“Bollywood: Cinema et mondialisation” by Camille Deprez

Today all eyes in the West are riveted on Asia to an extent that some have started to ask if the global economic centre is now shifting from the Atlantic towards the Indian Ocean. The trajectory of development in India has given her a great cultural credibility on the international plane and helped to look at popular Indian cinema from fresh perspectives. In the present age of globalisation of cultural industry, Bollywood’s resistance to Hollywood productions in its internal market and its presence outside constitute an exception.

An analysis of the strengths acquired in the course of decades, the ongoing metamorphosis and the major challenges to meet, can give the clue to an in-depth understanding of Indian cinema. A transversal analysis of the different steps in the process of cinematographic creation – production, distribution of films, the technical industry, reception by public, the cinematographic forms and content, representative of the past two decades – reveal the major challenges and limitations involved in this confrontation of popular Indian cinema with the model of Hollywood and that of large multimedia groups.

Taking contemporary issues into account, this book proposes for the first time to approach Bollywood from the perspective of cultural industry. This work launches us into the heart of a unique system – expanding and profitable, entertaining and innovative.

Keywords: Cinema, Globalisation, Cultural industry