Bollywood & Beyond

Cinema is the world's most beloved argument between art and commerce. On one side, you have the dream: a story that must be told, a frame that must be held, a performance that must be felt. On the other, you have the spreadsheet: budgets, release windows, marketing plans, and the stubborn question - "Will anyone actually see this?" Most filmmakers are told to pick a side. This book asks a different question: what if you need both?Beyond Bollywood is a handbook for filmmakers who want to make cinema that doesn't just exist, but finds an audience. It comes from a single, somewhat obsessive year at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. For 12 months, I turned myself into a professional question-asker. I sat in on lectures, hovered around technical labs, caught visiting experts between classes, and hovered a little too long at lunches with guests, hoping someone would explain the "real" business of cinema. I asked the same questions again and again, sometimes when I was tired, sometimes when I was clearly the only person in the room who didn't know what "verticals" meant. I made notes every day - some neat, some messy, some written in a hurry before the next appointment. This book is the result: a compilation of everyday knowledge, practical tips, and strategic thinking gathered from those conversations.