Studying Indian Cinema

This book traces the historical evolution of Indian cinema through a number of key decades. The book is made up of 14 chapters with each chapter focusing on one key film, the chosen films analysed in their wider social, political and historical context whilst a concerted engagement with various ideological strands that underpin each film is also evident. In addition to exploring the films in their wider contexts, the author analyses selected sequences through the conceptual framework common to both film and media studies. This includes a consideration of narrative, genre, representation, audience and mise-en-scene. The case studies run chronologically from Awaara (The Vagabond, 1951) to The Elements Trilogy: Water (2005) and include films by such key figures as Satyajit Ray (The Lonely Wife), Ritwick Ghatak (Cloud Capped Star), Yash Chopra (The Wall) and Mira Nair (Salaam Bombay!).

This book analyses the role of women in the films of one of the leading filmmakers of the ‘Third World’ in the 1950s, Satyajit Ray, a national icon in filmmaking in India. The book explores the portrayal of women in the context of the creation of national culture after India became independent. Gender issues were very important to India under Jawaharlal Nehru in the 1950s – with the enactment of inheritance and divorce laws. Ray’s portrayal of women and his films anticipate much of the theorizing of later-day feminism. This book analyses cinematic texts with special reference to the women characters using feminist film theory and representation along with a study of the socio-political and economic conditions pertinent to the times – both relevant to the film’s making and its setting. The primary texts studied are films spanning over four decades from Pather Panchali (1955) to his last trilogy and are based on a categorization of the broad feminine ‘types’ represented in the films – based on the socio-political situations in which they are placed – and their relationships with the other characters present. Ray’s portrayal of women has an enormous bearing on our understanding of how modern India evolved in the Nehru era and after, and this book explore just that: the place of the woman as it is and should be in a young nation encumbered by patriarchy. Gendered Modernity and Indian Cinema will be of interest to academics in the field of World cinema, Indian and Bengali cinema, Film Studies as well as Gender Studies and South Asian culture and society.

This book offers a concise and cutting-edge repository of essential information on new independent Indian films, which have orchestrated a recent renaissance in the Bollywood-dominated Indian cinema sphere. Spotlighting a specific timeline, from the Indies’ consolidated emergence in 2010 across a decade of their development, the book takes note of recent transformations in the Indian political, economic, cultural and social matrix and the concurrent release of unflinchingly interrogative and radically evocative films that traverse LGBTQ+ issues, female empowerment, caste discrimination, populist politics and religious violence. A combination of essential Indie-specific information and concise case studies makes this a must-have quick guide to the future torchbearers of Indian cinema for scholars, students, early career researchers and a global audience interested in intersecting aspects of cinema, culture, politics and society in contemporary India.

This guide to studying Indian film covers the vast range of cinemas of India, including the rise of Bollywood, and presents key theoretical approaches. It examines the filmmaking process, showing how an Indian movie is made, explaining the technology entailed, and discussing all major issues.

Cinema in India is an entertainment medium that is interwoven into society and culture at large. It is clearly evident that continuous struggle and conflict at the personal as well as societal levels is depicted in cinema in India. It has become a reflection of society both in negative and positive ways. Hence, cinema has become an influential factor and one of the largest mass communication mediums in the nation. Social and Cultural Dynamics in Indian Cinema is an essential reference source that discusses cultural and societal issues including caste, gender, oppression, and social movements through cinema and particularly in specific language cinema and culture. Featuring research on topics such as Bollywood, film studies, and gender equality, this book is ideally designed for researchers, academicians, film studies students, and industry professionals seeking coverage on various aspects of regional cinema in India.

One of the first serious film studies in India. A contemporary analysis of the central issues contained in Indian films issues which distinguish this cinema from films of other countries. The book argues that film in India is a genuine cultural expression carrying meaning. The special and valuable insights on Indian cinema that this book offers are enhanced by Dr Valicha s own fascination with films.

Studying Bollywood introduces the stars, directors, and trends of India's national cinema. Popular Hindi film has been largely overlooked in the West, since its construction and traditions are so unfamiliar. Our film consumption is influenced by Hollywood styles and the methods of European and far eastern cinema, making Bollywood seem over the top. Including such theorists as James Monaco, Studying Bollywood plumbs the richness and underlying quality of this genre. Follows a choronological course, the book initially explores the story of modern India, which is intimately connected to the import of Bollywood texts. Many of directors lean on this history to propel their narratives. The long colonial influence of Great Britain has also contributed greatly to the postcolonial and post-Partition views of Bollywood filmmakers. The volume then covers the early years of Bollywood and the aspirational development of Tollywood, an attempt at an Indian Hollywood in Calcutta, and the development of sound, the masala mix that became Bollywood, and Mehboob Kahn's Oscar nominated Mother India. The book next describes the next wave of stars and heroes: the selfmade Raj Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Amir Khan, and Mani Ratnam, and studies a range of key Bollywood films, including Sholay, Bombay, and the Oscar nominated Lagaan. The book conlcudes with a look at India's parallel cinema, made famous by the visionary and technically brilliant work of the Bengali writer-director, Sanjit Ray. The text reads Ray's important films, Bandit Queen, Monsoon Wedding, and Black.

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.