BOLLYWOOD BOOKS

Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema
Published in Hardback (17 March 2003)
By Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc.
Editorial Board: Gulzar, Govind Nihalani, Saibal Chatterjee.
ISBN 81 7991 066 0
659 pages
Guide Price: £49.99
Rating: (4 flames)
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A thoroughly delightful, vivid compendium about Indian Cinema that every self-respecting Indian bookshelf should have! With over 650 pages bursting with glorious pictures and nuggets of information about Bollywood, this authoritative book about the film industry will have you "armed and ready" to answer all filmi questions on "Kaun Banega Crorepati" (Indian 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire'). My only gripe (and it's a minor one) is that the film index doesn't list a page number to help you pinpoint the movie. But no Bollywood fan should be without this guide and everyone with a passing interest in Hindi cinema should get hold of a copy immediately. I cannot see how anyone can top Encyclopaedia Britannica's homage to Hindi Cinema. This is truly the "Mother India" of all Hindi Cinema books!

Synopsis
Bollywood is the ultimate guide to the biggest film industry on the planet. As international successes like 'Dil Se' and Hum 'Dile De Chuke Sanam' raise the profile of Indian Cinema everywhere, Nasreen Munni Kabir takes you inside the colourful world of Bollywood - the romance, the adventure, the heroes and heroines, vamps and villains, songs and dances, stunts and costumes, mythology and traditions that make up this unique branch of film-making.

From popular contemporary love story 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' to critically acclaimed 'Mother India', mythological epic 'Raja Harischandra' and action movie 'Sholay' Bollywood looks at the people behind the movies, featuring exclusive interviews with dozens of actors, directors, writers, composers, designers and crew members.

Bollywood & Beyond
A video compilation & guide to teaching Indian Cinema
VHS video: Exempt from classification
Running time c.50 minutes.
Teaching guide supplied as a pdf on a CD-Rom - PC and Mac compatible.
Catalogue no: BR040 £34.99 (inc VAT).
To order phone bfi Education Resources on 0870 241 3764.

Synopsis:
Indian cinema is the largest cinema in the world, but only in recent years has it started to gain recognition in the West. This teaching guide and video compilation, the first of its kind in the UK, offers an essential introduction to this vibrant and exciting national cinema. The comprehensive teaching pack provides a stimulating introduction to Indian Cinema, from its early days of silent film, Hindi popular entertainment films, music and dance right up to the latest 'Bollywood' spectacular cinema extravaganzas.

The teaching guide provides

• background information on India
• an overview of the history of Indian cinema from 1900 to present
• highlights of and insights into Bollywood - Hindi popular entertainment films
• an exploration of Indian music and dance
• an introduction to Indian film stars
• an account of New Wave and Parallel Cinema
• an overview of Indian film among the Asian diaspora
• lots of activities to help teaching and learning about Indian cinema.

The VHS video compilation to support the teaching pack features a selection of clips from the following films: Peacock Screen (Channel 4); Do Bigha Zamin (1953), Mother India (1957), Pather Panchali (1955), Mughal-e-Azam (1960), Junglee (1961), Pakeezah (1972), Sholay (1975), Bhumika (1977), Mr India (1987), Bombay (1995), Dil Se (1998). This selection of clips represents a cross-section of Indian film, carefully chosen to illustrate key aspects of this national cinema.

Synopsis
India is home to Bollywood - the largest film industry in the world. Movie theatres are said to be the "temples of modern India", with Bombay producing some 200 of the 800 films per year that are viewed by roughly 11 million people per day. In Bollywood Cinema, Vijay Mishra argues that Indian film production and reception is shaped by the desire for national community and a pan-Indian culture.

Seeking to understand Bollywood according to its own narrative and aesthetic principles and in relation to a global film industry, he views Indian cinema through the dual methodologies of postcolonial studies and film theory.

Mishra discusses classics such as Mother India (1957) and Devdas (1935) and recent films including Ram Lakhan (1989) and Khalnayak (1993), linking their form and content to broader issues of national identity, epic tradition, popular culture, history, and the implications of diaspora. Bollywood Cinema considers not only the impact of Indian filmmakers upon the world of cinema, but also how movie-going affects our sense of self and community.

Book Description
Bollywood has become one of the largest film industries in the world, producing over 800 films a year. In the course of its long history, it has steadily turned the myths, fold takes and legends of India into the modernity of motion pictures. Today Bollywood attracts over one billion spectators worldwide.

Bollywood, Popular Indian Cinema is the ultimate guide to the most popular Indian cinema. A gripping analysis of the last 100 years is provided by the book's editor, Lalit Mohan Joshi. It covers the Indian long film history including rarely seen images from film archives together with those by leading photographers. This is the one book every Hindi movie lover should own.

