Every success story has its price to pay.

So did Shatrughan Sinha (SS) who achieved the impossible twice over.

The youngest and the most pampered in a family of academics and doctors where four sons were named after the four brothers of the Ramayan, SS stood out defiantly different. He was born for applause and the limelight; he was besotted with Raj Kapoor and cinema.

In the face of stiff opposition from disciplinarian father Bhuvaneshwar Prasad Sinha, mother Shyama Devi’s chhutka bauwa (little darling) set out for the Film Institute of India (now FTII) in Poona. Bombay was the next logical destination. Without Kapoorian good looks or any connection with the Hindi film industry, the unknown scarface from Patna went on to create history on celluloid.

In politics too, with no known surname or family to power his entry, he set a record as the first film star from India to be sworn-in as a Cabinet Minister.

Anything But Khamosh: The Shatrughan Sinha Biography, is a rivetingly honest read that retraces the hurrahs and heartaches of India’s most popular Bihari Babu.

Foreword by Shashi Tharoor.