Description

The Cinematic Art of Fantastic India Vol. 2 by Tim Paxton

WK Books – August 2023 – 215 pages

In this stupendously illustrated book, you will find a massive smorgasbord of designs and art, ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous and often touching on several points in between. The illustrations are accompanied by detailed information about them and the different variants of posters for individual films are discussed and explained. We are introduced to the chudails, shaitans, bhoots, tantriks, and nagins that fill the Indian horror pantheon and to the various mahals and havelis in which their stories play out. Tim’s category of “fantastic India” is refreshingly broad, and you will find here images of films ranging from the micro-budgeted exploitation movies of Kanti Shah to arthouse productions such as Shekhar Kapur’s BANDIT QUEEN and subject matter ranging from caveman epics to noirish thrillers, alongside gaily gruesome horror outings such as Mohan Bhakri’s ROOHANI TAAQAT.