I HAVE read the review of my book Indian Popular Cinema (co-authored with Wimal Dissanayake) with mixed feelings (THES, April 10). Nasreen Munni Kabbir's comments have more to do with a book on Indian popular cinema which she, as a film-maker, would like to see rather than the one sent to her for review.
A film-maker's interest in cinema is primarily about the craft of film-making and the role of the individual directors.
This book is a survey of Indian cinema over nearly 100 years - the popular, artistic and the regional (as well as the impact of Indian cinema on British film-makers and musicians). As such, there is simply no book of its kind on the market either here or in India.
K. (Moti) Gokulsing Centre for South Asian studies University of East London