Scene: 75 is a short, fascinating novel set in the Bombay film industry of the 1970s. It tells the story of Ali Amjad, who comes from Benares to make it as a scriptwriter, and experiences the absurd and tragic reality behind the film world's glamour as he navigates through it with his fellow strugglers. A crazy kaleidoscope of stories within stories, Scene: 75 is populated by a cast of extraordinary and memorable characters, from struggling directors and wealthy lesbians, to film-obsessed social climbers and sleazy producers. It is an irreverent, surreal and deeply satirical work that takes a piercing look at Hindu-Muslim relations, as well as at how human ties corrode and wither because of ambition and self-interest. Superbly translated by Poonam Saxena, this lost classic from Rahi Masoom Raza is a novel that will delight and disturb in equal measure.