Bachchanalia

Big-budget, spectacular films designed to appeal to a mass audience: is this what - or all - blockbusters are? Movie Blockbusters brings together writings from key film scholars, including Douglas Gomery, Peter Kramer, Jon Lewis and Steve Neale, to address the work of notable blockbuster auteurs such as Steven Spielberg and James Cameron, discuss key movies such as Star Wars and Titanic, and consider the context in which blockbusters are produced and consumed, including what the rise of the blockbuster says about the Hollywood film industry, how blockbusters are marketed and exhibited, and who goes to see them. The book also considers the movie scene outside Hollywood, discussing blockbusters made in Bollywood, China, South Korea, New Zealand and Argentina

Bachchanalia: The Films & Memorabilia of Amitabh Bachchan by noted film writer Bhawana Somaaya and Osian's CARD (Centre for Archiving, Research and Development) is the inaugural publication of the Osian's Publishing and Design House. The book, a collector's item, for the first time ever, pays the most comprehensive visual homage to Amitabh Bachchan by representing his aura through all of the 150 odd films he has acted in, during the last forty years. The book is dedicated to the films, publicity material and memorabilia of arguably one of the greatest personalities of Indian and world cinemas. The carnival of explosive colors and dynamic designing that runs through the pages of the book brings to the reader some of the most nostalgic and iconic moments in the annals of Indian popular art and culture as well as conveys the many flavors of the Bachchan legend. In his four-decade long career Bachchan has been a witness to all the turning points in show business both on and off screen and his growing stature from an actor to a superstar is evident from his altering body language reflected in film posters over the decades. In addition to the sumptuous illustrations that make the book the first of its kind about Mr. Bachchan's life and career there is a chronological filmography embedded in the images accompanied by a brief synopses of the films. There is a brief analytical introductory section on all the role types Mr. Bachchan has played in his career to give the reader an idea of the spectrum of social roles he has successfully conveyed on the screen. Also there is a running commentary through the text consisting of snippets about significant events or incidents during the shooting of the films pertaining to the film itself or to a moment in Mr. Bachchan's life. A glance into the trials and tribulations, his relationship with his colleagues and their perception of him and his role in the history of Indian cinema make this book an inspiring, illuminating page-turner, while the images of film posters, lobbycards, showcards, gramophone record covers and song synopsis booklets from the Osian's Archive Collection make it a visual delight.

Hindi Cinema is full of instances of repetition of themes, narratives, plots and characters. By looking at 60 years of Hindi cinema, this book focuses on the phenomenon as a crucial thematic and formal code that is problematic when representing the national and cinematic subject. It reflects on the cinema as motivated by an ongoing crisis of self-formation in modern India. The book looks at how cinema presents liminal and counter-modern identities emerging within repeated modern attempts to re-enact traumatic national events so as to redeem the past and restore a normative structure to happenings. Establishing structure and event as paradigmatic poles of a historical and anthropological spectrum for the individual in society, the book goes on to discuss cinematic portrayals of violence, gender embodiment, religion, economic transformations and new globalised Indianness as events and sites of liminality disrupting structural aspirations. After revealing the impossibility of accurate representation of incommensurable and liminal subjects within the historiography of the nation-state, the book highlights how Hindi cinema as an ongoing engagement with the nation-state as a site of eventfulness draws attention to the problematic nature of the thematic of nation. It is a useful study for academics of Film Studies and South Asian Culture.

Goyal Brothers Prakashan

Udayer Pathe, Bimal Roy’s first film, revolutionized Indian cinema. Hailed as a pioneer by Satyajit Ray, he was perhaps the first to bring shades of grey to the black-and-white screen. Roy’s spare storytelling and nuanced understanding of the human condition are reflected in classics like Devdas, Sujata and Madhumati. His ability to illuminate ordinary characters like Shambhu in Do Bigha Zamin and Kalyani in Bandini, is attested to by their being a part of popular memory even to this day. The Man Who Spoke in Pictures is not just a eulogy to this great director, but also an insight into Roy, the man, the director and his art. The auteur’s little-known Bengal phase is chronicled by Mahasweta Devi and Amit Chaudhuri, as well as Tapan Sinha, Amit Bose and other greats of cinema who trace his journey from cinematographer to director. His Bombay years are recorded through a collection of analyses and anecdotes from leading literary and cinematic luminaries, including Nayantara Sahgal, Gulzar, Naseeruddin Shah and Khalid Mohammed. The final section examines Roy from the outsider’s perspective, with articles by Meghnad Desai, Rachel Dwyer and Paula Mayhew.

Containing almost 250 entries written by scholars from around the world, this two-volume resource provides current, accurate, and useful information on the politics, economics, society, and cultures of India since 1947. With more than a billion citizens—almost 18 percent of the world's population—India is a reflection of over 5,000 years of interaction and exchange across a wide spectrum of cultures and civilizations. India Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the Republic describes the growth and development of the nation since it achieved independence from the British Raj in 1947. The two-volume work presents an analytical review of India's transition from fledgling state to the world's largest democracy and potential economic superpower. Providing current data and perspective backed by historical context as appropriate, the encyclopedia brings together the latest scholarship on India's diverse cultures, societies, religions, political cultures, and social and economic challenges. It covers such issues as foreign relations, security, and economic and political developments, helping readers understand India's people and appreciate the nation's importance as a political power and economic force, both regionally and globally.