Bollywood economics

Given the significance of music in Hindi films, it is not surprising that filmmakers chose to milk it for ideological reasons

Did you ever imagine getting insights into the Indian economy from Bollywood? If some of the recent books hitting the market are any indication, there is much to be learnt from approaching this vast arena of popular culture with a critical eye. Hindi films are not to be regarded merely as entertainment and escapism; they have a finger on the pulse of important shifts in the way that citizens and consumers live, aspire, transact, and define themselves.

Nikhil Menon, assistant professor in the Department of History at the University of Notre Dame, discusses how the film industry jumped in to back