Discovering Indian Independent Cinema

Discovering Indian Independent Cinema
Author: Sakti Sengupta
Publisher: CreateSpace
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2015-04-10
Genre:
ISBN: 9781511675192

For over four decades, Girish Kasaravalli has been fulfilling Satyajit Ray's prediction that "the future lies in Kannada cinema." Kasaravalli first emerged as a major force of the Indian New Wave in 1977 with Ghatashraddha (The Ritual), which won Best Feature Film, among other awards, in his home state of Karnataka, India; it was the only Indian film included in a list of 100 important world films compiled by the Cinémathèque Française. Like other filmmakers of his generation working outside the Bollywood mainstream, Kasaravalli has focused on injustices and inequality perpetrated by the caste system, Brahmin orthodoxy, and patriarchy, as well as by chronic corruption, a ruinous push for gentrification, and unprecedented, disruptive global forces in the "new India." Yet his films can never be reduced to "protest art." Rather, his extraordinarily diverse body of work is marked by a consistent attitude toward cinema's need to raise questions rather than provide answers. In films that range from experimentalism to lush historical drama to an inventive cinéma vérité, Kasaravalli allows viewers to explore on their own terms the singular worlds he creates. This book introduces Kasaravalli's groundbreaking career with an in-depth look at eight of his most important films, all available with English subtitles."Kasaravalli thinks globally and works locally." U.R. ANANTHAMURTHY"Kasaravalli has been one of the most underestimated filmmakers of our time." MAITHILI RAO"Kasaravalli has . . . extended the very range of conventional social realism by bringing into his framework various aspects of dynamic living cultural traditions. The 'culturing' of social realism has been Girish's most outstanding contribution to Indian cinema." N. MANU CHAKRAVARTHY

India's New Independent Cinema

India's New Independent Cinema
Author: Ashvin Immanuel Devasundaram
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2016-06-10
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1317290739

This is the first-ever book on the rise of the new wave of independent Indian films that is revolutionising Indian cinema. Contemporary scholarship on Indian cinema so far has focused asymmetrically on Bollywood—India’s dominant cultural export. Reversing this trend, this book provides an in-depth examination of the burgeoning independent Indian film sector. It locates the new 'Indies' as a glocal hybrid film form—global in aesthetic and local in content. They critically engage with a diverse socio-political spectrum of ‘state of the nation’ stories; from farmer suicides, disenfranchised urban youth and migrant workers to monks turned anti-corporation animal rights agitators. This book provides comprehensive analyses of definitive Indie new wave films including Peepli Live (2010), Dhobi Ghat (2010), The Lunchbox (2013) and Ship of Theseus (2013). It explores how subversive Indies, such as polemical postmodern rap-musical Gandu (2010) transgress conventional notions of ‘traditional Indian values’, and collide with state censorship regulations. This timely and pioneering analysis shows how the new Indies have emerged from a middle space between India’s globalising present and traditional past. This book draws on in-depth interviews with directors, actors, academics and members of the Indian censor board, and is essential reading for anyone seeking an insight into a current Indian film phenomenon that could chart the future of Indian cinema.

New Indian Cinema in Post-Independence India

New Indian Cinema in Post-Independence India
Author: Anuradha Dingwaney Needham
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2013-11-26
Genre: History
ISBN: 1135021333

Shyam Benegal is an Indian director and screenwriter whose work is considered central to New Indian cinema. By closely analysing several of Benegal’s films, this book provides an understanding of India’s post-independence history. The book examines the filmmaker’s focus on women by highlighting his subtle and critical engagement with a truism of Indian nationalism: women’s centrality to the (nation-) state’s negotiation with modernity. It looks at the importance Benegal accords to history – its little known, contested, or iconic events and figures – in crafting national culture and identities, and goes on to discuss the filmmaker’s nuanced representation of the developmental agendas of the nation-state. The book presents an account of the relationship of historical film and fiction to official history, and provides a fuller understanding of Indian cinema, and how it is shaped by as well as itself shapes national imperatives. Filling a gap in the literature, the book offers an analysis of cinematic treatment of post-independence narratives and gives important insights into the imagination of the time. It is a useful contribution for students and scholars of Film Studies, South Asian History and South Asian Culture.

India's New Independent Cinema

India's New Independent Cinema
Author: Ashvin Immanuel Devasundaram
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2016-06-10
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1317290747

This is the first-ever book on the rise of the new wave of independent Indian films that is revolutionising Indian cinema. Contemporary scholarship on Indian cinema so far has focused asymmetrically on Bollywood—India’s dominant cultural export. Reversing this trend, this book provides an in-depth examination of the burgeoning independent Indian film sector. It locates the new 'Indies' as a glocal hybrid film form—global in aesthetic and local in content. They critically engage with a diverse socio-political spectrum of ‘state of the nation’ stories; from farmer suicides, disenfranchised urban youth and migrant workers to monks turned anti-corporation animal rights agitators. This book provides comprehensive analyses of definitive Indie new wave films including Peepli Live (2010), Dhobi Ghat (2010), The Lunchbox (2013) and Ship of Theseus (2013). It explores how subversive Indies, such as polemical postmodern rap-musical Gandu (2010) transgress conventional notions of ‘traditional Indian values’, and collide with state censorship regulations. This timely and pioneering analysis shows how the new Indies have emerged from a middle space between India’s globalising present and traditional past. This book draws on in-depth interviews with directors, actors, academics and members of the Indian censor board, and is essential reading for anyone seeking an insight into a current Indian film phenomenon that could chart the future of Indian cinema.

