世界中で作られている映画のうち5本に1本はインドで作られていることをご存知でしょうか。植民地時代に始まり、ボリウッドに至るまで、インド映画はカーストや女性に対する抑圧、貧困等のさまざまな社会的課題に問題提起をしてきました。にもかかわらずアメリカ・ハリウッドにおけるボリウッドの興行収入は約5パーセントに過ぎません。本書ではインド映画の歴史を経済的、文化的な側面からも繙きます。
  

• Locates the Indian film industry within a larger Cinema Studies framework
• Frames the history of Indian cinema within its economic and cultural context, from the influence of colonialism to the different moments of independent India
• Focuses on Bollywood as a key player in the creative economy

 
One film out of every five made anywhere on earth comes from India. From its beginnings under colonial rule through to the heights of Bollywood , Indian Cinema has challenged social injustices such as caste, the oppression of Indian women, religious intolerance, rural poverty, and the pressures of life in the burgeoning cities. And yet, the Indian movie industry makes only about five percent of Hollywood's annual revenue.

In this Very Short Introduction Ashish Rajadhyaksha delves into the political, social, and economic factors which, over time, have shaped Indian Cinema into a fascinating counterculture. Covering everything from silent cinema through to the digital era, Rajadhyaksha examines how the industry reflects the complexity and variety of Indian society through the dramatic changes of the 20th century, and into the beginnings of the 21st.