"This is the first book to concentrate on the dynamic visual culture of Indian cinema, tracing the development of the popular or commercial cinema based in Bombay (Mumbai) since 1913. This is India's national cinema, and it has a global audience. The authors trace its historical roots in early photography, theatre and chromolithography, and its development of a new visual regime that has come to dominate Indian public culture.".

"The unique style of this cinema is explored through an analysis of the mise-en-scene of the film itself - the locations, sets and costumes - and shows how they, along with the song and dance sequences, construct the 'look' and meaning of a film. Equally important to India's visual culture is publicity.

Cinema India explores the development of film advertising and its range of aesthetic influences, from indigenous sources, for example, the Ajanta cave paintings, to foreign styles, such as Art Deco, and examines how publicity material is able to convey social, political and economic information about the society in which it is produced."--BOOK JACKET.