Why are people fascinated with Bollywood? What is the cultural significance of the films produced there? In recent years Bollywood - the popular Hindi cinema from Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India - has received widespread international attention in the global media. The book examines the reasons for this interest and provides an unrivalled guide to the phenomenon. The book:
**provides a comprehensive theoretical and empirical engagement with Bollywood cinema and its audiences;
**examines the role and representations of cultural icons in Bollywood films;
**pinpoints the key trends in the Bollywood film industry as it develops in the age of globalization;
**subjects Bollywood to the first systematic sociological, cultural and media analysis.
Packed with memorable examples and penetrating insights, this is a marvellous work which combines sociology with media and cultural analysis to provide a highly original account of the Bollywood phenomenon.
