Bachchan launches Bollywood book despite aversion to name
June 11th, 2009 - 4:27 pm ICT by IANS
By Fakir Hassen
Macau, June 11 (IANS) Despite his aversion to the term “Bollywood”, screen legend Amitabh Bachchan had no hesitation in commending a book bearing the title “Bollywood in Posters” at the start of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards weekend here Thursday.
Film historian S.M.M. Ausaja put together the weighty volume which carries posters from the start of Indian cinema, as Bachchan preferred to refer to it, even as he commended Ausaja, without mentioning the title of the book.
Initially he just accepted the first copy of the book to launch it, but later Bachchan returned to the podium and asked for a microphone to talk briefly about it.
Bachchan said in the days before the advent of the wide range of media available today to promote films, the public relied almost exclusively on posters for all their information on Bollywood.
In his foreword to the book, Bachchan wrote: “Posters have been an integral and the most important ingredient in the realm of information and marketing of films. They tell us within the brevity of a few square meters what the product is all about and why it is essential for us to buy that coveted ticket to find our way into the confines of this darkened hall, where paper and painting shall transform magically into moving images.”
Bachchan has been known to react at the use of the term ‘Bollywood’ to describe the Indian film industry, despite its widespread international usage today, even writing about his aversion to the term on his blog.
- Big B at 'Bollywood in Posters' Book Launch - May 22, 2010
- Film historian turns collection to 'Bollywood in Posters' - Jun 13, 2009
- Use of word Bollywood in book's title upsets Big B - May 21, 2010
- Bollywood posters go dare bare with women - Feb 23, 2012
- From billboards to Madhuri: Husain's love affair with cinema - Jun 09, 2011
- 'RA.One' third Indian film to cross Rs.100 crore mark - Oct 24, 2011
- Terrorism defined pre and post IIFA awards - Jun 11, 2009
- Amitabh Bachchan no longer IIFA brand ambassador - Jan 17, 2011
- If Work Schedules Permit, We Will Attend IIFA: Abhishek Bachchan - Jan 21, 2011
- Woman power still far cry in Indian filmdom (March 8 is International Women's Day) - Mar 07, 2012
- Bachchan evacuated from London hotel following suspected explosion - Jan 18, 2011
- Tamils protest outside Bachchan's residence over his proposed Sri Lanka visit - May 11, 2010
- Like Oscars, IIFA doesn't need brand ambassador: Anil Kapoor - Jun 16, 2011
- Glittering fashion show, flat jokes at IIFA charity event - Jun 12, 2009
- 'Raavan' not to be screened at 11th IIFA awards: Mani Ratnam - May 10, 2010
Tags: advent, amitabh bachchan, aversion, brevity, confines, film academy, film historian, hassen, hesitation, iifa awards, indian cinema, indian film industry, microphone, moving images, podium, posters, screen legend, square meters, thursday film, weighty volume