Behind the Big Screen: The Untold Stories of Bollywood's Child Actors

From Daisy Irani's harrowing past to Khushbu Sundar's battle against an abusive upbringing, Behind the Big Screen chronicles the dizzying highs and crushing lows of Bollywood's child actors. Some, like Sachin Pilgaonkar and Junior Mehmood, transitioned into long-lasting careers, while others, like the children of Slumdog Millionaire, faded into oblivion. Meena Kumari, Madhubala and Sarika – icons who first faced the camera as children – grappled with exploitation both on and off-screen. More than a chronicle of fame, Behind the Big Screen is a poignant exploration of innocence lost, battles fought and redemption sought. With exclusive insights from actors, filmmakers and psychologists, this book examines the impact of early fame, parental control and the industry's unrelenting demands. It questions the price of early stardom and the toll it takes on young minds, while celebrating the resilience of those who reclaimed their lives.

About the Author :
Suchitra Iyer was the editor of Society, a high-profile lifestyle magazine, for close to nine years. She is now a consultant editor for the magazine and has mentored several journalists. She has also worked for Citadel, a magazine of the Magna Publishing Co. Prior to her days as an editor, she worked in the field of qualitative market research for agencies like PQR-IMRB and TNS Mode. She translated Raaj Grover's memoir, Yaadein Zara Zara, from Hindi to English, which was published as Legends of Bollywood. She also assisted international arbitrator Sarosh Zaiwalla with writing his memoir. Presently, she is working on a biography on educationist and social reformer Achyuta Samanta from Bhubaneswar, Orissa and is editing a self-help book. Sunanda Mehta is a former resident editor of the Indian Express, Pune. With over 25 years of experience in journalism, she was also the first woman editor of a national daily in the city. Previously, she worked for Femina and headed the Pune bureau of Magna Publications and was founder-editor of Citadel, a Pune city magazine from Magna. She has written for various publications like Hindustan Times, Savvy, Society, Mumbai Mirror, Health & Nutrition and Saveur. A visiting faculty at the Savitribai Phule Pune University, she is a Chevening fellow, has presented a paper at Warwick University in the UK on the portrayal of women in Indian television and has featured in an award-winning documentary made by a US television team on the changing face of India. One of her articles on 'restorative justice' was recently made into a television film called Rubaru Roshini and was produced by actor Aamir Khan. Her first book, The Extraordinary Life and Death Of Sunanda Pushkar, received rave reviews and was long-listed for the Atta Galatta Award for non-fiction as well as the Auther Award for best debut author. Her short story has also appeared in a collection of humorous stories, titled India Smiles.