`Dudrah… successfully renews an interdisciplinary dialogue between cinema and sociology… Dudrah's book is a great reference for multi-disciplinary research… the book gives academic credence to Bollywood cinema' - The Tribune

`A new book which gives an extraordinary insight into Bollywood' - Asian Voice

`This book asks and answers some interesting questions about what exactly Bollywood is' - New India Express

Why are people fascinated with Bollywood? What is the cultural significance of the films produced there? In recent years Bollywood - the popular Hindi cinema from Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India - has received widespread international attention in the global media. The book examines the reasons for this interest and provides an unrivalled guide to the phenomenon.

The book:

· provides a comprehensive theoretical and empirical engagement with Bollywood cinema and its audiences;

· examines the role and representations of cultural icons in Bollywood films;

· pinpoints the key trends in the Bollywood film industry as it develops in the age of globalization;

· subjects Bollywood to the first systematic sociological, cultural and media analysis.

Packed with memorable examples and penetrating insights, this is a marvellous work which combines sociology with media and cultural analysis to provide a highly original account of the Bollywood phenomenon.