Dream Factory

• The novel follows a group of people connected to the film world, including a successful superstar, an aspiring lyricist and actresses facing changing fortunes. It offers an entertaining look at the people and pressures behind show business

• Sujatha (S. Rangarajan) was one of the most popular Tamil writers, known for novels, science fiction, detective fiction and screenwriting. Madhavan Narayanan is a senior journalist and editor who translated the novel into English

Set in the vibrant world of 1980s Tamil cinema, the story follows Vijay, a superstar at the height of his career; Arumairajan, a hotel waiter dreaming of becoming a lyricist; Manonmani, a struggling actress; and Premalatha, an ageing star facing declining popularity. Their lives reveal the ambition, compromises, dreams and uncertainties behind the glamour of the film industry