BOLLYWOOD COMES TO THE CLASSROOM
First-ever teaching guide on Indian Cinema

Bollywood and Beyond, the first-ever teaching guide on Indian Cinema, is launched today (8 October) by the British Film Institute (bfi).

The guide offers a comprehensive overview of Indian cinema, from the early days of silent film, to the big budget Bollywood extravaganzas of today. Covering a wide range of films from classics such as Mother India, to recent releases such as Monsoon Wedding, Bollywood and Beyond also considers British Asian film including the recent box office hit Bend it Like Beckham.

The activity-based guide supplied on a CD-ROM, is supported by a video compilation of film clips. The guide explores Indian music and dance, contains an introduction to Indian film stars and examines Indian popular and arthouse cinema.

Designed for use on media and film studies courses, Bollywood and Beyond can be a useful resource in other subject areas such as music, drama, history and geography.

bfi Education Resource Editor, Wendy Earle said: "Bollywood and Beyond provides a valuable resource about this fascinating area of world cinema. It has been produced in response to the growing interest among students and teachers in this cinema - which, after all, is the biggest in the world - and as part of ImagineAsia, the bfi's eight-month celebration of South Asian film."

WRITTEN BY ROBEEL HAQ