Gustavus Library Movie Guide: South Asian Cinema

"
The largest film industry in the world after Hollywood is celebrated in this updated and expanded edition of a now classic work of reference. Covering the full range of Indian film, this new revised edition of the Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema includes vastly expanded coverage of mainstream productions from the 1970s to the 1990s and, for the first time, a comprehensive name index. Illustrated throughout, there is no comparable guide to the incredible vitality and diversity of historical and contemporary Indian film." - from the publisher

"India is home to Bollywood--and to the largest film industry in the world. Movie theaters are said to be the "temples of modern India," with Bombay/Mumbai, the center of Bollywood, producing some 200 of the 800 films per year that are viewed by roughly 11 million people per day. In Bollywood Cinema, Vijay Mishra argues that Indian film production and reception is shaped by the desire for national community and a pan-Indian popular culture. Seeking to understand Bollywood according to its own narrative and aesthetic principles and in relation to a global film industry, he views Indian cinema through the dual methodologies of postcolonial studies and film theory. Mishra discusses classics such as Mother India (1957) and Devdsa (1935) and recent films including Ram Lakhan (1989) and Khalnayak (1993), linking their form and content to broader issues of national identity, epic tradition, popular culture, history, and the implications of diaspora. Persuasively arguing for the centrality of movie-going in the construction of self and community, Bollywood Cinema is an indispensable guide to Indian cinema for both scholars and fans alike." - from the publisher

"This book is the first scholarly study of Indian dance reality shows and the attendant celebrity culture. It presents an ethnographic and behind-the-scenes study of the lives of reality show dancers and choreographers in obscure and well-known corners of Mumbai and Kolkata. The dancers' classes, rehearsals, aspirations, and voices--which are often hidden from public gaze--are explored in detail, along with the themes of subjectivity, media-embodiment, pedagogy, gender identity, and social mobility. These explorations are framed by new and original intersections of ideas from the fields of anthropology, dance studies, philosophy, media studies, gender studies, and postcolonial theory. The author offers fascinating, multi-layered analyses into cosmopolitan modernity and the changing visual culture of liberalizing India. Using the lens of dance and dancers, this book offers deep insights into some of the most profound changes taking place in Indian culture today." - from the publisher

"Beyond Bollywood is the first comprehensive look at the emergence, development, and significance of contemporary South Asian diasporic cinema. From a feminist and queer perspective, Jigna Desai explores the hybrid cinema of the "Brown Atlantic" through a close look at films in English from and about South Asian diasporas in the United States, Canada, and Britain, including such popular films as My Beautiful Laundrette, Fire, Monsoon Wedding, and Bend it Like Beckham." - from the publisher

"This book examines the connections between the ways in which a film is made and circulated within a given socio-economic juncture, and the various strategies by which it addresses us. Focusing exclusively on the cinema produced in Bombay between, roughly, the 1910s and the early 2000s, the book explores moments in the history of a cinema in which a category that can be found in all the cinemas of the world the action ingredient acquired prominence as a narrative element and as a means to make and sell films. It examines the action cinema as a structural category, and seeks to find the reasons why some filmmakers in certain sectors of the industry were moved to prioritize one selected narrative ingredient (action), as well as for the diverse ways this ingredient was mobilized at different times in India. Among other things the book traces the emergence of the stunt film which began to be made in the 1920s; examines the presence and function of women in action roles from the mid-1920s to the end of the 1930s; explores the wrestling films of Dara Singh; and revisits the films of Amitabh Bachchan. The final chapter examines the interconnections between, on the one hand, real estate and the emergence, in India, of multiplex cinemas in shopping malls, and, on the other hand, changes in the filmic representation of urban environments, contemporary actors bodies as sites of display, and the cinematic rendition of those bodies movements in that changing environment." - from the publisher

