Preminda Jacob is associate professor of art history and theory in the department of visual arts at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Another book that also deals with an understudied aspect of Indian cinema is Preminda Jacob’s Celluloid Deities: The Visual Culture of Cinema and Politics in South India (Lexington Books 2008). Most of the scholarship on Indian cinema has focused on Hindi cinema—aka “Bollywood,” to the neglect of the rich diversity of filmmaking in other languages in India – and primarily on the narrative elements and thematic significance of these films rather than their associated material and visual culture. Jacob’s book deals with the vibrant visual culture associated with Tamil cinema and its very intense culture of celebrity by focusing on the production and reception of the gigantic, hand-painted billboards that advertise films and the towering portraits of political leaders that dominate the urban landscape of Chennai.

• 1 Table of Contents 2 Acknowledgments Chapter 3 Introduction: Of Painters, Politicians, and Film Stars Chapter 4 1. Chennai's Banner Industry Artists and their Methods Chapter 5 2. Cooperation and Conflict in Chennai's Visual Culture: Financiers, Artists and Their Audiences Chapter 6 3. Tamil Cinema: History, Celebrities, Genres Chapter 7 4. Cine Signs: Semiotics of Chennai's Cinema Banners Chapter 8 5. The Coalescence of Tamil Nationalism and the Cinema Industry Chapter 9 6. The Political Cutout: Celebrity and Cult in Tamil Nadu Chapter 10 7. Darshan and Cinematic Spectatorship Chapter 11 8. The Future of Chennai's Visual Culture 12 Bibliography 13 About the Author

Preminda Jacob is associate professor of art history and theory in the department of visual arts at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Another book that also deals with an understudied aspect of Indian cinema is Preminda Jacob’s Celluloid Deities: The Visual Culture of Cinema and Politics in South India (Lexington Books 2008). Most of the scholarship on Indian cinema has focused on Hindi cinema—aka “Bollywood,” to the neglect of the rich diversity of filmmaking in other languages in India – and primarily on the narrative elements and thematic significance of these films rather than their associated material and visual culture. Jacob’s book deals with the vibrant visual culture associated with Tamil cinema and its very intense culture of celebrity by focusing on the production and reception of the gigantic, hand-painted billboards that advertise films and the towering portraits of political leaders that dominate the urban landscape of Chennai.

• 1 Table of Contents 2 Acknowledgments Chapter 3 Introduction: Of Painters, Politicians, and Film Stars Chapter 4 1. Chennai's Banner Industry Artists and their Methods Chapter 5 2. Cooperation and Conflict in Chennai's Visual Culture: Financiers, Artists and Their Audiences Chapter 6 3. Tamil Cinema: History, Celebrities, Genres Chapter 7 4. Cine Signs: Semiotics of Chennai's Cinema Banners Chapter 8 5. The Coalescence of Tamil Nationalism and the Cinema Industry Chapter 9 6. The Political Cutout: Celebrity and Cult in Tamil Nadu Chapter 10 7. Darshan and Cinematic Spectatorship Chapter 11 8. The Future of Chennai's Visual Culture 12 Bibliography 13 About the Author

Preminda Jacob is associate professor of art history and theory in the department of visual arts at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Another book that also deals with an understudied aspect of Indian cinema is Preminda Jacob’s Celluloid Deities: The Visual Culture of Cinema and Politics in South India (Lexington Books 2008). Most of the scholarship on Indian cinema has focused on Hindi cinema—aka “Bollywood,” to the neglect of the rich diversity of filmmaking in other languages in India – and primarily on the narrative elements and thematic significance of these films rather than their associated material and visual culture. Jacob’s book deals with the vibrant visual culture associated with Tamil cinema and its very intense culture of celebrity by focusing on the production and reception of the gigantic, hand-painted billboards that advertise films and the towering portraits of political leaders that dominate the urban landscape of Chennai.

• 1 Table of Contents 2 Acknowledgments Chapter 3 Introduction: Of Painters, Politicians, and Film Stars Chapter 4 1. Chennai's Banner Industry Artists and their Methods Chapter 5 2. Cooperation and Conflict in Chennai's Visual Culture: Financiers, Artists and Their Audiences Chapter 6 3. Tamil Cinema: History, Celebrities, Genres Chapter 7 4. Cine Signs: Semiotics of Chennai's Cinema Banners Chapter 8 5. The Coalescence of Tamil Nationalism and the Cinema Industry Chapter 9 6. The Political Cutout: Celebrity and Cult in Tamil Nadu Chapter 10 7. Darshan and Cinematic Spectatorship Chapter 11 8. The Future of Chennai's Visual Culture 12 Bibliography 13 About the Author