SOAS Research Online

Abstract

Serious research on Bollywood—perhaps the most well-known and vital aspect of contemporary Indian culture—has flourished in recent decades. This new four-volume collection from Routledge meets the need for an authoritative anthology to enable users to navigate and make sense of the subject’s large body of scholarship, and the continuing explosion in research output. Edited by Rachel Dwyer, a leading expert in the field, this new Routledge title is a ‘mini library’ of foundational and the very best cutting-edge work. Bollywood provides an indispensable one-stop resource on the development of popular cinema within India, with, of course, an emphasis on Hindi films produced in Bombay. Tracing the development of Indian popular cinema from the early twentieth century onwards, the collection allows users fully to comprehend the role of film and popular culture in colonial and independent India, the evolution and nature of different film genres, the importance of film music, and the great regional diversity 'Bollywood' encompasses. The collection also brings together the best and most influential scholarly works on topics that include: the silent era; the studio period; the ‘Golden Age’; and the so-called ‘segmentation’ of cinema. The contribution of major stars and directors is also assessed. Bollywood includes a full index and a comprehensive introduction, newly written by the editor, which places the collected material in its historical and intellectual context. It is an essential work of reference and is destined to be valued by scholars and advanced students as a vital research tool.