Chapter 4: Film/City- Cinema, Affect, and Immaterial Labor in Urban India
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In this chapter, I argue that Bollywood must be understood as a vital force of immaterial labor for the affective contagion of mass creativity in urban India. I focus on the some of the many reasons why politicians, policymakers, film stars, filmmakers, and business leaders in India are turning their attention to the infrastructure of cinema as a potential resource for attracting economic capital and creative labor in urban and semiurban areas. The fusion of cinematic infrastructure with urban architecture is most evident in Indian cities and towns that have, or are planning to have, a “film city” in their...
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4.1: Introduction
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Overview of Kumar's goals for the chapter: to examine how film cities in India are used to produce and manage mass creativity, using Nigel Thrift's concept of affective cities and Maurizio Lazzarato's concept of immaterial labor.
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4.2: Bollywoodization, Immaterial Labor, and Mass Creativity
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"Bollywoodization", or Bollywood's globalization and expansion into a range of non-film cultural activities, and its impact on the formerly hierarchical relationship between Bollywood film creators and consumers. The role of immaterial labor, in the form of informational and cultural labor, in this expanded range of activities. The role of affect in assorted aspects of India cinema and other creative media.
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4.3: The Film City and/as the Immaterial Infrastructure of Urban Life
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The role of Bollywood stars in government-sponsored public-private partnerships promoting Indian urban development, and the role of film cities in increasing the cultural and affective value of a region. The importance of brand identity in both of these areas.
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4.4: Conclusion
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Summary of the preceding sections. Future considerations regarding film cities as a new avenue of management and dissemination of creative labor, and the lack of government protection for creative labor that is increasingly taking the form of immaterial labor.
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4.5: Notes
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