examines in detail twenty-four landmark films from one of the world's largest national cinemas. Gathering writings by renowned scholars of Indian cinema, this collection provides a novel framework for reading film. Taken together, these essays act as a guide to deciphering the varied terrain of Indian film production and its reception both nationally and globally. The volume offers a comprehensive consideration of the histories of different regional cinemas; the role of studios; the place of "middle" cinema and its relationship to state subsidies; the style of popular films; the allure of stardom; the resistant style of art films; the resurgence of auteurism; and the poetics of documentary. The study discusses a range of films released over a period of more than sixty years, including (1936), (1952), (1955), (1957), (1969), (1977) and (1991).