100 Essential Indian Films

by Rohit K. Dasgupta

Author	: Rohit K. Dasgupta
Publisher	: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages	: 283
Release	: 2018-12-15
Genre	: Performing Arts
ISBN	: 1442277998

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Although the motion picture industry in India is one of the oldest and largest in the world—with literally thousands of productions released each year—films from that country have not been as well received as those from other countries. Known for their impressive musical numbers, melodramatic plots, and nationally beloved stars, Indian films have long been ignored by the West but are now at the forefront of cinema studies. With the prolific number of films available, it can be difficult to know what to watch. In 100 Essential Indian Films, Rohit K. Dasgupta and Sangeeta Datta identify and discuss significant works produced since the 1930s. Examining the output of different regional film industries throughout India, this volume offers a balance of box-office blockbusters, critical successes, and less-recognized cult classics. From early films by Satyajit Ray to contemporary classics such as Salaam Bombay and Lagaan, each entry includes comprehensive details about the film and situates the work in the context and history of the Indian canon.In addition to these notable productions, this book also examines key film directors and the work of major film stars in the industry. While many studies of Indian films focus on a single language’s contributions, this encyclopedia offers a comprehensive guide to productions from across the country in various languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam, Assamese, Punjabi, Marathi, and English. 100 Essential Indian Films is an engaging volume that will appeal to both cinema scholars and those looking for an introduction to a vital component of world cinema.

Devdas

by Śaratcandra Caṭṭopādhyāya

Author	: Śaratcandra Caṭṭopādhyāya
Publisher	: Penguin Books India
Total Pages	: 148
Release	: 2002
Genre	: Calcutta (India)
ISBN	: 9780143029267

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One Of The Most Enduring Love Stories Of Our Times. First Published In Bengali In 1917, Saratchandra Chattopadhyay'S Tragic Tale Of Devdas Has Become Synonymous With A Passionate, Intense Love That Does Not Find Consummation. It Is The Story Of Devdas And Paro, Childhood Sweethearts Who Are Torn Apart When Devdas Is Sent Away To Calcutta By His Father, The Local Zamindar. When Devdas Returns To His Village, Now A Handsome Lad Of Nineteen, Paro Asks Him To Marry Her. But Devdas Is Unable To Stand Up To Parental Opposition To The Match And Rejects The Proposition. Stunned, Paro Agrees To Marry An Elderly Widower. Devdas Returns To Calcutta, But Every Waking Hour Of His Is Now Filled With Thoughts Of Paro And His Unfulfilled Love For Her. Desperate To Resolve The Situation Somehow, He Runs To Paro Who Is Now Married And Asks Her To Elope With Him, But She Refuses. Heartbroken, He Seeks Solace In Alcohol And In The Company Of The Courtesan Chandramukhi. Chandramukhi Falls In Love With Devdas, But Even When He Is With Her He Can Only Think Of Paro. It Is Now His Destiny To Hurtle On Relentlessly On The Path To Self-Destruction. Devdas S Tortured Life Ends When, Dying Of A Liver Ailment Brought On By Alcoholism, He Journeys To Paro S House To See Her One Last Time. Arriving In The Middle Of The Night, He Dies Unknown, Untended, On Her Doorstep. Paro Comes To Know Of His Death Only The Following Morning. Devdas Has Enthralled Readers And Filmgoing Audiences Alike For The Better Part Of A Century. This New Translation Brings The Classic Tale Of Star-Crossed Lovers Alive For A New Generation Of Readers. The Classic Novel Brought To Life In A New, Lucid, Extremely Readable Translation.

Indian Cinema Beyond Bollywood

by Ashvin Immanuel Devasundaram

Author	: Ashvin Immanuel Devasundaram
Publisher	: Routledge
Total Pages	: 403
Release	: 2018-10-25
Genre	: Performing Arts
ISBN	: 1351254243

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This is the first edited volume on new independent Indian cinema. It aims to be a comprehensive compendium of diverse theoretical, philosophical, epistemological and practice-based perspectives, featuring contributions from multidisciplinary scholars and practitioners across the world. This edited collection features analyses of cutting-edge new independent films and is conceived to serve as a beacon to guide future explorations into the burgeoning field of new Indian Cinema studies.

