Renowned Bollywood Director Mahesh Bhatt has written a new book called Taste of Life which reflects his heart and intense moments spent with spiritual Guru UG Krishnamurthy.

Mahesh Bhatt mentions “This book will outlive all my movies. I have jotted down my feelings and experiences of the last days I spent with UG - the person I call the breath of my life,” He further adds “There are such strong feelings in the book that the editor working on it told me, ‘I felt there was no space for me between the two of you’.”

Prior to writing this book, he had penned the book Taste of Death. He ruminates that as UG’s death had left him incomplete, in writing the Taste of Death, he had brought out that experience. This book ignited the urge to write the Taste of Life. Before UG passed away in 2007, he had asked Mahesh Bhatt to be with him. According to Bhatt, the taste of Life is this narrative of death, and by writing these two books, Mahesh Bhatt feels that the circle is complete.

When asked about how different it was writing a book from making a film he answered that “The book is a mirror of what happened in that room where I and UG lived for those last 30 days. It should have been the easiest thing for me because it was all recorded in my mind. But reliving and putting it down in 60,000-plus words was something else. A movie is a work of fiction and you know you have three hours to tell your story; but this is about the stark reality of life. It’s not varnished or dressed up like in a movie. It’s neither an act nor a work by a writer trying to show off his writing abilities,”

According to some reports, Mahesh Bhatt could venture forward to shoot a documentary on the Taste of Life. If this indicated that Mahesh Bhatt would return to direction, he said that “cinema is my core business, but the chances of me directing a film are very bleak now. But yes, if you ever see me coming back, it will be only for Taste of Life. My daughter is insistent that I make this into a film and then end my career. But I don’t think a book like this can be made into a film. It’s beyond the idiom of cinema. Most importantly, I don’t know where I will find a man to play UG Krishnamurthy!”

According to Bhatt, he has discovered what he had been looking for since all these years. “If someone asks me what my DNA is, I can now say that it is this book,” He said with a smile.

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Posted by Jigar Gondalia on 18 May, 2009 5:12:13 PM IST #