Preminda Jacob's book Celluloid Deities has been a long time coming. She conducted the majority of her interviews and research on the vibrant hand-painted banner and (plywood) cutout industry in Madras in 1990 and 1991. Her book was published in 2009, by which time the city had changed its name to Chennai and the exciting artistic tradition that dominated and continuously transformed public space from the 1980s until 2000 had been all but replaced by digitally printed vinyl banners. This anthropological study has turned historical, but it is still incredibly valuable on many levels, and scholars in the fields of film studies, political science, art history, popular culture, and South Asian studies can all benefit from the thorough research and captivating narrative that Jacob presents here.
The extended time span of this project means that Jacob interviewed artists both during the peak of their practice and at its demise. As...
