the risk of being derailed by the agency itself. Soon to be a major motion picture by Vishal Bhardwaj, this double-bill of pacey thrillers highlighting the exploits of India's intelligence agency will have your pulse racing. The Wily Agent details the pitfalls of gathering intelligence in a foreign country, a delicate and complex business. A good source, however, can make the risks worthwhile. So, when Jeevnathan, head of the Dhaka unit of India's external intelligence agency, is introduced to 'Rehman', he decides to test him to determine if he has the potential to become a valuable long-term asset. As an employee of the Bangladesh Foreign Office, Rehman is well placed to gather sensitive information that would be of great interest to India. Rehman proves to be a hard nut to crack, taking his handlers on a rollercoaster ride through the murky world of intelligence gathering, keeping them on edge, testing their operational skill and nerves as they all play the high-stakes game of espionage. Soon to be a major motion picture by Vishal Bhardwaj, this double-bill of pacey thrillers highlighting the exploits of India's intelligence agency will have your pulse racing.

Two Kinds of Truth

Harry bosch works cold cases as a volunteer for the san Fernando police department when he's called out to a local drug store where a young pharmacist has been murdered. Bosch and the town's three-person detective squad sift through the clues, which lead into the dangerous, big business world of prescription drug abuse. Meanwhile, an old case from bosch's lapd days comes back to haunt him when a long-imprisoned killer claims harry framed him and that there's new evidence which proves it. Bosch left the lapd on bad terms, so his former colleagues aren't keen to protect his reputation. He must fend for himself in clearing his name and keeping a clever killer in prison. The two unrelated cases wind across each other like strands of barbed wire, and bosch learns that there are two kinds of truth: the kind that sets you free and the kind that leaves you buried in darkness.

The Silent Widow

Sweeping from Mexico City to the dark underbelly of LA, The Silent Widow has all the trademark glamour, suspense and unexpected twists of a classic Sidney Sheldon novel. A young American au pair, Charlotte Clancy, vanishes without a trace in Mexico City. The case is left cold, but its legacy will be devastating. A decade later, LA is shaken by a spate of violent murders. Psychologist Nikki Roberts is the common link between the victims, her patients at the heart of this treacherous web. When someone makes an attempt on Nikki’s life, it’s clear she is a marked woman.Nikki makes a living out of reading people, drawing out their secrets, but the key to this shocking pattern eludes her. With the police at a dead end Nikki drafts in Derek Williams, a PI who isn’t afraid to put his hand into the hornet’s nest. Williams was thwarted in the notorious Charlotte Clancy case all those years ago, but what he unearths in LA – and the mention of one name in particular – leaves him cold, and takes him on a dangerous path into the past. A shadowy manipulator has brought his deadly game to the streets of LA. In a crime spanning generations, it seems Nikki Roberts knows all too much – and a ruthless killer knows the price of her silence. In this crooked city, where enemies and friends are one and the same, Nikki must be the master of her own escape . .

A Ring to Secure His Heir

Working late is nothing new for tycoon Alex – and it’s the perfect excuse to get close to office-cleaner Rosie Gray. He’s promised his ailing godfather he’ll discover whether his long-lost granddaughter is a worthy heir. Intoxicated by the after-hours attention of this mysterious, suave businessman, Rosie finds her dreams destroyed with the slamming of the bedroom door on their one-night stand. Discovering she’s pregnant, she goes to confront him – but no one at work has heard of Alex Kolovos… They do, however, know Alexius Stavroulakis, the CEO, and he has a glittering proposal for her! ‘How does she create such incredible characters time after time? Always a compelling read!’ – Chrissie, Personal Trainer, Manchester

Invitation to love

The Lady Gambles

Her heart pounding beneath the bright lights of London’s most fashionable gambling club, Lady Caroline Copeland nervously steps out from behind the curtain… Eyes scanning the crowd, she’s drawn to a devilish-looking gentleman glowering at her from the back of the room. The intensity of his gaze burns through her disguise, making her throat dry, her cheeks pink. Caro’s gambled her reputation to be here, and can’t risk letting anyone close enough to expose her secret – no matter how much her body craves to give in… The Copeland Sisters Flouting convention, flirting with danger…

His Mask of Retribution

Beautiful Marianne Winslow has had her share of suitors – and her share of scandal. Three engagements, no wedding… And the ton are beginning to talk. Smouldering Rafe Knight has lived the last fifteen years of his life with one goal: avenging the death of his parents. His final target? The Earl of Misbourne. The perfect bartering tool? The Earl’s daughter, Marianne… Held at gunpoint on Hounslow Heath, Marianne is taken captive by a mysterious masked highwayman. Her father must pay the price – but Marianne finds more than vengeance in the highwayman’s warm amber eyes… Gentlemen of Disrepute Rebellious rule-breakers, ready to wed!

