Stardom in Contemporary Hindi Cinema

In this book, film scholars, anthropologists, and critics discuss star-making in the contemporary Hindi-language film industry in India, also known as "Bollywood." Drawing on theories of stardom, globalization, transnationalism, gender, and new media studies, the chapters explore contemporary Hindi film celebrity. With the rise of social media and India's increased engagement in the global economy, Hindi film stars are forging their identities not just through their on-screen images and magazine and advertising appearances, but also through an array of media platforms, product endorsements, setting fashion trends, and involvement in social causes. Focusing on some of the best-known Indian stars since the late 1990s, the book discusses the multiplying avenues for forging a star identity, the strategies industry outsiders adopt to become stars, and the contradictions and conflicts that such star-making produces. It addresses questions such as: What traits of contemporary stars have contributed most to longevity and success in the industry? How has filmmaking technology and practice altered the nature of stardom? How has the manufacture of celebrity altered with the recent appearance of commodity culture in India and the rise of a hyper-connected global economy? By doing so, it describes a distinct moment in India and in the world in which stars and stardom are drawn more closely than ever into the vital events of global culture.

Hindi films and their stars are part of the national and global entertainment circuits that are bigger and more competitive than ever. As such, this is a timely book creates opportunities for examining stardom in other industries and provides fruitful cross-cultural perspectives on star identities today.

"Grounded in rigorous scholarship as well as a palpable love of Hindi cinema, this collection of 19 essays on a dizzying array of contemporary Hindi film stars makes for an informative, thought-provoking, illuminating, and most of all, a joyful read. Pushing boundaries of not only global Star Studies but also film theory as a whole, this de-colonised and de-colonising volume is a must read for film scholars, students and cinephiles!"

Dr. Sunny Singh, Senior Lecturer - Creative Writing and English Literature, Sir John Cass School of Art, Architecture & Design, London Metropolitan University

"A wide-ranging overview of Hindi cinema's filmi firmament today, focussing on its most intriguing and brightest-burning stars. The variety of approaches to stardom and celebrity by both established and upcoming scholars reveals a web of interconnecting stories and concerns that provide fascinating new insights into the workings of today's Hindi film industry, while shining fresh light on contemporary India and the world we live in." Professor Rosie Thomas, Centre for Research and Education in Arts and Media (CREAM), College of Design, Creative and Digital Industries, University of Westminster

Auteur

Aysha Iqbal Viswamohan is a Professor of Films, Literature and Popular Culture at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India. Her teaching /research interests include American literature, drama, film studies, and popular culture, and she has published papers in respected journals. She has also written a number of books, including Arthur Miller: The Dramatist & His Universe (T.R. Publishers, 2005); Postliberalization Indian Novels in English (Anthem, 2013); and Behind the Scenes: Contemporary Bollywood Directors (Sage, 2017).

Clare Wilkinson is an Associate Professor at the Department of Anthropology, Washington State University Vancouver, USA, where she teaches arts and media in a global perspective; history of anthropological theory; and speech, thought, and culture. She has published articles in Ethnology, Visual Anthropology Review, Anthropological Quarterly, Ethnography, and the Journal of Material Culture. Her books include Embroidering Lives: Women's Work and Skill in the Lucknow Embroidery Industry (SUNY Press, 1999); Fashioning Bollywood: The Making and Meaning of Costumes in the Hindi Film Industry (Bloomsbury Academic, 2014); and Critical Craft: Technology, Capitalism and Globalization (co-edited with Alicia O. DeNicola, Bloomsbury, 2016).

Contenu

Part 1: Masculinity, Celebrity, Stardom.- Chapter 1. Saif Ali Khan: Stardom and the alchemy of celebrity.- Chapter 2. Celebrity as cultural formation: Shah Rukh Khan, the nation, and the world.- Chapter 3. 'Don't Hold Back Jack': Ranveer Singh, masculinity, and new media ecology.- Chapter 4. The rise of the anti-hero: Deconstructing the subversive stardom of Emraan Hashmi in globalized times.- Part 2: Spectacular Bodies.- Chapter 5. The Cardboard Queen: Aishwarya Rai and the rise of the lady vamp.- Chapter 6. Having it both ways: The Janus-like career of Kareena Kapoor.- Chapter 7. Shahid Kapoor: Multi-platform mediations of a mid-level star.- Chapter 8. Action, sensation and the kinetic Body: The stardom of Hrithik Roshan.- Chapter 9. The Body and its multimedia sensations: Forging starry identities through item numbers.- Part 3: The 'Outsiders'.- Chapter 10. The Plough and the star: The Improbable Celebrity of Nawazuddin Siddiqui.- Chapter 11. Indie not Indian: Kalki Koechlin and the Representation of the White Indian Star in Bollywood and hatk Cinema.- Chapter 12. Akshay Kumar: The Khiladi of Box-Office.- Chapter 13. Waif to Warrior: Kangana Ranaut.- Part 4: Women on Top.- Chapter 14. Unstarry stardom: The Making of Anushka Sharma.- Chapter 15. How do you solve a problem like Vidya? Female Stardom in the Times of Size Zero.- Chapter 16. Alia Bhatt: The New Female Subject and Stardom.- Part 5: Transnational Stardom.- Chapter 17. Transnational rites of passage, national stardom: Irrfan Khan's Presence in Hollywood Cinema.- Chapter 18. Tabu: Less is more.- Chapter 19. Priyanka Chopra: From Bollywood superstar to Global-Indian Icon