Lata Jha’s chronicle of the fast-changing dynamics of Indian cinema is not only timely, it is also informative and engrossing. —Shabana Azmi
[…] insightful, incisive book on the economics of our film industry. . —Sanjay Leela Bhansali
How has the Indian film industry thrived in the last 100-plus years? Has it advanced technologically and in terms of content? Are creative minds today backed adequately by studios that claim to spend crores to give the audience an artistic thrill?
For far too long, Indian filmmaking has been seen just as a pursuit of passion and creative madness. After having turned into a foreign studio-controlled ecosystem over the past few years, though, the industry has seen other forces emerge. In Bollywood, Box Office and Beyond: The Evolving Business of Indian Cinema, author and film journalist Lata Jha aims to examine these forces in detail—the tussle between multiplexes and single screens and their struggles, and the threat and opportunity that emerging streams of monetization, such as video streaming, pose for filmmaking as we know it.
As readers go through the book, they can clearly visualize the challenges of box office recovery for films that are increasingly losing draw in small towns, inadequate profits for studios that are yet to fully find their feet in the crowd of local producers or lead stars demanding exorbitant rates. Bollywood, Box Office and Beyond is an ode to the behind-the-scenes struggle that makes the movie and OTT viewing experience worth the public’s money, or at least tries to.
Review
‘Having known Lata Jha as an avid film buff since her childhood, I am not surprised by her insightful, incisive book on the economics of our film industry. Her debut book fills that serious void in serious writing on cinema, especially on the trade dynamics, in our country that needs to be filled. This book is most welcome.’—Sanjay Leela Bhansali, eminent director
‘I have known Lata Jha from the time she was a child. To see her all grown up and mature enough to write about the fiscal dynamics of the film industry, fills me with great joy pride and hope…I hope this is the first of many books from Lata. The entertainment industry needs literature that is not personality-based. This work fills that lacuna amply.’ —Jaya Bachchan, Member of Parliament and actress
‘Just like Nostradamus, Lata in her first book has opened our eyes to the future of entertainment. That the only thing constant is change is poignantly captured to the extent that even her book might become irrelevant in the future. A must-read for the creators and merchants of entertainment.’ —Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, eminent director
‘The entertainment industry loves high drama with happy endings. Despite the stress of the pandemic and painful disruptions, the industry survived and embraced the shifts, reinventing itself with newer definitions of normal. While the distribution channels may have changed, content still remained the industry’s and audience’s crown jewel. As everyone strived to remain relevant in this new era, Lata Jha’s incisive and insightful book vividly describes how a new face of ingenuity, innovation and invention helped the entertainment industry stay in the game, navigating this new streaming normal with its endless possibilities that are here to stay. As rightly penned by her, the game has only just begun!’ —Sameer Nair, chief executive officer, Applause Entertainment
About the Author
Lata Jha has been a media and entertainment reporter at mint, a business daily part of the Hindustan Times group, for the past seven years. Her work covers India’s film, television, video- and audio-streaming industries from a business and regulatory perspective. She holds a master’s degree from Columbia School of Journalism, New York, and a bachelor’s degree from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi University. Bollywood, Box Office and Beyond: The Evolving Business of Indian Cinema is her debut book.
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