Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

India produces more films than any other country but its popular cinema has remained peripheral to western cinema buffs. This book provides a historical cultural survey of Indian cinema - popular, artistic and regional - and to introduce readers to its distinctive forms. Intended for general readers as well as students of Indian cinema, the book reviews nine decades of Indian cinema and examines its influences on people in India and Asians in the diaspora. It explores the political, social, cultural and religious influences in Indian cinema, how it represents women, and the impact of women directors and British Asian film makers on recent Indian films.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Acknowledgements (p. ix)
• Glossary (p. xi)
• Introduction (p. 1)
• Map of India (p. xiv)
• Part I
• Chapter 1 The Beginnings (p. 9)
• Chapter 2 The Distinctiveness of Indian Popular Cinema (p. 25)
• Part II
• Chapter 3 Cinema and Society in India (p. 39)
• Chapter 4 Religion, Ethnicity and Caste in Indian Cinema (p. 55)
• Chapter 5 Women in Indian Cinema (p. 77)
• Chapter 6 Styles and Techniques (p. 95)
• Chapter 7 The Changing Scene in Popular Cinema (p. 109)
• Chapter 8 Regional Cinemas of India (p. 129)
• Chapter 9 Conclusion (p. 141)
• Appendix NFDC Bombay (p. 147)
• Recommended Reading (p. 148)
• Index (p. 149)