Untimely Bollywood is in a sense a philosophical “encounter,” inspired by the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze and a host of other kindred theorists (e.g., Henri Bergson, Lalitha Gopalan, Félix Guattari), with contemporary Bollywood. Bollywood—the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai, India—is known for its elaborate spectacle of music, dance, costumes, and fantastical story lines. Indian audiences especially gravitate to what are called “masala” movies, so-called for the spice mixture. Masala movies have everything: song and dance, love interest, comedy, and thrilling action, all spicily mixed up. That Amit S. Rai focuses on “untimely” Bollywood signals his intent to privilege Deleuze's notion of “becoming.” Deleuze, the first important philosopher to write on cinema with detailed attention, is quoted by Rai thus: “There are two ways of considering events: to follow the course of the event, or to take one's place in it as in a...

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