Lights Camera War! : Fifty Indian War Movies 1950 - 2020

by Rammesh

Lights Camera WAR! looks at 50 Indian war films from 1950 to 2020 across various Indian languages and examines their balance between entertainment and history. It looks at factors such as the real history behind the plots; the equipment and uniforms depicted; the use of music in the context and setting or, as often in Indian films, as a narrative device in the nautanki tradition, or for temporary relief; and the use of “filmy” coincidences, and other plot devices. The author’s sometimes surprising view is that some Indian war films classified as “flops” deserved more respect, at least in that they have been authentic in the depiction of history while some “hits” leave much to be desired. There are also comparisons with Hollywood and the West, where war films form a distinct genre. Some Indian war films, including major hits, are clearly “inspired” by such Hollywood films, and what they lose (or gain) in transplanting to the Indian screen is also discussed. The book also includes small historical capsules for comparison with the on-screen action, to illustrate how far the Indian war film accurately presents the history, serves as ‘masala’ entertainment, or manages a balance between them.

290 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 14, 2021

Reviews

[Digant · Rating 4 out of 5]

As mentioned by the author Rammesh in the preface, even I was wary initially as to how did the guy manage to find FIFTY Indian war films, that too good ones. But then I started recapitulating, and I realized there were quite many.
As soon as I laid my hands upon the book, I immediately checked the "Contents" page to see which all films the author had included. There were times when I smiled satisfied seeing a few expected names pop up. There were times when I read the movie name and realized – "How did I not remember this film!"

Author Rammesh's writing style is grammatically correct and immaculate. I particularly liked how he designed this scoring system for each films based on a lot of criteria. To be honest, being a bollywood fan myself, even I had never analysed a war film with such precision and detailing. The way he categorizes the points to be seen in a war film are excellent. For example, the authenticity of artillery and weapons used, the authenticity of the costumes, the use of local public, the role of women (Very thoughtful observation, especially since our war films have a lot of clichéd female characters).



I also loved how he put down all the clichés in the initial chapters itself. The entire section of these and the scoring system was sort of a reference chapter which I kept going back to every now and then.



POSITIVES -

As mentioned above, the biggest plus point of the book is its highly systematic format. It gives us an insight into the clear mindset of the author. They are his firm opinions. There is no confusion or vagueness anywhere.



Secondly, I connected with the author on his opinions of a lot of films. It makes a big difference. You immediately feel that here is a person who takes the pains to watch a film and properly analyses it, without any unnecessary rant over its actors or makers.



Thirdly, the point system devised by the author is indeed gold material. Infact i would recommend the so called film reviewers of today to use it as a reference while reviewing war films; for that matter of fact any film based on true incidents. I would advise whoever reads this book to pay special attention to the initial chapters, because they contain the key to all the ratings given in the book.



A random reader who simply looks up in the contents page and directly sees the rating given to that film might not understand why it is less or more. For instance, Amrit Sagar's film "1971" starring Manoj Bajpayee which released in 2007 remains one of my favorite war films ever made. It has a highly tragic end which moved me. And so as soon as I got my hands on the book, I checked what rating the author had given to that film. I was dismayed to see that he had given a pretty measly rating out of 5. However once I read his criteria and the details inside, I realized why and how he reached on that rating.


NEGATIVES -

None actually, except the fact that a few films which I love had poor ratings given by the author. But hey, it is a subjective opinion. It is his opinion and I respect the thought and efforts behind his opinion. I respect the unbiased opinions given by him.



OVERALL, "LIGHTS CAMERA WAR!" is an excellent book especially for those who absolutely love Bollywood films. It is sort of a reference book which you can go back to after watching any film mentioned in the book.

[Nishita Patil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Name : Lights, Camera & War
Author Name : Rammesh
@kvr4060
Pages : 288
Rating :4.8/5.0

A book highly recommended for my movie critic friends, this book will give you a review of all Bollywood War movies from 1950-2020

Although alot of them were the ones' I didn't know I found immense pleasure while reading the review of the ones' I ardently watched that too on repeat, like Uri.

If you want to see an unbiased perspective which has absolutely zero to sugarcoat I suggest you to pick this one right away.

I loved the way the author has made unique set of criterias to form his set of opinions and give his very own rating to all the war movies, that too I was surprised that there are so many war movies in Bollywood,
no offense to anyone here ,but I'm not a big fan of Bollywood, the industry is barely hanging on remakes of Hollywood and other South Indian industries , or their overtly glamourous yet illogical plotlines.
Atleast I'll only find a few movies which actually nailed it and Uri was one of them , go ahead and read what the author has to say about URI.

Coming back to the way author has his parameters, they look something like this:


Equipment used
Locales
The genuineness of ordnance and weapons used
The genuineness of the war costumes
The portrayal of women / contribution of females.