It celebrates what is now a far-reaching and world-renewed cultural phenomenon with 400 pages of the most spectacular photographs, the stories of the stars who make the films, in-depth stories of every great Hindi film and its context, unmatched production quality and brilliant writing.

The Bollywood legends themselves share their views about the industry- Gulzar, the famous lyricist, explores the deep roots of song and dance, while the renowned filmmaker Shyam Benegal shares his unique insight of the filmmaking climate. Acclaimed Indian film critics line up to give in-depth reviews on Bollywood's burning subjects: a range of Bollywood classics and blockbusters are analysed by Pratik Joshi, and Maithili Rao describes what is in the heart and soul of this popular genre. Kavita Mehta evaluates the legends of Bolywood, whilst the 'underdogs' -vamps and villains- are profiles by Deepa Gahlot. In the final chapter, Madhu Jain opens the doors to the future of Bollywood providing a close-up of a new generations of filmmakers, out there to conquer the West.

After reading the book, you will want to lock yourself in a room and see all the great movies again, because this books will change the way you see films.

About the Author
Lalit Mohan Joshi - Editor (London) An authority on Indian cinema, Lalit Mohan Joshi has been extensively writing and commenting on the subject for more than two decades. A founder member of South Asian Cinema Foundation (SACF), London, he is the Editor of South Asian Cinema, UK's first quarterly journal on the subject. Besides writing for The Guardian (London), India Today and Screen (Mumbai), Lalit is a leading consultant on South Asian Cinema for the BBC, ITV, C4 and mainstream radio in U.K.

Book Description
Here is the astonishing true story of Bollywood, a sweeping portrait about a country finding its identity, a movie industry that changed the face of India and one man's struggle to become a star. Shah Rukh Khan's larger than life tale takes us through the colourful and idiosyncratic Bollywood movie industry, where fantastic dreams and outrageous obsessions share the spotlight with extortion, murder and corruption.

Shah Rukh Khan broke into the $1.5 billion business despite the fact that it has always been controlled by a handful of legendary film families and sometimes funded by black market money. As a Muslim in a Hindu majority nation, exulting in classic Indian cultural values, Shah Rukh Khan has come to embody the aspirations and contradictions of a complicated culture tumbling headlong into US-style capitalism. His story views the greater Indian story and the underbelly of the culture of Bollywood.

Synopsis
Bombay's prolific Hindi-language film industry is more than just a giant entertainment juggernaut for 1 billion-plus Indians worldwide. It's a part of Indian culture, language, fashion and lifestyles. It's also a great bundle of contradictions and contrasts, like India itself. Thrillers, horror, murder mysteries, courtroom dramas, Hong Kong-style action gunfests, romantic comedies, soap operas, mythological costume dramas... they're all blended with surprising skill into the musical boy-meets-girl formula of Bollywood. The results are a bizarre, overblown mixture of high concept, ethnic colour, traditional values, high-pitched emotional drama, sizzling sensuality and music, always music.

This vivid introduction to Bollywood examines 50 major films in entertaining and intimate detail. There's also a section on the current state of the industry, the star system, film music and a list of additional books and films that will help you enjoy and make sense of the new Hindi movie showing at your nearest multiplex.

Cinema India: The Visual Culture of Hindi Film by Rachel Dwyer, Divia Patel
Published 25 July 2002
Paperback - 240 pages
Reaktion Books;
ISBN: 1861891245
Guide Price: £19.95
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Book Description
This is the first book to concentrate on the dynamic visual culture of Indian cinema, tracing the development of the popular or commercial cinema based in Bombay (Mumbai) since 1913. This is India's national cinema, and it has a global audience. The authors trace its historical roots in early photography, theatre and chromolithography, and its development of a new visual regime that has come to dominate Indian public culture.

The unique style of this cinema is explored through an analysis of the mise-en-scène of the film itself - the locations, sets and costumes - and shows how they, along with the song and dance sequences, construct the 'look' and meaning of a film. Equally important to India's visual culture is publicity. Cinema India explores the development of film advertising and its range of aesthetic influences, from indigenous sources, for example, the Ajanta cave paintings, to foreign styles, such as Art Deco, and examines how publicity material is able to convey social, political and economic information about the society in which it is produced.

Synopsis
Now nearly 100 years old, Indian cinema is one of India's most vibrant cultural products as well as being the world's most prolific, at its peak producing an estimated 800 films a year. "Cinema India" concentrates on the visual culture of Indian film. Drawing on a wide range of resources, this text traces the roots of Indian cinema in early photography, theatre and chromo-lithography, examines its unique styles, modes, genres and themes, and describes its development into the dominant visual form within Indian popular culture. The text considers mise-en-scene, looking at sets, locations and costumes, which are key to understanding ideas of fashion, lifestyle and consumption in the world of Hindi movies; examines the use of clothing, hairstyles and make-up to discuss changing ideas of beauty, sexuality and consumerism; and looks at the "dare to bare" debate surrounding the swimsuit and the wet sari. Another important strand considered is film advertising: by considering all forms of publicity material the authors reveal the interactions between star's image, artist and film-producer, which may not only affect the design of the material but also have a direct influence on the content of the film. Other crucial elements in Indian cinema that are discussed are ethnicity and Westernization, which highlight issues of class, caste, region and religion in this most complex, intriguing and little-known visual forms.

