THE TRAILBLAZER

She was destined to be in Bollywood.  Her tough childhood,  teenage years which saw her lead a band of boys and a chance meeting with Mansoor Khan on the sets of Jo Jeeta, is common knowledge.  Extracted from, Decoding Bollywood: Stories of 15  Film Directors, author  Sonia Golani reveals hitherto unknown aspects of a filmmaker who has made history with her latest, Happy New Year... But there was a time when she was  witness to  her alcoholic father's death; when her  mother packed her off towork in television;  or the time when she had to fight for  space in a male-dominated film industry and finally win a long battle.