Bhawana Somaaya
About
Bhawana Somaaya is a film critic and an author. She has been writing on cinema for almost 50 years. She is the former editor of Screen and written biographies of superstars such as Hema Malini and Amitabh Bachchan. Her books are a point of reference for students studying Indian cinema in India and abroad. She has translated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Gujarati books, Saakshi Bhaav and Aankh Aa Dhanya Chhe into English as Letters to Mother and Letters to Self. Somaaya was conferred with the Padma Shri in 2017, an honorary Doctorate by Jagran Lake City University in 2021, and the Kanak Nartan Puraskaar from Nalanda Nrityakala Mahavidyalay in 2022. She is a classical dancer, a broadcaster, a podcaster, and author of twenty books. Her recent book, Farewell Karachi, is the story of her family, and spans more than 100 years and five generations.