The Seductive World of Indian Cinema

NEW YORK, Oct. 5, 2007 - At Asia Society's Headquarters in New York, King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema with the author Anupama Chopra, leading filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra, screenwriter Abhijat Joshi, and Bollywood expert and Assistant Professor of Anthropology at NYU Tejaswini Ganti. The discussion is moderated by Richard Allen, Chair of Cinema Studies at the Tisch School of the Arts.

Bollywood, a $1.5 billion industry, produces more movies than any other film industry in the world. Anupama Chopra, leading film critic and Bollywood insider, examines how Bollywood became a huge sensation not only in India but also internationally, in her latest book King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema.

Asia Society's Asia Circle brings together a distinguished group of experts to provide an insider's view of the colorful, unusual and fascinating world of Bollywood. In a discussion that ranges from the mass appeal of Bollywood to how the industry is a reflection of India's own socio-economic landscape, panelists explore the myriad facets of the phenomenon that is Bollywood.

Anupama Chopra

Anupama Chopra is a film critic and book author. She has written about the Hindi film industry since 1993. Her work has been published extensively in India Today, India's largest English language magazine. She has also written about Bollywood for various international publications such as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Variety and Sight & Sound. Currently, Anupama presents and scripts a weekly film review show called Picture This on NDTV, a leading Indian news channel.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra

Vidhu Vinod Chopra is an academy award-nominated Indian producer and filmmaker. He is also the head of Vinod Chopra Productions. He is particularly well-known for The Munna Bhai series.

Abhijat Joshi

Abhijat Joshi is an Indian screenwriter particularly known for his work with Vinod Chopra Productions. He is best known as the screenwriter of Lage Raho Munna Bhai.

Tejaswini Ganti

Tejaswini Ganti is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at New York University and author of Bollywood, A Guidebook to Popular Hindi Cinema.

Richard Allen

Richard Allen is the Chair of the Undergraduate Cinema Studies program at the Tisch School of the Arts, and is the Co-Editor of the journal Hitchcock Annual. He has also been published extensively in book form.