Cinema Bhojpuri

Avijit Ghosh

Penguin India

297 pages, Rs 399

Cruel landlords, crafty moneylenders, corrupt politicians, righteous heroes and uninhibited dancing girls—these are some of the stock characters of that wildly popular phenomenon, the Bhojpuri film. On the basis of interviews, back issues of film periodicals, as well as the films themselves, Ghosh analyses the history and themes of successful Bhojpuri cinema since the 1960s.