The Conqueror's Lady

Sleeping Beauties

In this spectacular father/son collaboration, stephen king and owen king tell the highest of high-stakes stories: what might happen if women disappeared from the world of men? All around the world, something is happening to women when they fall asleep; they become shrouded in a cocoon-like gauze. If awakened, if the gauze wrapping their bodies is disturbed, the women become feral and spectacularly violent... In the small town of dooling, west Virginia, the virus is spreading through a women's prison, affecting all the inmates except one. Soon, word spreads about the mysterious evie, who seems able to sleep - and wake. Is she a medical anomaly or a demon to be slain? The abandoned men, left to their increasingly primal devices, are fighting each other, while dooling's sheriff, lila norcross, is just fighting to stay awake. And the sleeping women are about to open their eyes to a new world altogether.

The President is Missing

But the reason he’s missing is much worse than anyone can imagine. With details only a President could know, and the kind of suspense only James Patterson can deliver.

Koi Good News

When Mona Mathur of Dehradun had married her college sweetheart Ramit Deol of Amritsar, there were two things she wasn't prepared for: 1. The size of the Deol family - it put any Sooraj Barjatiya movie to shame 2. The fertility of the Deol family - they reproduce faster than any other species known to mankind For four years now, Mona and Ramit have done the unthinkable and remained childless. Of course, that also means that they've battled that one question day in and day out: 'Koi Good News?' It doesn't matter that they have been happy to be child-free - they are married; they are expected to make babies. After all, there are grandparents, great-grandparents, uncles, aunts and even colony aunties in waiting. Brutally honest, thoroughly irreverent, Koi Good News? is the funniest book you'll read this year.

Chanakya Neeti With Complete Sutras

Chanakya was known by names like Kautilya and Vishnugupta and played multiple roles of being a teacher, philosopher, economist, jurist and royal advisor. Arthashastra and Chanakya Neeti were the two important books written by him. Chanakya Neeti is a collection of aphorisms, said to be selected by Chanakya from the various Shastras. The topics discussed are morality, ethics, governance and several others. Chanakya is regarded as a great thinker and diplomat in India. Many Indian nationalists regard him as one of the earliest thinkers who dreamt of a united India, spanning the entire subcontinent.

Believe It To Achieve It

I Shall Always Love You

Shiv Sanyal is a celebrated artist. When he meets an enigmatic woman, he creates a sculpture of her, his masterpiece. He is shocked when he is publicly humiliated for copying a Khajuraho figurine that looks just like this mysterious woman. He decides to visit Khajuraho to unveil the truth. Stumbling upon revelations and facts long hidden, he discovers his connection to the glorious past of Khajuraho. Unexpected events in Khajuraho and Mumbai force him and his friends to go on a quest to find a hidden treasure with clues in a missing Khajuraho sculpture. They travel across India and visit various ancient temples to find clues leading to the treasure. What is this treasure? Who is compelling them to seek it? Who is Shiv’s friend and who is his enemy? How has the universe woven the lives of his friends into his life? I Shall Always Love You is a thrilling tale of love that never dies, treasures that lay buried and truths that go deeper than the seas.

Life is What Matters

Our daily lives keep us so occupied that all we see in it is chaos, and not the blessings that come with it. We see the problems that stand in our way, and forget the ones we have crossed and moved on. Isn't it! To understand life, we need to first value our life. In simpler words, we need to take care of our life. What if we raise both, our kids and our own life, simultaneously? When the author first met the enigmatic Dr Aditi, she was intrigued by her profound understanding of life and penned this book on her effective and easy to adapt plan for a happier life. You will also learn to: ! Walk through crises of life with positivity. ! Realize the true happiness that life holds. ! Overcome fears, shortcomings and hurdles. ! Exercises and guidelines to build a stronger 'you'. ! Achieve big with available opportunities and resources. Life is What Matters is an incredibly motivating tale of a girl who embraced her imperfections and succeeded in life, against all odds. With mantras for living a better life, this book is a treasure.