"How did the imperial logic underlying British and Indian film policy change with the British Empire’s loss of moral authority and political cohesion? Were British and Indian films of the 1930s and 1940s responsive to and responsible for such shifts? Cinema at the End of Empire illuminates this intertwined history of British and Indian cinema in the late colonial period. Challenging the rubric of national cinemas that dominates film studies, Priya Jaikumar contends that film aesthetics and film regulations were linked expressions of radical political transformations in a declining British empire and a nascent Indian nation. As she demonstrates, efforts to entice colonial film markets shaped Britain’s national film policies, and Indian responses to these initiatives altered the limits of colonial power in India. Imperially themed British films and Indian films envisioning a new civil society emerged during political negotiations that redefined the role of the state in relation to both film industries. In addition to close readings of British and Indian films of the late colonial era, Jaikumar draws on a wealth of historical and archival material, including parliamentary proceedings, state-sponsored investigations into colonial filmmaking, trade journals, and intra- and intergovernmental memos regarding cinema. Her wide-ranging interpretations of British film policies, British initiatives in colonial film markets, and genres such as the Indian mythological film and the British empire melodrama reveal how popular film styles and controversial film regulations in these politically linked territories reconfigured imperial relations. With its innovative examination of the colonial film archive, this richly illustrated book presents a new way to track historical change through cinema." - from the publisher

"Satyajit Ray is India's greatest filmmaker and his importance in the international world of cinema has long been recognised. Darius Cooper's study of Ray is the first to examine his rich and varied work from a social and historical perspective, and to situate it within Indian aesthetics. Providing analyses of selected films, including those that comprise The Apu Trilogy, Chess Players, and Jalsaghhar, among others, Cooper outlines Western influences on Ray's work, such as the plight of women functioning within a patriarchal society, Ray's political vision of the 'doubly colonised', and his attack and critique of the Bengali/Indian middle class of today. The most comprehensive treatment of Ray's work, The Cinema of Satyajit Ray makes accessible the oeuvre of one of the most prolific and creative filmmakers of the twentieth century."

"This book brings together Satyajit Ray’s major writings and talks on film makers, and presents them in two sections. Our Films is devoted mainly to his own experiences and contains many interesting anecdotes, but also has observations to offer on trends in Indian films. Their Films deals with some films abroad that have become landmarks in the history of cinema—from the silent era to the present day and offers glimpses of great directors like Renoir, John Ford, Kurosawa and Charlie Chaplin, who are Ray’s personal favourites."

"With the release in 1955 of Satyajit Ray’s debut, Pather Panchali, an eloquent and important new cinematic voice made itself heard all over the world. A depiction of rural Bengali life in a style inspired by Italian neorealism, this naturalistic but poetic evocation of a number of years in the life of a family introduces us to both little Apu and, just as essentially, the women who will help shape him: his independent older sister, Durga; his harried mother, Sarbajaya, who, with her husband away, must hold the family together; and his kindly and mischievous elderly “auntie,” Indir—vivid, multifaceted characters all. With resplendent photography informed by its young protagonist’s perpetual sense of discovery, Pather Panchali, which won an award for Best Human Document at Cannes, is an immersive cinematic experience and a film of elemental power." - from Criterion.com

"Master filmmaker Satyajit Ray explores the conflict between fanaticism and free will in Devi (The Goddess), issuing a subversively modern challenge to religious orthodoxy and patriarchal power structures. In rural India in the second half of the nineteenth century, after his son (Soumitra Chatterjee) leaves for Kolkata to complete his studies, a wealthy feudal landlord (Chhabi Biswas) is seized by the notion that his beloved daughter-in-law (a hauntingly sad-eyed Sharmila Tagore) is an incarnation of the Mother Goddess—a delusion that proves devastating to the young woman and those around her. The elegantly stylized compositions and the chiaroscuro lighting by cinematographer Subrata Mitra heighten the expressionistic intensity of this domestic tragedy, making for an experience that is both sublime and shattering." - from Criterion.com

"Satyajit Ray’s exquisite story of a woman’s artistic and romantic yearning takes place in late nineteenth-century, pre-independence India, in the gracious home of a liberal-minded, workaholic newspaper editor and his lonely wife, Charulata (Madhabi Mukherjee). When her husband’s poet cousin (Soumitra Chatterjee) comes to stay with them, Charulata finds herself both creatively inspired and dangerously drawn to him. Based on a novella by the great Rabindranath Tagore, Charulata is a work of subtle textures, a delicate tale of a marriage in jeopardy and a woman taking the first steps toward establishing her own voice." - from Criterion.com

