A Bollywood State of Mind” deftly showcases Hindi cinema (as well as interrogating the meaning of ‘Bollywood’ as a catch-all phrase) and tracks its history over a century into the present. The book recounts entertaining anecdotes across five continents with joy and pizzazz, delivering an honest, seamless, and searing history of modern India.
In this rigorously researched book, Sunny Singh notes how there has never been a more “quintessentially Indian cultural product” than the Hindi film over the past century, be it the masala movie, an action-packed thriller, family sagas or laugh-out-loud comedies.
Singh brings this art form to a global scale without condescension and with much love. There is a powerful thread that runs alongside, covering the history of modern India and cinema’s ability to influence politics on both micro and macro levels. Few books are written with such clarity and intent that they can reel in the reader and leave them wanting more. The early chapters on the origins of Indian cinema delight, while those on ways of watching films are thought-provoking.
The book also maps a life well-lived via Bollywood movies and the joys they continue to bring to a third-culture kid who spent their life across the world: From New York to Barcelona, Islamabad to London. Singh notes that the Hindi film remains a common denominator for her to connect with people across the globe.
In my own experience, people recognise “3 Idiots” during my travels, be it in Beijing or Prague. I could also relate to the familial outings described in the book, with “Agneepath” being a distinct film that I recall from my childhood in Lancashire, as well as the beloved music — in my case, AR Rahman’s beautiful soundtracks. There are moments of sweet insights into Singh’s life interspersed with factual gems. For example, I, for one, didn’t know of Binaca Geetmala, and after reading, reveled in old YouTube videos of the radio show. Reading this book is like sitting in an old friend’s home, chatting about shared experiences and much-loved memories.
“A Bollywood State of Mind” also showcases a movie industry that has long impacted the world (Channel 4’s broadcast of “Sholay” for the 1982 Christmas programming remains a remarkable feat).
The book also takes the reader on a longer journey through South Asian history in an engrossing way, covering classical Sanskrit theatre and its eventual decline, the region’s many performance traditions, and nineteenth-century Parsi theatre as the forerunners of this cinema.
There is also much joy at finding chapters named for songs, both for those who grew up with the classics and for the newbies who will discover them. Singh’s book is the tonic we can all snuggle with on upcoming cold winter nights. From the queer-coded scenes of “Razia Sultan” to the global significance of “Pathan”— this book provides something for aficionados and novices alike, insights into a cinema we all love. This is a rich text that links stalwarts from the film industry across the decades: Zeenat Aman and Amitabh Bachchan, Raj Kapoor and Nargis; Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit.
In conclusion, Singh’s triumphant book provides both outsiders and film fans with a sublime overview of the world’s largest film industry.
Don’t walk but dance along —ghungroos firmly attached to your feet — to grab your copy of this brilliant ode to a timeless and beloved form of entertainment: the glorious Indian film!
