Topics in Indian Popular Culture: Spectacle, Masala, and Genre

Readings

WEEK #	TOPICS	FILMS	READINGS
1	Introduction
2	Spectacle, Masala, and Genre in the context of Bollywood	Excerpts from Sholay. Directed by Ramesh Sippy.	Selection from Thoraval, Yves. Cinemas of India (1896-2000). Columbia, MO: South Asia Books, 2001. ISBN: 0333934105.
Module 1
3	Neo-modern Narratives	Dil Chahta Hai. Directed by Farhan Akhtar.	Selection from Kapur, Geeta. When was Modernism: Essays on Contemporary Cultural Practice in India. New Delhi, India: Tulika Press, 2000.
4	Neo-modern Narratives (cont.)	Mrityudand. Directed by Prakash Jha.	Gopalan, Lalitha. “Avenging Women in Indian Cinema.” In Making Meaning in Indian Cinema. Edited by Ravi S. Vasudevan. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2001. ISBN: 0195658671.
5	Neo-modern Narratives (cont.)	Being Cyrus. Directed by Homi Adajania.	Barnouw, Erik, and S. Krishnaswamy. Indian Film. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1980, Introduction. ISBN: 0195026829.
Module 2
6	Reconstructing History	Rang De Basanti. Directed by Rakesh Omprakash Mehra.	Excerpt from Chakravarty, Sumita. National Identity in Indian Popular Cinema. 3rd ed. Columbia, MO: South Asia Books, 1998. ISBN: 0195647475.
7	Reconstructing History (cont.)	Mangal Pandey. Directed by Ketan Mehta.	Chakravarty, Sumita. National Identity in Indian Popular Cinema. 3rd ed. Columbia, MO: South Asia Books, 1998. ISBN: 0195647475.
Module 3
8	Appropriating Literary texts	Parineeta. Directed by Pradeep Sarkar.	Chattopadhyaya, Saratchandra. Parineeta. New Delhi, India: Penguin Books, 2005. ISBN: 0143033565.
9	Shakespeare	Omkara. Directed by Vishal Bharadwaj.	Alter, Stephen. “Making of the Film Omkara.” In Fantasies of a Bollywood Love-Thief. New York, NY: Harvest Books, 2007. ISBN: 0156030845.
10	Flaubert	Maya Memsaab. Directed by Ketan Mehta.	Kakar, Sudhir. Intimate Relations: Exploring Indian Sexuality. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1990. ISBN: 0226422801.
Module 4
11	Engaging with Hollywood	Corporate. Directed by Madhur Bhandarkar.	Dwyer, Rachel. All You Want is Money, All You Need is Love: Sex and Romance in Modern India. New Delhi, India: Cassell, 2000. ISBN: 0304703214.
12	Engaging with Hollywood (cont.)	Krrish. Directed by Rakesh Roshan.	Gokulsing, K. Moti, and Wimal Dissanayake. “Cinema and Society in India.” In Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change. England, UK: Trentham Books, 1998. ISBN: 1858560969. ———. “The Distinctiveness of Indian Popular Culture.” In Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change. England, UK: Trentham Books, 1998. ISBN: 1858560969.
13	Engaging with Hollywood (cont.)	Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. Directed by Karan Johar.	Mishra, Vijay. Bollywood Cinema: Temples of Desire. New York, NY: Routledge, 2001, Introduction. ISBN: 0415930154.
14	Conclusion: Next Decade?	Excerpts from Filmfare, Stardust, Indian Express.