"Untouchable shoemender Dukhi comes to the Brahmin's and asks him to arrange his daughter's engagement. The Brahmin belongs to a higher caste. He wants Dukhi to work for him (and for free) before agreeing... A plea against the indian system of castes." - from IMDb.com

"Both a romantic-triangle tale and a philosophical take on violence in times of revolution, The Home and the World, set in early twentieth-century Bengal, concerns an aristocratic but progressive man who, in insisting on broadening his more traditional wife’s political horizons, drives her into the arms of his radical school chum. Satyajit Ray had wanted to adapt Rabindranath Tagore’s classic novel to the screen for decades. When he finally did in 1984, he fashioned a personal, exquisite film that stands as a testament to his lifelong love for the great writer." - from Criterion.com

"Ganashatru (Bengali: গণশত্রু Gônoshotru 'Enemy of the People') is a 1990 Indian film directed by Satyajit Ray. It is an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's 1882 play An Enemy of the People, and was released under that title in the UK. The cast includes Ray's favourite actor Soumitra Chatterjee, and veteran actors such as Dhritiman Chatterjee, Shubhendu Chatterjee, Manoj Mitra and Ruma Guhathakurta. Ray adapts the play to an Indian setting: a flourishing township in which a temple attracts devotees as well as tourists. When a health problem is discovered, Dr Ashok Gupta, played by Soumitra Chatterjee, finds his popularity flagging." - from Wikipedia

"A Bollywood blockbuster when it was released in 1977, Amar Akbar Anthony has become a classic of Hindi cinema and a touchstone of Indian popular culture. Delighting audiences with its songs and madcap adventures, the film follows the heroics of three Bombay brothers separated in childhood from their parents and one another. Beyond the freewheeling comedy and camp, however, is a potent vision of social harmony, as the three protagonists, each raised in a different religion, discover they are true brothers in the end. William Elison, Christian Lee Novetzke, and Andy Rotman offer a sympathetic and layered interpretation of the film’s deeper symbolism, seeing it as a lens for understanding modern India’s experience with secular democracy. Amar Akbar Anthony’s celebration of an India built on pluralism and religious tolerance continues to resonate with audiences today. But it also invites a critique of modernity’s mixed blessings. As the authors show, the film’s sunny exterior only partially conceals darker elements: the shadow of Partition, the crisis of Emergency Rule, and the vexed implications of the metaphor of the family for the nation. The lessons viewers draw from the film depend largely on which brother they recognize as its hero. Is it Amar, the straight-edge Hindu policeman? Is it Akbar, the romantic Muslim singer? Or is it Anthony, the Christian outlaw with a heart of gold? In this book’s innovative and multi-perspectival approach, each brother makes his case for himself (although the last word belongs to their mother)." - from the publisher

"Amar Akbar Anthony is a 1977 Indian Hindi-language masala film directed and produced by Manmohan Desai and written by Kader Khan. Released in India on 27 May 1977, the film stars an ensemble cast of Vinod Khanna, Rishi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Neetu Singh, Parveen Babi, Shabana Azmi, Nirupa Roy, Pran and Jeevan. The plot focuses on three brothers separated in childhood who are adopted by families of different faiths; Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. They grow up to be a police officer, a qawwali singer and the owner of a country bar, respectively. " - from Wikipedia

"Sita (Nandita Das) and Radha (Shabana Azmi) are two Indian women stuck in loveless marriages. While Sita is trapped in an arranged relationship with her cruel and unfaithful husband, Jatin (Jaaved Jaafei), Radha is married to his brother, Ashok (Kulbhushan Kharbanda), a religious zealot who believes in suppressing desire. As the two women recognize their similar situations, they grow closer, and their relationship becomes far more involved than either of them could have anticipated."

