Why does a film become a hit, an actor a superstar, an actress an icon? Is there a meaning behind the magic of make-believe? What does Devdas, Awara, Shahenshah, Khalnayak, and Hindustani mean in popular parlance? Do the Bollywood maestros peddle mere dreams or ideologies, attitudes and ethics too?

The Dream Merchants of Bollywood addresses such questions by viewing cinema as something more than a collage of moving images with a momentary appeal. The icons stretch down the ages: from Guru Dutt to Amitabh Bachchan; Madhubala to Madhuri Dixit. The analysis includes the oeuvre of all major directors of popular cinema: from Raj Kapoor, Manmohan Desai, Yash Chopra to N. Chandra, David Dhawan and Sooraj Barjatya.

A pioneering work that looks behind the glare of the silver screen, the book seeks to identify the hidden bonds between movies and viewer's mindset. All this in a style that is reminiscent of the movies themselves: racy, colorful and crisp.

Published: 1998
Pages: 206
Format: Paperback