Course Catalog

Bollywood: Indian Film and Culture

Vinay Shrivastava. The Indian film industry is the largest in the world making more than 800 films a year. Bollywood refers to the Hindi language movies primarily produced in Mumbai (Bombay). The course looks at cultural themes and concerns of Indian society as reflected in Bollywood films. It also examines the Indian film industry in comparison with Hollywood. Bollywood films are very popular, not only in Indian sub-continent, but also in many countries around the world. In this class, popular and interesting films will be screened and discussed. The class will start with an introduction, and then screening, followed by discussion. WEEK 1 - Introduction. What is the meaning of Bollywood? India – Culture, Aesthetics and Diversity Movie: . Chennei Express, songs and dance. Week 2 - History of Bollywood Highlights, various clips showing major films Concept: Textual, contextual, and close-textual analysis. Movie: Pyassa by Guru Dutt. Clip frpm Aawara by Raj Kapoor WEEK 3 - Modernization Concepts: Linear vs Circular, Singular vs. Multiple perspectives Movie: Dhoom 3 WEEK 4 - Star System, a look at major stars past and present Art cinema/Parallel cinema, Satyajit Ray, Focus on AB and SRK. Various movie clips WEEK 5 - Social Issues: Caste system, Language issues, traditions vs western influence. Various clips Vinay Shrivastava, got his Ph.D. in Cinema-TV from University of Southern California, Los Angeles. He has worked in film productions both in Bombay (Bollywood) and Los Angeles (Hollywood) for many years. He has been teaching at San Francisco State University for more than 22 years. He has also taught at Loyola Marymount University, USC, CSU Northridge and Long Beach. As a Fulbright Scholar he has explored many media industries throughout the world.

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