About the Authors
Rachel Dwyer is senior lecturer in Indian Studies, SOAS, University of London, and the author, among other books, of Yash Chopra (2002). Divia Patel is an Assistant Curator in the Asian Department at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.

Synopsis
Until recently, when satellite television changed viewing habits, Mehboob Khan's "Mother India" (1957) could boast the remarkable distinction of having been constantly in distribution in India since its first release. Rooted both in Hindu mythology and in the collective experience of a newly independent nation-state on the brink of industrialization and social change, it's a family melodrama that moves inexorably towards tragedy and renewal. Nargis, one of India's great screen stars, plays Radha, an industrious and strong-willed peasant woman. She faces a series of tribulations. Her husband is maimed in a farming accident and flees the family home. She is in thrall to a malevolent moneylender, who lusts after her. Tempests destroy her crops and her home. Of the two sons who survive with her, one grows up to be traditionally obedient while the other rages against his life in the village and pursues a vendetta against the moneylender. Radha's final test comes when she must decide between her love for her son and her commitment to the community. Vividly and beautifully shot on gevacolor then transferred onto technicolor stock, "Mother India" features spectacularly choreographed and designed song sequences, spectacular locations and an epic-style narrative. It is a cornerstone of Indian cinema. Based on research into the Mehboob studio archives, Gayatri Chatterjee outlines the film's eventful production history and the ambitious vision of its director. In her careful analysis of the film, Chatterjee reflects its vibrancy and passion and illuminates its many aspects - performance styles, reception and reputation, mythological underpinnings, its relation to post-independence culture and politics and its many references to the history of a country in transition.

Synopsis
As a charismatic director in the Indian film industry, Chopra's name is synonymous with the glamour of the romantic film and a certain style within Indian culture. Spanning four decades, his directed features include some of the classic films of Indian film history, such as "Deewaar" and "Kabhi Kabhie". His directorial career began in 1959 with "Dhool Ka Phool" and he has been a major producer since 1973, consolidating his success in the 1990s with a series of huge box office hits including "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge". He has also worked in other Hindi movie genres, directing action movies such as "Mashaal" and a thriller, "Darr". This book discusses in depth his work with the Hindi megastar Amitabh Bachanan in films such as "Deewaar", "Trishul", "Kala Patthar" and "Silsila" and how, in his transformation of the look of mainstream cinema in "Dil To Pagal Hai" and other films, Yash Chopra has proved to be a tireless innovator within a mainstream tradition. The author integrates this analysis with information about the man and his work, based on interviews with Yash Chopra, his family, his colleagues, his stars, his contemporaries and major critics that include views from Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Shashi Kapoor and Sri Devi. A study of a top contemporary Indian film director, Rachel Dwyer's book also examines the influence on Chopra of predecessors such as Raj Kapoor and how his own legacy can be seen in such films as "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" and younger directors such as Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra.

Synopsis
Bollywood Boy follows Hrithik Roshan's meteoric rise through the celluloid firmament. It could be straight from one of the film industry's own big-budget schlockbusters, with its heroes, heroines, villains, exotic locations, a cast of thousands, myriad costume changes and highly charged bop-de-bop dance routines. And like any good cinerama drama, there is the big chase scene as Justine tries to track down the man behind the hype, the hysteria and the silver disco suits.

But there is a dark side to all this, the moment when the lights go out and the hero stumbles - the moment in Bollywood when people die because they have not played by the underworld code. For beneath the glittering surface of India's tinsel town lurk shady racketeers who use the film industry to make serious black money. In Bombay the underworld is king. Welcome to Bollywood.

Click here to read our review of this book.

Synopsis
For most actors, the idea of going to India for eight weeks to act in a Bollywood epic shot in the middle of the desert would send them scurrying back to their agent asking for some other work - any other work.

Not Chris England. He runs his own cricket team (modestly styled 'An England XI'), and since the Bollywood movie in question - Lagaan, Once Upon a Time in India - would feature an epic cricket match between British colonial army team and a small Indian village in 1893, he wouldn't just be working. He would be representing his country at this favourite sport.

This is a cricket tour diary with a difference. Chris charts the progress of Lagaan from his audition in a London park to the film's release 18 months later. The author's ability to evoke the landscape and atmosphere of India is complemented by his skill in bringing to life the bizarre and often very funny world of film making.

Balham to Bollywood is a treat for cricket lovers, film fans and those who like travel books with a difference.