"A romantic drama set in 1947 in Lahore before India and Pakistan became independent, where Hindu, Sikh, Parsee, and Muslim share a peaceful co-existence. Events are seen from the point of view of eight-year-old Lenny, a girl from an affluent Parsee family. Lenny's nanny, Shantya, is involved with the Muslim Masseur. When a train of Muslims arrives at the local depot and all the passengers are found murdered, the various sects turn against each other, and the city is soon aflame."

"It is 1938, the twilight of colonial India, as Gandhi's protests begin to change Indian society. But for some women, things may never change. As widows, they are condemned by Hindu law to spend the rest of their lives in an ashram, to live out their lives in poverty, chastity, and humble obscurity. Then Chuyia, a bewildered 8-year-old who doesn't even remember being married, arrives and upsets everything. Madhumati, the head of the house; Shakuntala, an assistant to a local holy man; and quiet, gorgeous Kalyani are all moved--in very different ways--by her arrival. For these women, the question remains: how far--and for how long--can this cruel injustice be continued in the name of tradition?"

"From director Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding), this 'brilliantly achieved, stunning and powerful' (Los Angeles Times) film 'burst onto the Indian cinema scene with the force of a tornado' (Time Out London)! Winner of the Caméra d'Or at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival and nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar® in 1989, this riveting look at life on the hardened streets of Bombay went on to accumulate accolades and awards across the globe! Forced to leave his family at a very young age, Krishna lives on the streets with pimps, prostitutes, drug addicts and other homeless children. He earns very little money but it's more than most delivering tea so he can return home to his family. But his honest plan is foiled when his hard-earned money is stolen by his closest friend, forcing Krishna to follow in the footsteps of so many street children of Bombay by turning to a life of crime." - Amazon.com

"The vibrant cultures of India, Uganda, and the American South come together in Mira Nair’s MISSISSIPPI MASALA, a luminous look at the complexities of love in the modern melting pot. Years after her Indian family was forced to flee their home in Uganda by the dictatorship of Idi Amin, twentysomething Mina (Sarita Choudhury) spends her days cleaning rooms in an Indian-run motel in Mississippi. When she falls for the charming Black carpet cleaner Demetrius (Denzel Washington), their passionate romance challenges the prejudices of both of their families and exposes the rifts between the region’s Indian and African American communities. Tackling thorny issues of racism, colorism, culture clash, and displacement with bighearted humor and keen insight, Nair serves up a sweet, sexy, and deeply satisfying celebration of love’s power." - from Criterion.com

"A BAFTA-winning film about a father, Lalit Verma, trying to marry off his daughter, Aditi, in the traditional manner. Aditi is having second thoughts, while her cousin Ayesha Verma, 17, is just beginning to realise she's attractive to boys, and her other cousin, Ria, has a shocking revelation ready. Her brother, however, just wants to dance."

"After moving from Calcutta to New York, members of the Ganguli family maintain a delicate balancing act between honoring the traditions of their native India and blending into American culture. Although parents Ashoke (Irrfan Khan) and Ashima (Tabu) are proud of the sacrifices they make to give their offspring opportunities, their son Gogol (Kal Penn) strives to forge his own identity without forgetting his heritage." Based on the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri.

"Changez Khan is a middle class Pakistani from Lahore chasing his dream of success in a prestigious Wall Street valuation firm. Favoured by his boss, his future is looking to be on his planned upward trajectory but whilst on company business in the Philippines, he watches news footage of the twin towers falling and suddenly his future takes an entirely different path." Based on the novel by Mohsen Hamid.

"The year is 1893 and India is under British occupation. In a small village, the tyrannical Captain Russell (Paul Blackthorne) has imposed an unprecedented land tax on its citizens. Outraged, Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), a rebellious farmer, rallies the villagers to publicly oppose the tax. Russell offers a novel way to settle the dispute: he challenges Bhuvan and his men to a game of cricket, a sport completely foreign to India. If Bhuvan and his men can defeat Russell's team, the tax will be repealed."

"Epic romance, set in 16th-century India, about the love story between Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar, the Mughal Emperor of Hindustan, and Rajput princess Jodhaa. In order to extend his empire, Akbar agrees to a marriage of alliance to young and fiery Jodhaa but soon realizes he has to defend his choice of bride as his courtiers voice their displeasure at the idea of their Muslim Emperor marrying a Hindu."

