Bollywood Dreams [Hardcover]

Jonathan Torgovnik (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2003

Deriving its name from its American equivalent, Bollywood is the highly successful Indian movie industry predominantly based in Bombay and Madras. Every day more than 14 million people go to the cinema across India to watch films produced by this massive and powerful industry. In India, movies are not just a form of entertainment, they are practically a religion. Streets in major Indian cities are lined with colourful posters of Indian movies and their stars. Movie stars are treated like demi-gods, no match even for American standards of celebrity obsession. More than any other cultural or political institution of the 20th century, the cinema has captured the hearts and minds of India's growing population of almost one billion, even against the stark backdrop of the vast country's struggle with poverty and hunger and often tense Muslim-Hindu relations. The experience of actually going to the movies in India is as much a part of the Bollywood phenomenon as are the stars themselves and "Bollywood Dreams" documents this aspect of understanding the important role Bollywood plays in contemporary Indian culture. "Going to the cinema," Torgovnik says "is about going to see the actors larger-than-life. It is about living the glamorous life for a few hours and leaving your daily hardships behind". Once inside the movie theatres, the audience can expect at least three hours of entertainment including several song-and-dance numbers, love scenes, action sequences, and most surely a happy ending. Each film includes the necessary ingredients for success: action, violence, music, dance, romance and morals. The themes of the movies are often social issues like communalism, ethnicity, religion, and caste and the movie theatres themselves are often full of lively interaction between viewer and star. Cheers and boos pervade the atmosphere: the audience becomes a part of the film, and likewise, the film becomes a part of them. "Bollywood Dreams" begins with a vignette of the touring caravans that bring Bollywood on the big screen to India's villages in portable tents. We then follow the journey of the Bollywood film from its creation on the movie set, to the larger-than-life stars and directors, to the editing chamber, to the streets where ubiquitous promotional posters abound, and finally, we see the multitude of movie theatres in India. A brief timeline of important moments in Bollywood history is included in the back of the book.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Photographer: Jonathan Torgovnik began his career as a combat photographer in the Israeli army. In 1992, he entered the photography department at the School of Visual Arts in New York where he graduated with a BFA degree and received an award for outstanding achievement in photography. Since graduation, Torgovnik's photographs have been published in numerous US and international publications including Newsweek (US), Forbes (US), The Independent Magazine (UK), Sunday Telegraph (UK), and Marie Claire, among others. Torgovnik has won several awards for his photographs including The Kodak Professional Award. His photographs have been exhibited in New York and Europe and have been acquired by such museums as The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and The Jewish Museum, New York. Photographer's Residence: New York City Author: Nasreen Munni Kabir is a documentary filmmaker and author who has made several series for Channel 4 on Hindi cinema including How to make it Big in Bollywood and How to make a Bollywood Movie and is also the author of several books on India including Bollywood, the India Cinema Story. She was born in India and has lived most of her life in France and the UK. She was made a Governor of the BFI in January 2000. Author's Residence: London

Product Details

• Hardcover: 120 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714843075
• ISBN-13: 978-0714843070
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 11.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #860,798 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not What I Expected, But Lovely All The Same..., October 6, 2003

By 

"aliyadaya" (Calgary, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bollywood Dreams (Hardcover)

An exploration of the Indian film industry through photographs was definitely not what I expected when I initially purchased this book, but the beauty and drama of the images, made it worth the cost. This book does NOT contain any relevant information (history, films, etc.) on Bollywood; it's a coffee table book. The photos themselves (of film stars to the mania of the theaters and fans) brilliantly capture the dynamics and glamour of the industry and it's trance-like hold over it's millions (if not billions) of fans!!!