From ‘bollywood dreams. An exploration of the motion picture industry and its culture in india’ by Jonathan Torgovnik

A Way of Life: An Introduction to Indian Cinema by Nasreen Munni Kabir

Indian movies have a curiously infectious quality and have held a special place in Indian life ever since the birth of the Indian movie industry in 1913 …..Usually woven together by six songs and at least two lavish dance numbers, the movies are about unconditional love, the conflict between fathers and sons, revenge, redemption, survival against the odds, the importance of honour and self-respect, and the mission to uphold religious and moral values – grand themes that Hollywood geneally leaves to the now rarely produced epic. Not so in India, where film directors routinely tackle the big questions head-on …..

….for a film to be genuinely popular it must also entertain the whole family, from grandmother to grandson, all of whom may also be avid moviegoers.