What is a good film? How does a screenplay relate to literature? Why is film censorship futile? Are film societies necessary? Does Bengali cinema still huddle under Satyajit Ray’s umbrella? Is the golden age of Indian cinema still to come? These are some of the questions raised and considered in this collection of essays by an author who draws upon his wide experience as a critic as well as a maker of films to talk about them.

The book is divided into three sections. The first dwells on various aspects of Indian cinema, with some special attention paid to Bengali films.

The second widens the discussion to films in general and embraces western films and film directors. In the third section, the author recounts his experience of becoming a film-maker and of a particular film he has made.

While films remain in central focus throughout this volume, it also reflects with fine perception upon music, literature, painting and other arts. Convinced that the cinema of all the arts is ‘the closest to our times’, the author is at the same time keenly aware of the responsibility of cinema towards the society that partakes of it.