SSC
'Romancing with Life' is the autobiography of which film star?
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Answer: Option B — Dev Anand
Detailed Solution
"Romancing with Life" is the autobiography of the Hindi film actor, producer and director Dev Anand. It was published in September 2007 and was released by the then Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh.
About the book:
- It describes his childhood in Gurdaspur, Punjab, his studies at Government College, Lahore, and his arrival in Bombay in 1943 with very little money.
- It covers his struggles, his first job in a military censor's office, his friendship with Guru Dutt, and his rise as one of the most stylish romantic heroes of Indian cinema.
- It reflects his famous optimism and his love of life, cinema and new ideas.
About Dev Anand (1923-2011):
His full name was Dharam Dev Pishorimal Anand.
With his elder brother Chetan Anand, he founded the film company Navketan Films in 1949. His younger brother Vijay Anand was a well-known director.
His famous films include "Baazi", "Taxi Driver", "C.I.D.", "Kala Pani", "Hum Dono", "Jewel Thief", "Johny Mera Naam" and "Hare Rama Hare Krishna".
"Guide" (1965), based on R. K. Narayan's novel "The Guide", is considered his finest film. An English version was also made.
He received the Padma Bhushan (2001) and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2002).
He was nicknamed the "Evergreen Hero" of Indian cinema.
Autobiographies of other film personalities:
- Dilip Kumar: "The Substance and the Shadow" (2014).
- Rishi Kapoor: "Khullam Khulla" (2017).
- Naseeruddin Shah: "And Then One Day" (2014).
- Amrish Puri: "The Act of Life".
- Raj Kapoor's life is told in "Raj Kapoor Speaks" (compiled by Ritu Nanda).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Raj Kapoor's story is told in "Raj Kapoor Speaks".
- ✗Dilip Kumar's autobiography is "The Substance and the Shadow".
- ✗Shammi Kapoor did not write "Romancing with Life".
Quick tip
Remember: "Romancing with Life" = Dev Anand (2007; Navketan Films 1949; "Guide"; Dadasaheb Phalke 2002); "The Substance and the Shadow" = Dilip Kumar; "Khullam Khulla" = Rishi Kapoor.
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Books & Authors — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Books & Authors, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers famous books and their authors, including ancient Indian texts, works of the freedom struggle, classic and modern literature, autobiographies of famous people, and recently published books by well-known personalities. Questions usually name a book and ask for its author, or the other way round. Ancient and historical books, such as Arthashastra (Kautilya), Indica (Megasthenes) and Gitanjali (Rabindranath Tagore), are tested most often. Autobiographies are another favourite, so learn titles such as 'My Experiments with Truth' (Mahatma Gandhi) and 'Wings of Fire' (A. P. J. Abdul Kalam). Practise the books and authors questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.