文档介绍：Jacob
South Asian Studies • Communications
“A scrupulously researched and thoughtful study of fi lm hoardings and cut-
out fi gures in Chennai, South India, this book reveals deep interconnections
between cinema and regional politics at work in modern South Asia. Preminda
Jacob’s fi ne-grained analysis of these spectacular hand-painted ephemera makes
visible a ‘temporal’ network between cinematic spectacle and religious vision, CELLULOID DEITIES
charisma and public culture, merce and art, promising to spark debates in
many disciplines interested in vision, visuality, and the global public sphere.”
—Ajay Sinha, Mount Holyoke College CELLULOID DEITIES
Towering billboards featuring photorealistic portraits of popular cinema stars and the visual culture of cinema and
political leaders dominated the cityscape of Chennai, in the south Indian state of
Tamil Nadu, throughout the second half of the twentieth century. Studying the politics in south india
manufacture and reception of these billboards—known locally as banners and
cutouts—within the context of the entwined histories of the cinema industry and Preminda Jacob
political parties in Tamil Nadu, Preminda Jacob reveals the broader signifi cance
of these fragments of visual culture beyond their immediate function as pretty
pieces of advertising.
Jacob analyzes the juxtaposition of cinematic and political imagery in the extra-
cinematic terrain of Chennai’s city streets and how this placement was pivotal to
the elevation of regional celebrities to cult status. When interpreting these im-
ages and discussing their political and cultural resonance within the Tamil Nadu
community, Jacob draws upon multiple perspectives to give appropriate context
to this fascinating form of visual media.
Preminda Jacob is associate professor of art history and theory in the Depart-
ment of Visual Arts at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
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