Footnote Press bags ‘love letter to cinema’ from Jhalak Prize founder Sunny Singh 

Footnote has commissioned A Bollywood State of Mind: A Journey into the Most Successful Film Genre in the World from writer, novelist and founder of the Jhalak Prize Sunny Singh.

Consulting editor Candida Lacey acquired world English language rights, excluding North America and including audio, from Laura Susijn at The Susijn Agency, for publication in October 2023.

Described by the publisher as “an exhilarating journey through the complex histories of India, its cinemas, performance traditions and cultural history”, A Bollywood State of Mind aims to explore why and how this “exceptional form of film-making” means so much to so many across the globe.

The synopsis continues: “Bollywood – and indeed all popular cinema in India – defies classification or even genre distinctions. It prides itself on grand spectacle, mind-boggling twists and turns of plot, and a roller-coaster emotional ride. Over the years, budgets have grown, as have the markets in and outside India.

“New technologies and new ways of watching cinema have emerged. While India continues to undergo dizzying political, social and economic changes, this form of film-making retains its grip on contemporary national culture.

“A Bollywood State of Mind traces key characteristics of the ‘Bollywood film’, situates it in a long trajectory of performance traditions and cultural philosophies, and outlines ways to watch this cinema. Ranging over history, aesthetic theory and politics, it also explores encounters with Bollywood in the marketplaces of Dakar and Marrakesh, in the nightclubs of New York, Barcelona and Mexico City, and in the ruins of Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, Petra and beyond.

"It shows how the pioneers and heroes of Bollywood cut across national, linguistic and cultural lines not only in India but in far reaches of Somalia, Peru, Malaysia and Russia. Most importantly, it explains why the unfamiliar viewer can watch, enjoy and love this cinema as much as the billions of fans across the globe.”

Lacey said: “Like all Indians, Sunny Singh was born and brought up in a country of film fanatics. She and her friends waited impatiently for the latest releases, listened to the songs on radio and wore clothes inspired by those seen on screen. They learned about India and the world, determined their enemies and friends, and chose their moralities thanks to films. Her book is a reflection of this personal, intellectual and emotional journey.

“A Bollywood State of Mind is a love letter to cinema and an invitation to learn more about the largest film fandom on the planet. I feel honoured and incredibly fortunate to be able to work with Sunny on such an important and genre-defining book.”

Singh is the author of three novels –  Nani’s Book of Suicides (HarperCollins), With Krishna’s Eyes (Rupa & Co)  and Hotel Arcadia (Quartet Books). Her first book of non-fiction was Single in the City: The Independent Woman’s Handbook (Penguin),  a first-of-its-kind exploration of single women in contemporary India. She is professor of creative writing and inclusion in the Arts at the London Metropolitan University.