Tumhari Auqaat Kya Hai, Piyush Mishra by Piyush Mishra (Author) and Shilpi A Singh (Translator)
My take on the book:
Tumhari Auqaat Kya Hai, Piyush Mishra is the autobiography of Indian actor, theatre artist, poet, music director, lyricist, singer, script and dialogue writer, theatre director and play-wright. For an artist with such immense stature, the title of the book is humbling, and the narration is raw and real. Originally written in Hindi, this is the English translated version.
The book traces his journey beginning from his childhood days in Gwalior living in a joint family, his complicated relationship with his family members, the trauma and life lessons learnt the hard way. One important takeaway from this phase is the new name he wanted to give himself and how the entire story is narrated through a character named Hamlet.
Next are the most important days at the National School of Drama (NSD) and Delhi’s Mandi House, where Piyush discovers the artist within himself, his glorious days in theatre, his initial refusal to leave being “The King” of Mandi House to explore a career in Mumbai movie world and also the emotional turbulence playing Hamlet.
The next is the darkest phase of his life where he had severe alcohol addiction that destroyed his career and relationships. The Auqaat in the title comes from this phase when he wondered about his real worth. The final sections are about him finally moving to Mumbai and the success that was waiting for a long time which he avoided for many years. This phase also discusses the origin of his most famous songs, his working relationship with movie directors.The book ends on a spiritual note of how he had overcome his demons and how Santap Trivedi and Piyush Mishra now co-exist.
Though this is a translated work, translator Shillpi A. Singh retains the soul of the original while giving readers the English version. The author begins the book questioning what is fear and it is interesting how the context to this fear changes throughout his life, as the various phases bring in different meanings to fear. The author’s idea of using Hamlet as the character is also an interesting take on how an autobiography can be written.
The pictures accompanying these pages give an insight into Piyush’s life over the years but the prose that captures his raw emotions is the real USP. It is rare for famous personalities to provide the reader a closer look at their inner psyche which makes this book an intriguing read. This honesty also means knowing the real life of a celebrity beyond their stardom and success. Thus the story also helps aspiring actors with a realistic look at fame and the darkness that accompanies it.
The book also captures the evolution of theatre in India along with what we refer to as parallel cinema. A brutally honest memoir that reminds how the greatest success of an artist is surviving the challenges of his own inner being.
My rating:
5/5.