• The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star

  • By: Vaseem Khan
  • Narrated by: Madhav Sharma
  • Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (143 ratings)

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The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star  By  cover art

The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star

By: Vaseem Khan
Narrated by: Madhav Sharma
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Publisher's summary

Mumbai is a city that thrives on extravagant spectacles and larger-than-life characters.

But as Chopra is about to discover, even in the city of dreams, there is no guarantee of a happy ending.

Rising star and incorrigible playboy Vikram Verma has disappeared, leaving his latest film in jeopardy. Hired by Verma's formidable mother to find him, Inspector Chopra and his sidekick, baby elephant Ganesha, embark on a journey deep into the world's most flamboyant movie industry.

As they uncover feuding stars, failed investments and death threats, it seems that many people have a motive for wanting Verma out of the picture.

And yet, as Chopra has long suspected, in Bollywood the truth is often stranger than fiction....

©2017 Vaseem Khan (P)2017 Hachette Audio

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What listeners say about The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Narration not too good

The previous books were fabulous,the narrator was wonderful. I couldn't put the boom down.
I was so looking forward to this book. I just can't get into this one due to narrator. He does not deliver. Chopra sounds like a stodgy old Englishman. It ruins the book.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

please go back to the narrator used in books 1 & 2

narrator is mismatched for the charcter. it's only bearable at 1.5 speed. good story. hopefully book 5 has a better narrator

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

British Reader ruins authenticity of story

I t was such fun in the first two books of the series to hear genuine Indian (and British and American accents when appropriate). The inconsistent use of a garbled Indian accent by a Britisher in this third book took away much of the authenticity of the story, so that I could not listen very far into the book

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Love the story, hate the narrator

I have listened to the first two books in the series with a different narrator and was instantly drawn into India. The new narrator is much to British, and brings nothing to the story. While the characters, plot and overall story are wonderful the narration takes the life out of the story.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant story, outstanding narration

Another fantastic and heart-warming episode in the life of Detective Chopra (retired), Poppy, Ganesh and Irfan. Vaseem Khan is a master at blending excitement with humanitarian themes, while simultaneously exposing human frailty. Madhav Sharma delivers a performance fit for the stage - he is perfect at catching the pathos and over-the-top nature of Bollywood. I was riveted from start to finish!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Bring back the original reader

He's much better than this one because he doesn't get in the way of the story. This guy is trying too hard.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great story, change in narration

As with the first books in the series, the story is a bunch of fun and great time. However, the change in narrator completely changes the feel and vibe of the story. It isn't necessarily bad but slows down the story and takes a bit of the energy out of the listen.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Different narrator from first two

Didn’t notice that the narrator was changed for this book before I downloaded it. Just realized it as I was listening. The new narrator isn’t bad, but I found the first one to have more charm in his accent.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fun!

The Ginesh books are really fun listens. Going for the entire series. This rating system sucks though.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Ruined by narrator change

The previous books in this series were wonderful, in part, because of the excellent narration. This narrator pales, literally, by comparison.

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