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Photo Book Reviews

Bollywood Dreams (Phaidon Press) By Jonathan Torgovnik Reviewed by Laura Mozes Article rating: 4.50

India produces more than eight hundred new films each year, making it the world’s most prolific producer of feature films.  Every day, some 14 million viewers cram into Indian movie theaters. Nasreen Munni Kabir explained in her introduction, “There is still a demand in more rural parts of the country for touring cinemas, which involves a projectionist traveling in a truck with an assistant, eighteen reels of film and a tent that he will set up in the village.”

The Indian film industry, known as Bollywood, has a particular style of storytelling; with plots structured around song and dance and happy endings.  “Going to the movies is the only real cultural experience for the majority of the population, and the cinema is not just a form of entertainment, it is practically a religion.  Movie stars in India are treated like gods - literally – no match even for American standards of celebrity obsession.”

Jonathan Torgovnik eloquently captures India's unique film industry in Bollywood Dreams: An Exploration of the Motion Picture Industry and Its Culture in India.  It is an outstanding book featuring one hundred color photographs and includes an introduction titled, “A Way of Life: A Brief History of Indian Cinema,” by Indian cinema historian, filmmaker and author Nasreen Munni Kabir. It also provides extended photo-captions written by Torgovnik, an award-winning photographer, whose images embrace the magic and document the importance of cinema in the culture and daily life of India

This exceptional book is separated into four sections: The Touring Cinema, On the Set, The Characters, and At the Cinema.   Torgovnik’s lyrical photographs present an in-depth look into the private lives of the stars, touring cinemas, and the experience of the theatergoers.   There are behind-the-scenes views into the projection rooms, movie sets, ticket booths, and it features the beautiful displays of hand-painted movie banners and cut-outs of stars, that demonstrate the influence of Bollywood throughout the country.   Torgovnik portrays the lively experience of going to the movies and the profound impact of cinema on Indian culture, against the backdrop of every day life in India.

How does an Israeli-born combat photographer (Torgovnik was trained during his mandatory three-year service in the Israeli Army) end up documenting India's film industry?  In 1991, he backpacked throughout India, where he discovered the magic and excitement of Bollywood and was fascinated by the role of cinema in Indian popular culture.  Torgovnik moved to New York City in 1992 and received a BFA in Photography from The School of Visual Arts.  After winning numerous awards, in 1997, Torgovnik decided to return to Bombay, India to capture the soul of Bollywood.

>>Click here to purchase a copy of Bollywood Dreams.

>>Check out Johnathan Torgovnik's website.

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