Abstract

From the 1960s to the 1980s, mainstream audiences in Africa, especially female audiences, loved Indian films. Even though they didn’t understand the words, they would end up knowing the songs by heart from seeing the films over and over again, and they loved the dances and the intrigues of the sentimental melodramas that were easily deciphered from the images alone. But times are changing. Bollywood films are no longer as popular in Africa. It is time to reconsider this historic relation in light of changes that are affecting both cinema and society on the two continents. This exploration on the ground in Mumbai and Pune takes into account certain historical elements without which it is difficult to grasp the current evolution.

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