Overview

What is cinema and how do social scientists view it critically? Why is cinema important to our understanding of modern society? What does cinema mean to a society like India? What is the past, present, and possible future of Indian cinema? How has Indian cinema shaped Indian mentalities and how has it been influenced by ideologies present in Indian society? This edited collection of sixteen essays by distinguished scholars answers these questions and also includes: Comprehensive examination of Indian cinema from historical, social, and cultural perspectives Analysis of gender representation, communal identity, and nationalist themes in film Coverage of major filmmakers including Satyajit Ray and Shyam Benegal Exploration of cinema's role in depicting social movements and political ideologies Investigation of diaspora experiences and regional cinema traditions The book is aimed at cinema scholars and anyone who is interested in looking at cinema as a serious social expression in a changing world. This title has been co-published with Aakar Books. Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the print edition in South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka).

Full Product Details

Author:   Anirudh Deshpande ,  Anagha Kamble
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
ISBN:  

9781041247401

ISBN 10:   1041247400
Pages:   260
Publication Date:   05 March 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1. Film Theory and Its Application: A Historiographical Survey 2. The Mughals in Indian Cinema: Fascination, Trends and Representation 3. Lokshahir Ram Joshi (1947) and Amar Bhoopali (1951): The Socio-Cultural Reflections of the Later Peshwa Period in Marathi Cinema 4. Nationalism, Censorship and the History of Early Years of Cinema in India 5. Gandhi in Cinema and Gandhian Cinema: Locating Gandhi Through Indian Cinema 6. Romancing War Bollywood Style: A Short Essay on War Cinema in Comparative and Historical Perspective 7. Violent Belongings: Gender, Communal Identity and Nation-Making in Partition Cinema 8. Cinematic Images of Gender Dystopia in India: Imagined or Real? Preeta Nilesh and 9. Trajectory of the Queer in Indian Cinema 10. From Akbar Illahabadi to Ashraf Ali: A Gradual Demonisation of the Muslim Masculinity in Popular Hindi Cinema 11. Reflection of Socialism Through Hindi Cinema 12. Humanism in Cinema: The Work of Satyajit Ray 13. Shyam Benegal: An Unconventional Storyteller 14. Cinematic Representations of the Tapori: Space and the Politics of Bambaiyya 15. Changing Mumbai in Hindi Cinema 16. The Indian Diaspora and Hindi Cinema: A Critique Contributors Index

Reviews

“This book offers a collection of articles by scholars from the fields of History and English. This anthology attempts to answer pertinent questions on Indian cinema from the perspective of a social science. The sixteen articles in this critical anthology range from film theory to rarely considered aspects of Indian cinema such as the portrayal of the Mughals. With such a wide and varied selection of subjects and serious scholarship this collection should be an important addition to writing on the Indian cinema and should be of interest to academics and research scholars.” — Nilufer E. Bharucha, Former Professor and Head, University of Mumbai, India

Author Information

Anirudh Deshpande is Professor, Deparment of History, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Delhi, Delhi, India. Anagha Kamble is Assistant Professor, Department of History, University of Mumbai, Mumbai, India.

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