Haunted

King Solomons Curse

Following on from THE MIDAS LEGACY, Andy McDermott's new Wilde and Chase novel sees our daring duo on the trail of a strange, ancient weapon of immense power hidden in a lost city deep in the African jungle. Perfect for fans of Clive Cussler, Chris Kuzneski, Dan Brown and Scott Mariani. Nina Wilde is back on the hunt. Now a presenter of her own TV documentary series, Nina is in Jerusalem. Clues found at the Ark of the Covenant recovery site have led her to the ruins of the First Temple, buried beneath Temple Mount. Within them, Nina spots an opening to a previously hidden chamber - a map room which contains a model of a mysterious city thought to contain a great yet dangerous power hidden by King Solomon himself. Analysing the clues, Nina believes that the city is located in the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the most dangerous locations on Earth. Eddie is in England with their daughter Macy but Nina's phone call is about to change everything. He has had his own problems in the DRC in the past and he isn't about to let Nina go there alone. Joining forces, Nina and Eddie are about to start a chain of events from which there might be no return...

Don't Let Go

The brilliant new novel from the international bestselling author of Home and Fool Me Once. Mistaken identities, dark family secrets and mysterious conspiracies lie at the heart of this gripping new thriller. Fifteen years ago in small-town New Jersey, a teenage boy and girl were found dead. Most people concluded it was a tragic suicide pact. The dead boy's brother, Nap Dumas, did not. Now Nap is a cop - but he's a cop who plays by his own rules, and who has never made peace with his past. And when the past comes back to haunt him, Nap discovers secrets can kill...

Fitness Secrets Of The Stars

Ever wondered how Farhan Akhtar trained to play a professional athlete in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, or what diet plan Aamir Khan followed to maintain those rock-hard abs in Dhoom 3? If yes, this is the book for you. Veteran journalists Ram Kamal Mukherjee and Devyani Ghosh interview the fitness trainers behind the amazing physiques of Hrithik Roshan, Shahid Kapoor, Aamir Khan, Bipasha Basu, Farhan Akhtar, Tiger Shroff, Priyanka Chopra, Varun Dhawan, Sonu Sood and Dev. With detailed daily workouts, diets and plans followed by these actors for specific roles, this book will show you how to get in shape like your favourite movie star. The authors also provide a peek into each star's fitness philosophy along with interesting personal anecdotes and the ways in which they motivate themselves to not only achieve great bodies but also maintain them. Whether you're just starting your fitness journey or looking to ramp it up a notch, this book is sure to help you look like a star.

Life over Two Beers and other stories

An entertaining and surprising ride through an India you thought you knew Sanjeev Sanyal, bestselling author of Land of the Seven Rivers, returns to enthral readers with a collection of unusual stories. Written with Sanjeev's trademark flair, the stories crackle with irreverence and wit. In 'The Troll', a presumptuous blogger faces his undoing when he sets out to expose an Internet phenomenon. In the title story, a young man loses his job in the financial crisis and tries to reset his life over two beers. In 'The Intellectuals', a foreign researcher spends some memorable hours with Kolkata's ageing intellectuals. From the vicious politics of a Mumbai housing society to the snobberies of Delhi's cocktail circuit, the stories in Life over Two Beers get under the skin of a rapidly changing India-and leave you chuckling.

How I Became a Farmers Wife

Mild-mannered Vijay is the perfect good Indian husband-responsible and predictable. Well, at least he was, until he decided to turn farmer. Vijay's unsuspecting wife Yashodhara is caught off guard when, tired of the rigours of city life, he actually rents land and starts dairy farming! As if she didn't have enough going on already, what with her high-octane job, three children and multiple careers. As Vijay dives deeper into his quirky hobby, the family is plucked from their comfortable life in the steel-and-chrome high-rises of Gurgaon, and thrown headfirst into a startlingly unfamiliar world-complete with cows and crops, multiple dogs and eccentric farmhands, a shrewd landlady and the occasional rogue snake. Things heat up further when some godmen land up as co-habitants of Vijay's farm, and strange goings-on ensue. Will these earnest but insulated city-dwellers be able to battle the various difficulties that come with living a farmer's life? A laugh-out-loud romp that'll leave you wanting more!

Calling Sehmat

The year is 1971 Tension is brewing between India and Pakistan One secret could change the course of history . . . It's now up to her When a young college-going Kashmiri girl, Sehmat, gets to know her dying father's last wish, she can do little but surrender to his passion and patriotism and follow the path he has so painstakingly laid out. It is the beginning of her transformation from an ordinary girl into a deadly spy. She's then married off to the son of a well-connected Pakistani general, and her mission is to regularly pass information to the Indian intelligence. Something she does with extreme courage and bravado, till she stumbles on information that could destroy the naval might of her beloved country. Inspired from real events, Calling Sehmat . . . is an espionage thriller that brings to life the story of this unsung heroine of war.