A Bollywood State of Mind

by Sunny Singh

Author	: Sunny Singh
Publisher	: Footnote Press
Total Pages	: 243
Release	: 2023-10-19
Genre	: History
ISBN	: 1804440450

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'Prepare to laugh, sob and dance: this lively history of Indian cinema is imprinted with the memories of a life-long cinephile.' The Telegraph 'A gem of a book and a must for film lovers everywhere' Abir Mukherjee 'My biggest recommendation of the year. Sunny Singh's honouring of story and history shine through powerfully - an exquisitely enjoyable read' Nikita Gill Like all Indians, Sunny Singh was born and brought up in a country of film fanatics. She and her friends waited impatiently for the latest releases, listened to the songs on radio and wore clothes inspired by those seen on screen. They learned about India and the world, determined their enemies and friends, and chose their moralities thanks to films. A Bollywood State of Mind is a personal, intellectual and emotional journey which crosses five continents and 50 years of modern Indian history and cinema and explores why Bollywood means so much to so many across the globe. Sunny describes how this exceptional cinema retains its hold on the national imagination, how Bollywood has enhanced India's global standing in the 21st century, and how its characteristics endure despite the social and political changes. Ranging over history, aesthetic theory and politics, A Bollywood State of Mind explores encounters with Bollywood in the market places of Dakar and Marrakesh, in the nightclubs of New York, Barcelona and Mexico City, and in the ruins of Egypt's Valley of the Kings, Petra and beyond. It shows how the pioneers and heroes of Bollywood cut across national, linguistic and cultural lines not only in India but in far reaches of Somalia, Peru, Malaysia and Russia.

Mapping Innovation in India’s Creative Industries

by Rohit K Dasgupta

Author	: Rohit K Dasgupta
Publisher	: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages	: 113
Release	: 2023-12-01
Genre	: Political Science
ISBN	: 1003813003

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The first in-depth study of the Indian creative industries, this book provides a comprehensive mapping of the Indian creative industries and its policy landscape, developing and defining key concepts and terms and offering detailed case studies of specific sectors, geographic regions and governance structures. Using an ecosystem framework, this book focuses on strategy/policy; tangible and intangible infrastructure; and funding and investment to understand the main drivers and barriers across nine sub-sector value chains. With investment from global brands into many sectors, it tracks how Indian creative industries are fostering innovation and design for social and ecological sustainability. It also delves into India’s informal economy to share key policy insights. The volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of public policy, business studies and South Asian studies. It will also be a key document for foreign investors willing to invest in one of the fastest-growing and stable economies in the world.

Bollywood FAQ

by Piyush Roy

Author	: Piyush Roy
Publisher	: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages	: 416
Release	: 2019-09-20
Genre	: Performing Arts
ISBN	: 1493050834

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Bollywood, a popular nomenclature for India's “national” film industry in the Hindi language, along with the Taj Mahal, yoga, Buddha, and Mahatma Gandhi, is one of the best-known introductions and universally recognized associations with India across the world today. Despite its predominant narrative styles not confirming to the First World European and/or American cinema structure, Indian cinema is increasingly viewed as the world's second-most important film industry, after Hollywood, with box-office influence crossing over with European cinema. Bollywood FAQ provides a thrilling, entertaining, and intellectually stimulating joy ride into the vibrant, colorful, and multi-emotional universe of the world's most prolific (over 30 000 film titles) and most-watched film industry (at 3 billion-plus ticket sales). Bollywood blockbusters are simultaneously screened in theaters and cinemas in over 100 nations from the USA to Japan, New Zealand to the Netherlands, and Peru to Pakistan. Every major Hollywood studio (Warner Bros., Fox Star, Disney, Sony Pictures, and Viacom 18) is now making or distributing Bollywood films. Yet much of Indian cinema continues to amuse and confuse audiences and critics outside of India, including during their first/occasional introductions to its, in the words of Salman Rushdie, “epico-mythico-tragico-comico-super-sexy-high-masala-art form in which the unifying principle is a techni-color-storyline.” Bollywood FAQ explains and explores the above myths and magic. It introduces India's maharajah-like stars and their cult-commanding stardom. Movie buffs will find a ready reckoner on iconic Bollywood films, with a bonus must-watch listing of the cinema's most spectacular song-and-dance moments, highlighting the pleasures and popularity of a national cinema that has come to be a genre in itself. This book is a reader-friendly reference to everything one has ever wanted to know about the spectacular, robust, humongous, colorful, and dramatic multi-generic cinematic being called Bollywood. The narrative is enriched with insider insights culled from its author's long career as a film writer and critic in the city of Bollywood, Bombay (now Mumbai).

