Behind the scenes of Hindi Cinema - Johan Manschot , Marijke de Vos

A visual journey through the heart of Bollywood

"Behind the Scenes of Hindi Cinema is an insightful journey into the complex worlds of fantasy and reality inhabited by creative artistes. India is a unique country that exists in multiple centuries simultaneously. This book unravels the various mysteries and contradictions embedded in our centuries-old tradition. (…) Using defined sections and relevant case studies, the authors analyse the emotional ingredients that form the essence of India and Indian cinema." (Excerpt from the Foreword by Amitabh Bachchan)


Behind the Scenes of Hindi Cinema explores the inner world of Bombay film, the best known of India’s movie industries. Many aspects of Hindi cinema are brought to life on the pages of this richly illustrated book – from its beginnings to the present day. The use of songs to advertise movies, the role of censorship, devotion to god and family: these subjects and many more are illuminated. It reveals the symbolism of the divine role models Radha–Krishna and Ram–Sita at the heart of the main protagonists in many films, and the passion of the people working behind the scenes. It examines the changing face of the nation’s enemies, the marriage scene, lyricists and playback singers, and it sheds light on Tamil cinema, which rivals the Hindi film industry in output and popularity. The book concludes with an analysis of the mass appeal of Hindi film beyond India’s borders and the recent embrace of the much-hyped ‘Bollywood’ phenomenon in the West.


The editor Marijke de Vos is an Indian film critics/authorities. With contributions by:

•Amitabh Bachchan

Foreword

•P.K. Nair
Publicity: traditional and new modes, the use of songbooks, songs, posters, bilboards and the internet
Censorship: The Censor Certificate, from colonial till modern concerns
•Deepa Gahlot
Devotion, worship of God and family, the importance of a blessing at the start of a film and the muhurat
Banners of Production: the companies and their images
Credits: main characters in Hindi Films: hero, heroine, villain, vamp and mother, director, playback singer, composer, lyricist and choreographer
•Gayatri Chatterjee
Entertainment & Escapism: old and new utopia’s and the urge to escape
Marriage Scenes: about marriages, marriage signs, triangles and divine love
•Marijke de Vos
Mythology & Folklore, who is who among the Gods. The Gods omnipresence in Indian Cinema
•Fareeda
The Divine Couples Ram – Sita and Radha - Krishna as role models
The Enemy: changing image of the enemy from colonial times till today
•Brahmanand Singh
Songs: a short song history with some of the most classic Hindi film songs
•Soudhamini
Tamil Cinema: the significant other: inspiration and confrontation
•Hadi Tehrani
Distribution: Hindi Films and Iran
•Sudha Rajagopalan
Distribution: Sovjet Fans and Hindi Cinema
•Nasreen Munni Kabir
Distribution: The branding of Bollywood, Hindi Cinema in the west
•Marijke de Vos
Review: Criticis, Audiences, Box Office and Awards