A significant throwback

With "Directors' Diaries 2", Rakesh Anand Bakshi, the son of the legendary poet and Bollywood lyricist, adds yet another volume to his ongoing series of conversations with Hindi cinema's most iconic voices.

This time he shares his conversations with some of the industry's most eminent filmmakers -- Shyam Benegal, Tanuja Chandra, Kabir Khan, Abhishek Chaubey, Nandita Das, Shakun Batra, Prabhu Deva and Mohit Suri -- as well as significant but often overlooked behind-the-scenes crew such as spot boy Salim Shaikh, make-up artist Vikram Gaikwad and sound designer Rakesh Ranjan.From the moment they were first drawn to the craft of filmmaking and how they got that elusive first break as a filmmaker to films that left a deep impression on them and what they have learnt from other filmmakers they admire, "Directors' Diaries 2" is an invaluable collection of stories for aspiring directors and cinema fans alike. Rakesh Anand Bakshi is a scriptwriter and the author of "Directors' Diaries: The Road to Their First Film" and "Let's Talk on Air: Conversations with Radio Presenters". He is an aspiring director and actor, and a swimming, cycling and gym enthusiast. Rakesh runs Bicycle Angels, a non-profit social initiative supported by friends that gives bicycles and wheelchairs to the underprivileged and teaches the visually impaired how to use a computer. He also co-founded, with fashion maven Kanika Kedia, "I Adore You Diaries", which creates personalised diaries. He authors a blog, 'Beautiful Bicycles Beautiful People', on cyclists, their rides and stories.