ABSTRACT
India produces 800 to 1,000 feature films a year, roughly twice the number made by Hollywood. The films reach audiences all across the country, transcending differences of regional culture, rural versus urban lifestyles, and educational background as well as divisions of caste, class, and language.1 Movie-going is a popular pastime and outing for families. It is estimated that 75 million movie tickets are sold every week in India, a likely undercount since theaters in rural areas and “tent” cinema rarely keep records and often don’t even issue tickets. Films are exported abroad and are watched by expatriate Indians in the west as well as by non-Indian audiences in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Asia including Japan, and parts of Africa.
