So, what is Project #501?
Well, in the simplest of terms, ‘Project #501 The Gora’s Guide To Bollywood And Beyond’ is the only book about Bollywood that you will ever need to read.
But that is not all. Not by any means. You see, what I did was to watch 501 Indian films in a row to see what I might learn, not just about Indian cinema, but also about Indian life, culture and spirit as seen through the cinematic lens. And believe you me, what I discovered is going to absolutely knock your bloody socks off. Honesty, if you think you know anything at all about India or Bollywood, you are about to be as amazed, confused, amused, bemused and absolutely baffled as I was. And I absolutely guarantee, you are going to love every single word.
Project #501 is the greatest book about Indian life and Indian film and is most certainly the only book about Bollywood that you will ever need to read. Well, that all sounds most interesting, but why is Project #501 all your wife’s fault? How did the project come into being? (I am talking to myself here by the way. Nobody is interviewing me) Ahhh well, I am glad I asked me. So, what happened was, I had been proudly claiming status as a fully-fledged film fanatic for some 40 odd years. A self-proclaimed cinephile par excellence if you will. Until the day that Anandita said to me ‘oh, so what did you think to Lagaan then?’ To which I replied ‘quite frankly my Dear, I do not know what a ‘Lagaan’ is thank you very much’ A reply that sparked an argument regarding the very nature of my dubious purpose and existence on this planet that resulted in a banishment to my room until I had watched, digested and analysed what turned out to be a cinematic classic that represented India at the 74th Academy Awards in the ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ category and that went to gross millions upon millions at the international box office… that I’d never actually ever heard of. So now I most certainly do know what ‘Lagaan’ is, and I am all the better for it.
But… then it dawned on me. How in the name of all that is honest and good, can I truly claim status as a dedicated film expert if I have been unwittingly ignoring not just the greatest but also the largest and most productive film industry on earth? And further more ‘Lagaan’ turned out to be absolutely bloody smashing by the way. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Which also got me thinking, I have not really seen any other Indian films at all. So, what else might I be missing? I wonder what other cinematic gems that I have never heard of before, might be out there just waiting to be discovered. So, what to do about that then? I know… I shall watch, I don’t know… 501 of them to find out’ And that is what I bloody went and did.
What Happened Next?
Well, it all got very painful is what. I am not actually referring to my ‘aris’ by the way, which I had been sitting on for an achingly grand total of 6 weeks, 4 days, 20 hours and 6 minutes. That being the time it took to watch all 501 films. This was a pain of an entirely different nature.
Once I had written Project #501, Anandita was convinced that ‘I might be onto something here’ and insisted that I, at the very least attempt to secure a publishing deal. She had fallen under the impression that ‘people are going to love this Project #501. It is brilliant’ and furthermore as she rightly pointed out, what have I got to lose? For those who have dared to play this particularly challenging and torturously long game for themselves, they will be all too aware of the dedication, patience, immunity to heart break and general struggle required in order to find yourself worthy of nothing greater than a soulless generic, copied and pasted publishing house rejection letter. Even that can be considered victorious achievement in itself. But, without wishing to sound too bold, play the game I did, and after thousands of emails, tailored submissions, stress, anxiety and sleepless nights, I only went and bloody did it. The hard work paid off. I was offered a publishing deal.
And now, with great thanks to the lovely folk at ‘Excellent Thing Well Job’ Publishing House, it gives me the greatest of pleasures to announce that Project #501 – The Goras’ Guide To Bollywood And Beyond is now available to buy in glossy paper back, luxurious hard back, and also in Kindle version for the discerning gadget friendly Lectiophile. You can order your choice of book by clicking this button.
Gratis Downloads
In the meantime, whilst you’re waiting for you copy of Project #501 to arrive, please feel free to download and enjoy these Project #501 companion documents. Although, it might be a little bit odd to read the Appendix before you’ve read the book. Stranger things have happened at sea I suppose!
The Appendix
#501 Companion
Why not download the posters?
Book Cover
Family Portrait
Cover Artwork
Donate
From the moment I had been offered the original publishing deal, it had been my intention to donate all proceeds to charitable causes. And with this in mind, should it be the case that you have downloaded, read and enjoyed Project #501, if you care to make a donation of an amount of your choosing, it will be my pleasure and honour to donate all that I raise in support of the ‘Bhima Bhoi School for the Blind’ situated in my adopted home city of Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India, and ‘The Blue Cross’ in support of animal welfare across the United Kingdom.
