Sure, you can get your Bollywood fix by watching any one of the thousands of movies coming out on a pretty consistent basis, but if you want to enhance your viewing experience by understanding some nuances that might otherwise escape you, check out these books that provide insight beyond staring at a screen.The Art of Bollywood (Edo Bouman) takes a close look at Bombay’s unique visual language as described through its hand-painted movie posters that have now become highly coveted collectors’ items. This book delves into the deep cultural tradition of the artwork as well as providing detailed discussion about the posters and their artists.Bollywood: A Guidebook to Popular Hindi Cinema (Tejaswini Ganti) is a guide to the cultural, social and political significance of Hindi cinema as it outlines the history and structure of the Bombay film industry while taking a look at its impact on global pop culture. Included is commentary on the key players in Bollywood as well as a look at filmmaker’s points of view and key characteristics of popular Hindi cinema. Readers have called this book a “great little guide.”The Essential Guide to Bollywood (Subhash K. Jha) is a concise (175 page) guide to what the author considers “the best” 200 Hindi films from the 1940′s to the present divided into chapters mostly by genre with a look at parallel cinema and “hits and misses” as well. Also included are trivia and anecdotes about actors and actresses of that time and about the making of the films. Reviewers consider the book a “helpful introduction” to Hindi movies.
