Lights, Karma, Action! ... Photographs by Jonathan Torgovnik
...India's film industry - the largest in the world - serves as
a metaphor for its society and reflects India's cultural and
political values. Over 800 new films are produced each year, and
each day movie theaters are bombarded with over 14 million avid
viewers. The status of film in Indian society is almost
unimaginable even by American standards. For India's population
of almost one billion, cinema provides not only entertainment,
but an escape from the realities and hardships of everyday life.
....The popular culture films produced in India tend to be
spectacular melodramatic fantasies. They're known as "masala
movies" because they're made to an established formula that
mixes a variety of ingredients - action, violence, music, dance,
romance and moralizing - into one blend.  All Rights Reserved. ©
foto8 2001