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varunob's review against another edition
challenging
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
2.75
Sunny Singh’s book is part cultural commentary, part memoir, and part analysis of the world’s largest film industry, and thank god for the former two because the analysis is quite dully described. At no point did I find myself even remotely interested in the elements that make up a cinema I have grown up consuming, so whenever Singh goes back to a film from her childhood, or describes an experience from the vacations she made back home, the book becomes instantly more interesting and also serves as a text through which the evolution of Hindi cinema comes across.
dreammmmmm9's review
4.0
This is a beautifully written and a very insightful book for all cinema lovers. Many have said before me and I can’t deny it, that it is the ULTIMATE Bollywood book.
A Bollywood State of Mind is a personal, intellectual and emotional journey through the lens of Prof Sunny Singh which crosses five continents and 50 years of modern Indian history and cinema. It shows how Bollywood means so much to so many across the globe and also explores the reasons behind it.
Being an Indian, this book is now very close to my heart. I read very few books by Indian author, I read very few books written about India, and I read very few books that are non-fiction. So, if you are like me, give this book a try and you won’t be disappointed.
This book was very enjoyable and informational. Absolutely loved the content of the book as well as how it was written.
A Bollywood State of Mind is a personal, intellectual and emotional journey through the lens of Prof Sunny Singh which crosses five continents and 50 years of modern Indian history and cinema. It shows how Bollywood means so much to so many across the globe and also explores the reasons behind it.
Being an Indian, this book is now very close to my heart. I read very few books by Indian author, I read very few books written about India, and I read very few books that are non-fiction. So, if you are like me, give this book a try and you won’t be disappointed.
This book was very enjoyable and informational. Absolutely loved the content of the book as well as how it was written.
jax_hughes's review
4.0
This book is a gem! As a White American this was a very informative book about the Hindi film industry and it's origins, as well as the experiences of Hindi cinema through the eyes of Indians. This was truly a "journey". The author uses her own experiences in her travels as a way to guide the narrative and explain different film's tropes and narratives, and ties it all together using the staying power of the songs. If you've ever been interested in understanding what Hindi movies mean to Indians, READ THIS BOOK.
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