Indian cinema has few champions among international critics; like K-pop and anime, it is perhaps better loved than understood beyond its homeland. But the classic song-and-dance extravaganza, the most impenetrable aspect of Indian popular culture to outsiders, has been disappearing for close to a generation now.
New mainstream Hindi cinema, often called "Bollywood," is sleeker and more self-conscious. For some years, ambitious producers have even looked to East Asia, in particular to China, as a viable market for their family-friendly, socially conscious fare.
