A lavish new book delves into the history of Bollywood and features stunning images from the defining movies in Indian cinema.

Bollywood: The Films! The Songs! The Stars! features a foreword by legendary Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan.

It celebrates some of the highlights, milestones, and surprise hits of more than a century of artistry and innovation in Indian cinema, in a sumptuously designed and lavishly illustrated tome.

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From its beginnings in 1913, Hindi cinema has wowed audiences with heartrending stories, hair-raising action, dynamic heroes, passionate heroines, and a glorious visual aesthetic that makes everything seem larger than life. 

Bollywood takes you on an illustrated journey through the history of Indian cinema, from its very beginnings with the release of Raja Harishchandra in 1913, to the pioneering studios of the 1930s, the Golden Age of Hindi cinema and classic Bollywood films including Mother India, right the way through to modern hits like PK and Queen.

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Including the most celebrated films from over 100 years of Hindi cinema, each chapter delves deeply into the plots, characters and behind-the-scenes action of Bollywood’s biggest productions, from Mother India and Mughal-e-Azam to Sholay, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Devdas. Bollywood is packed with beautiful film stills, movie artwork and behind the scenes shots that fans will adore.

Taking a closer look at the music behind the biggest Bollywood hits, in-depth illustrated ‘storylines’ throughout the book guide fans through the plots and the indispensable songs of iconic films including Kismet and Devdas.

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Written by expert contributors, Bollywood reveals more about the lives of legendary film stars, from leading heroines and much-loved heroes, to infamous villains past and present, from Raj Kapoor and Hema Malini, to Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Aishwarya Rai and Shah Rukh Khan. Profiles for influential directors, choreographers and producers also reveal more about the figures integral to creating Bollywood’s success, and their unique approach to filmmaking.

The book is available here