SRK and Global Bollywood

The past few decades of accelerated globalization, characterized by a proliferation of appearances, images, and information, has revealed a strong preoccupation with film stars and celebrity culture in India. Shah Rukh Khan, also known as SRK, in this context, has emerged as an important figure. Located within the context of global Bollywood cinema, SRK and his persona have led to a unique experience and understanding of stardom vis-à-vis a liberalized and urban Indian culture. As an actor, entrepreneur, icon for India and ＂Indianness,＂ and as the quintessential diasporic star, his appeal cuts across regional, linguistic, and national boundaries.

A valuable addition to Indian cinema studies, star studies, and scholarly work on SRK, this collection of essays draws attention to the ways in which his stardom acts as an emblem for diasporic and transnational desires in modern India and beyond. Written by eminent and emerging scholars from across the globe, the essays engage with questions about stardom in a media-centred world. In doing so, they create meaning and probe further into the complex world that emerges as a result of SRK being the agent and content of various media practices.

Rajinder Dudrah is Senior Lecturer in Screen Studies at the University of Manchester.

Elke Mader is Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology and is a member of the research group ＂Visual Studies in Social Sciences＂ at the University of Vienna, Austria.

Bernhard Fuchs is a faculty member with the Department of European Ethnology, University of Vienna, Austria.