Of Reels, Romance and Retakes

Of Reels, Romance and Retakes carries the reader on a fascinating journey into the genesis, evolution and reception of Odia cinema. Telling the story of its quiet emergence in 1936, the book goes on to chronicle its unexpected triumphs in the coming decades when cinema arose as an undisputed cultural form of both the middle class and the masses.

Of Reels, Romance and Retakes carries the reader on a fascinating journey into the genesis, evolution and reception of Odia cinema. Telling the story of its quiet emergence in 1936, the book goes on to chronicle its unexpected triumphs in the coming decades when cinema arose as an undisputed cultural form of both the middle class and the masses. The account the book gives of how Odia cinema, aesthetically intertwined with the indigenous folk and literary tradition, carried forward both the project of modernity and Odia cultural identity is particularly illuminating and instructive. At the same time it takes an introspective look at the crisis Odia cinema faces now, sandwiched as it is between two competing social trends - one following the route to Hindi as the chief language of entertainment and the other that is focused on regional cultural assertion as a key to commercial success. On the whole, it is a timely and much awaited book that seeks to construct the hitherto uncharted 'social narratives' of cinema in Odisha.

Autorentext

Sanjoy Patnaik, a social development professional, worked extensively on forests and environment issues in India. He studied International Politics in Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and also took a course on Film Appreciation in the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. Sanjoy is a film maker. He scripted and directed the award-winning Odia fi lm Shuka Asuchi (2014), a critique of the contemporary development model. The fi lm depicted the pangs of displacement and the predicament of the rural youth who swing between being indifferent farmers and petty power brokers in the rich mining belts of Odisha. An ardent fi lm enthusiast, Sanjoy continues to write on cinema both in the print and digital space.

Inhalt

1 Introduction 2 Birth of a Nation: Growth of Cinema in Odisha 3 The Wave: The Odia Cinematic Spectrum 4 Social Dilemma: Demographics, Class and Gender 5 Field of Dreams: Cinema and Odia Cultural Identity 6 The Unforgivable: The Fear and Fall in Odia Cinema 7 Plans for Tomorrow: The Regional Resurgence Bibliography