"A film on the satiric, non-sectarian folk theatre form Bhand Pather of Kashmir. Through the lives of the Bhands and their performances, the Film explores the subversive message of their art."

"A film on the traditional gharats or watermills of Garwhal aimed at increasing awareness of tapping low cost power from existing watermills in the mountains and achieving decentralised and sustainable economic development."

"A film about two Indian women boxers, Jarna Sanghvi and Kirti Kalaskar. Using cinema verité style and shot over a period of two and half years, the film explores the boxers' concerns, experiences, and ideas about their future."

"A road movie that traces the voices of farmers along the way, from Kanyakumari to Delhi. The winds are against them... against the people who have been feeding India." - from Public Service Broadcasting Trust

"The mythical birth of a village God, Sudalai Swami, unfolds a village’s unique journey to fight the oppression of the ‘big’ Vanamamalai Temple. The Film recounts the history of the land and the exploitation perpetuated by religion and class distinction." - from Public Service Broadcasting Trust

"This lauded Indian drama focuses on the life of Phoolan Devi (Seema Biswas), a revered criminal who eventually went on to become a politician. The film details the hardships that Phoolan faced in her youth as a female member of a lower caste. Subject to sexual abuse at the hands of numerous men, Phoolan isn't treated with respect until she falls in with a gang led by Vikram Mallah (Nirmal Pandey). Later, Phoolan forms her own gang and gains a remarkable level of notoriety across India."

"Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (transl. Some Things Happen) also known as KKHH or K2H2, is a 1998 Indian Hindi-language musical romance film written and directed by Karan Johar and produced under Dharma Productions. It stars the popular on-screen pair of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in lead roles, along with Rani Mukerji and Salman Khan. It also features Sana Saeed in a supporting role. The plot combines two love triangles set years apart. The first half covers friends on a college campus, while the second tells the story of a widower's young daughter who tries to reunite her dad with his old best friend." - from Wikipedia

"After a group of friends graduate from Delhi University, they listlessly haunt their old campus, until a British filmmaker (Alice Patten) casts them in a film she's making about freedom fighters under British rule. Although the group is largely apolitical, the tragic death of a friend owing to local government corruption awakens their patriotism. Inspired by the freedom fighters they represent in the film, the friends collectively decide to avenge the killing."

"Zooni, a blind Kashmiri girl, meets Rehan Qadri, a local tour guide and an incorrigible flirt. Her friends warn her against him. Rehan, fascinated by Zooni, wants her to see life as it should be seen, in its many colours. He promises her that time spent with him will be the most precious in all her life. However, Rehan has another side of his life that he has kept from her that destroys her life." - from the publisher

"Eight year old Ishaan's world is filled with wonders that no one else seems to appreciate. Adults are more interested in things like homework and marks, and Ishaan just can not seem to get anything right in class. When he gets into more trouble than his parents can handle, he is packed off to boarding school to be disciplined. New art teacher, Nikumbh, soon realizes that something is wrong and sets out to discover why. With time, patience and care, he ultimately helps Ishaan find himself."

"Khuda Kay Liye is a 2007 Pakistani drama film directed by Shoaib Mansoor, produced by Brigadier Syed Mujtaba Tirmizi from ISPR and stars Shaan Shahid, Fawad Khan and Iman Ali in pivotal roles, with a cameo appearance by Naseeruddin Shah." - from Wikipedia

"In 1984 a gas leak from the Union Carbide factory resulted in the death of 30,000 people in Bhopal. This was the world's worst industrial disaster. 25 years later, its citizens are still seeking justice. Bhopali follows the struggles of second-generation families to properly care for their physically and mentally disabled children, and their fight for the decontamination of their city." - from Amazon.com

"Laila is a young romantic, a secret rebel in a wheelchair. Undeterred by cerebral palsy, she embarks on a journey of seeking love and acceptance. Her exhilarating adventures cause a rift both within herself and with those she is closest to. Ultimately, it is in the intensity of these bonds that she finds the strength to be truly herself."