Overall this was a very unique and refreshing read, highly enjoyable for someone who loves analysing things.

[Dalbir Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book: LIGHTS CAMERA WAR
Author: KV Ramesh
Genre: Cinema & Broadcast
#bookmail

"The only failure is not to try: George Clooney"

During my childhood days, I was so lost while watching a film that eating 4 chapatis required 3 hours at that time. Today it's 4 hours! If a war film is 'dancing' on the small screen. That's why I always try to avoid a movie date with my food. But failures are part of life.

Coming back to the book, as the title is introducing itself, it's a book on Cinema!! Focused on War Movies. It covers 50 unique and amazing chapters in less than 300 'scenes'.

I am following the author since 2018. I still remember his previous book, titled "Human Cinema: The Films of Hrishikesh Mukherjee", which focuses on forty-two films that were directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee.

K.V.Ramesh or Rammesh travels all over India professionally, as a business manager for an MNC firm. While not traveling, he is writing on his favorite topics - Music, Movies, and Military History. His first book City Life is a compilation of short stories.

“The best way to guarantee a loss is to quit: Morgan Freeman'

This book is deeply researched which reflects the author's passion for Cinema. At the end of every chapter, the author gave a critical rating to the film. It will surely add knowledge and a pinch of entertainment at the same time.

[Milan Mathur · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, ‘Lights Camera War’ written by Author Rammesh, 50 Indian war movies from 1950 to 2020 are reviewed on various basis like reality, facts, history, entertainment, music, production, etc.
This book is a must have for those who love to watch Indian war movies.
Few points that I would love to mention about this book that made it an excellent read for me are-
• In the beginning, name and plot of the movie is mentioned. It helped me alot to know about those movies that I haven’t watched. So those who haven’t watched any movie mentioned in the book, you can look up to the plot.
• Author not just mentioned the critiques but also the good points of the movies.
• One can easily distinguish between the real story and the reel story after reading this book.
• Language was easy and lucid.
• Every movie is analysed in the similar manner and the analysis is written in an organised way.
• This book is completely based on Author’s knowledge and opinions. One can agree or disagree with his views. But I was shocked to see that how his analysis was able to change my perspective about any movie. And I was agreed to him at most of the points.
• And the best part of the book was the rating. Author has rated all the 50 movies on the scale 1 to 5.
In short if I say, it’s a must read for all.

[Komal Tayade · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is deeply researched which echoes the author's affection for Cinema. At the end of every chapter, the author gave a vital rating to the film. It will definitely add knowledge and a bit of amusement at the same time. After Reading this book i must say you will get to know many good movies about the topics. The research the author has done, his understanding of the complexities of war, weapons, tools, ranks, awards, etc radiates through every page as well as the different addenda, bibliography, notes and connections added at the end. Rammesh's affection rubs off on you as you turn page after page of scholarship as well as amusement. The book is penned in a systematic yet superficial manner. The concept was made cleared by the author via his writting. The things which i liked the most this book comprises honest opinion and the author has reanalysed the movies as per there ability.

[Komal Kumari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book:- Lights, Camera, War
Author:- Rammesh
Format:- Paperback
Rating:- 4.7/5

Indian wars and it's magnificence are very well depicted by the author. 1950s' wars up to 2020's war find an important place in the storyline.


The best aspect of the book is it's neat and clean presentation! The author had classified wars into various categories such as Conventional Wars, Unconventional Wars, & Military Life.

The Indian War Movies, their execution,and the importance of plot are showcased within the storyline. The author had even highlighted the complexities of war, weapons, & awards.

Highly recommended for readers who're interested in Indian cinema, movie freak. The book is short read and quite interesting. Frankly speaking, you are going to love and admire the author.

Thank You.
Happy Reading 📚

[Samata · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the writing style followed by the author. Especially the absence of grammatical errors and the immaculate manner in which the author penned down the book attracted me. The extensive research that the author done to produce this scholarly work shines through with his keen observations and detailed critique, and finer points of each movie. The author needs to get specifically applauded for how he has categorized the points to evaluate a war film. Readers can get a clear understanding of the hard work and effort to select each movie and dissect it with such precision and details.

Full review: https://www.indiacafe24.com/book-revi...

[Oindrila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lights camera war ! A book by Rammesh .

This book is quite unique from other book out there because this book is based on war's and movies related to them.

In this book author discussed various categories of war and film related to them.

The book provides quite a depth information about wars the occured in Indian history

The author should be Appreciated for doing a detailed research about the topic and beautifully described them in his book .

The book is written in a systematic yet simple manner.
The concept was made cleared by the author through his writting .


Overall a great read