A new and important book on Indian cinema
By Ranga CHANRARATHNE
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The co-authors of the book Prof. K. Moti Gokulsing and Prof.
Wimal Dissanayake
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A new book on Indian cinema titled, From 'Aan to Lagaan and Beyond: A
Guide to the Study of Indian Cinema' has just been published in London
by Trentham Books. The co-authors of this book are Prof. K. Moti
Gokulsing (University of East London) and Prof. Wimal Dissanayake
(University of Hawaii). They have published two books before. One was
'Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change' also by Trentham
books. It is a highly acclaimed book that is widely used in universities
and the second edition of the book was published recently. The other is
'Popular Culture in a Globalized India' published by Routledge
Publishers in London.
Prof. Purnima Mankekar of the University of California, Los Angeles
said of this work, 'This book presents some of the most exciting
interdisciplinary scholarship on popular culture in contemporary India.'
 From Aan to Lagaan and Beyond is an authoritative and accessible
guide that is written especially to help students understand the
complexities and intricacies of Indian cinema. It covers the vast range
of the cinema of India plus the meteoric rise of Bollywood.
It discusses the key theoretical approaches to the analysis of films,
the cinema audience and audience segmentation. Prof. Rajinder Dudrah of
the University of Manchester, England says that, 'The authors have
researched and amassed a book of information to assist students,
teachers, and scholars in making sense of the growing phenomenon of
Indian cinema.
The writing is clear and the ideas are presented in a accessible
manner that invite further research and exploration. This is an exciting
addition to the field of Indian cinema studies - a gem of a guidebook.'
The book discusses not only the growth of Indian cinema, the rise of
regional cinemas but also how Indian films are made, the technology
entailed, the role of the cast, crew, playback singers, set designers
and choreographers.
The book offers original information on the impact of the
corporatisation of the film industry and on censorship, taxation,
insurance and advertising - issues that are scarcely discussed in books
on Indian cinema.
The fascinating case studies of film analyses illuminate the
different theoretical approaches and concepts that students need to
understand for examining Indian cinema. And teachers will find that the
comprehensive coverage, extensive bibliography, and suggestions for
further reading, the discussion of pedagogical issues about the teaching
of Indian cinema extremely valuable.
The London-based and well-known film personality Farrukh Dhondy says
of Prof. Gokulsing's and Prof. Dissanayake's book that, From Aan to
Lagaan is a unique critical guide to one of the greatest dream factories
in the world.
It is for the first time that a compilation has avoided the shame of
hagiography and the obscurity of pretentious academia.' |
