A Very Old Machine: The Many Origins of Cinema in India

Sudhir Mahadevan

This book explores how nineteenth-century technologies and practices continue to shape Indian cinema in the twenty-first century. Deploying the methodology of media archaeology, archival research and cultural theory, the author examines the history of photography and print media, and practices of piracy and showmanship, to provide an understanding of cinema as a dominant cultural force in India.

Permanent Black, 234 pages, Rs 795