Cinemas Dark and Slow in Digital India

Cinemas Dark and Slow in Digital India
Author: Lalitha Gopalan
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 464
Release: 2021-03-16
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 3030540960

This book provides a sustained engagement with contemporary Indian feature films from outside the mainstream, including Aaranaya Kaandam, I.D., Kaul, Chauthi Koot, Cosmic Sex, and Gaali Beeja, to undercut the dominance of Bollywood focused film studies. Gopalan assembles films from Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Trivandrum, in addition to independent productions in Bombay cinema, as a way of privileging understudied works that deserve critical attention. The book uses close readings of films and a deep investigation of film style to draw attention to the advent of digital technologies while remaining fully cognizant of ‘the digital’ as a cryptic formulation for considering the sea change in the global circulation of film and finance. This dual focus on both the techno-material conditions of Indian cinema and the film narrative offers a fulsome picture of changing narratives and shifting genres and styles.

Never Coming to a Theater Near You

Never Coming to a Theater Near You
Author: Kenneth Turan
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Total Pages: 426
Release: 2005-11-01
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0786723947

It is in the nature of today's movie business that while Hollywood blockbusters invade every megaplex, smaller, quality films often don't get screen time. Fans of finer films have to count on catching up with them on video and DVD, but even the most hard-core devotees have trouble remembering what sounded good when a film was originally released. Never Coming to a Theater Near You will remedy that situation. This selection of renowned film critic Kenneth Turan's absorbing and illuminating reviews, now revised and updated to factor in the tests of time, point viewers toward the films they can't quite remember, but should not miss. Moviegoers know they can trust Turan's impeccable taste. His eclectic selection represents the kind of sophisticated, adult, and entertaining films intelligent viewers are hungry for. More importantly, Turan shows readers what makes these unusual films so great, revealing how talented filmmakers and actors have managed to create the wonderful highs we experience in front of the silver screen.

Exploring Morality and Sexuality in Asian Cinema

Exploring Morality and Sexuality in Asian Cinema
Author: Peter C. Pugsley
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 283
Release: 2016-04-15
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1317137280

This ground-breaking book explores the moral dimensions of sexual imagery in contemporary, general-release Asian films. It examines debates that arise over aesthetic styles and the cultural and traditional influences that determine the content and impact of these films. The social and regulatory environments for filmmakers across Asia reflect distinct national and cultural differences. In just the past decade, for instance, Indian cinema has rapidly moved from representations of coy and submissive female protagonists to highly eroticized leading ladies unafraid of flaunting their sexuality. On the other hand, the cinema emerging from the Chinese mainland has been much more circumspect in its representations of overt sexuality, at times in conflict with other Chinese cinemas from Hong Kong and Taiwan. This use of sexual imagery or morally questionable film content raises on-going debates into censorship and the use of state or industry controls to protect certain sectors of society from exposure to particular narratives or images. Film, like all forms of art, fulfils a number of aesthetic functions for local, regional and international audiences. As distribution and technological advances make Asian films more readily available across the globe, an understanding of the different aesthetics at play will enable readers of this book to recognize key cultural motifs in representations of onscreen sexuality and the surrounding controversies found in cinematic texts from Asia.

Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema

Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema
Author: Ashish Rajadhyaksha
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 659
Release: 2014-07-10
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1135943184

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.

Exploring the Impact of OTT Media on Global Societies

Exploring the Impact of OTT Media on Global Societies
Author: Kalorth, Nithin
Publisher: IGI Global
Total Pages: 351
Release: 2024-02-27
Genre: Social Science
ISBN:

In the rapidly evolving landscape of media and communication studies, scholars face a pressing challenge – understanding the profound and transformative impact of Over-the-Top (OTT) media on global societies. As video content flows directly to viewers over the internet, upending traditional cable and broadcast TV, the complexities of this digital shift pose intricate problems. Enter Exploring the Impact of OTT Media on Global Societies, a comprehensive handbook meticulously crafted to address these challenges and provide solutions. This groundbreaking publication seeks to unravel the intricate layers of OTT media, offering a holistic exploration of business models, technological infrastructure, regulatory issues, and the social and cultural implications that define the dynamic OTT industry. Dive into the evolution of OTT media, exploring the seamless delivery of video content and its disruptive influence on traditional media consumption. Uncover the strategies behind the production and distribution of OTT content, emphasizing the role of personalization and recommendation algorithms in shaping audience engagement. Navigate the complex terrain of regulatory and policy issues surrounding OTT media, addressing critical topics such as net neutrality, data privacy, and intellectual property rights. Witness the competitive dynamics of the OTT market, marked by the emergence of new players and their profound impact on traditional media companies. Beyond the technicalities, our book delves into the social and cultural implications of OTT media, revealing shifts in media consumption patterns, the phenomenon of binge-watching, and the transformative effects on advertising and marketing strategies.

Native Americans on Film

Native Americans on Film
Author: M. Elise Marubbio
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Total Pages: 398
Release: 2013-02-22
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0813136814

The film industry and mainstream popular culture are notorious for promoting stereotypical images of Native Americans: the noble and ignoble savage, the pronoun-challenged sidekick, the ruthless warrior, the female drudge, the princess, the sexualized maiden, the drunk, and others. Over the years, Indigenous filmmakers have both challenged these representations and moved past them, offering their own distinct forms of cinematic expression. Native Americans on Film draws inspiration from the Indigenous film movement, bringing filmmakers into an intertextual conversation with academics from a variety of disciplines. The resulting dialogue opens a myriad of possibilities for engaging students with ongoing debates: What is Indigenous film? Who is an Indigenous filmmaker? What are Native filmmakers saying about Indigenous film and their own work? This thought-provoking text offers theoretical approaches to understanding Native cinema, includes pedagogical strategies for teaching particular films, and validates the different voices, approaches, and worldviews that emerge across the movement.