100 Essential Silent Film Comedies

by James Roots

Author	: James Roots
Publisher	: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages	: 301
Release	: 2017-05-11
Genre	: Performing Arts
ISBN	: 1442278250

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From the moment films were first produced, comedy has been a key feature of cinema. From just before the turn of the twentieth century until the early 1930s, audiences celebrated the brilliant humor of cinematic clowns who left their marks forever. We still remember—and laugh at—the hilarious antics of Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and many others. In 100 Essential Silent Film Comedies James Roots identifies the major comedic motion pictures produced in the first few decades of the twentieth century. With a lucid and lively style, Roots takes a look at more than 400 silent comedies and narrows the list to 100 that viewers should consider. Each entry includes cast and crew information, a synopsis, critical evaluation, and additional commentary—all to demonstrate why that particular film is essential viewing. The films range from 70 seconds to full-length features and even include some of the earliest produced films, starting in 1894. In addition to citing Hollywood’s finest, the book profiles comedies from around the world, including selections from the United Kingdom, France, Japan and Russia. More thanseventy silent comedians from Charlie Chaplin to Max Linder are represented in these selections, and the book celebrates such established classics as The General and Safety Last—as well as relatively obscure one-reelers. Including information about DVD availability, 100 Essential Silent Film Comedies is an invaluable resource that provides both scholars and general film fans a list of entertaining films to explore.

50 Films That Changed Bollywood, 1995-2015

by Shubhra Gupta

Author	: Shubhra Gupta
Publisher	: Harper Collins
Total Pages	: 296
Release	: 2016-12-10
Genre	: Performing Arts
ISBN	: 9351778487

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Hindi cinema was trapped in formulaic cliches for decades: lost-and-found themes, sacrificing mothers, brothers on opposite sides of the law, villains lording over their dens, colourful molls, six songs, the use of rape as a plot pivot, and cops who always arrived too late. It hit an all-time low in the 1980s. Then, in 1991, came liberalization, and a wave of openness and aspiration swept across urban India. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge was released in 1995 - and Hindi cinema became Bollywood. A new crop of film-makers began to challenge and break away from established rules. Over the next twenty years, a number of Hindi films consistently pushed the envelope in terms of content and technique to create a new kind of cinema. Among other innovations, film-makers came up with ways of crowd funding a film (Ankhon Dekhi), did away with songs if the narrative did not need them (Gangaajal), addressed different sexual preferences (My Brother ... Nikhil) and people with special needs (Black) like no one had ever done before. As film critic with the Indian Express, Shubhra Gupta has stayed the course these twenty years and more and experienced the transition first-hand. In 50 Films That Changed Bollywood, 1995-2015, she looks at the modern classics that have redefined Hindi cinema - from DDLJ and Rangeela to Satya and Dev D to Queen and Bajrangi Bhaijaan. Gupta offers a fascinating glimpse into how these films spoke to their viewers and how the viewers reacted to them - and, ultimately, how they changed us and how we changed them.

South and East Asian Cinemas Across Borders

by Clelia Clini

Author	: Clelia Clini
Publisher	: Routledge
Total Pages	: 120
Release	: 2021-11-29
Genre	: Performing Arts
ISBN	: 1000488500

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This edited volume focuses on South and East Asian cinema, exploring transnational connections between these film industries from the point of view of narratives, topics and themes, as well as in terms of co-productions. At a time of resurgent nationalisms and increasing fortifications of (actual and symbolic) borders, the chapters in this book explore cinematic work that challenge these boundaries and promote a reflection on the social, cultural, political and economic value of international exchanges and collaborations within the context of Asia. Indeed, notwithstanding the aforementioned tendency to implement border policing and the revival of nationalist sentiments, South and East Asian cinemas retain a strong transnational character, as not only genres and themes are borrowed and exchanged across borders, but also the popularity of the Indian, Chinese and Korean film industries extend well beyond their national borders – within Asia as well as in the West. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Transnational Screens.