New Delhi, Dec 22: A galaxy full of stars like Karan Johar, Boney Kapoor and Javed Akhtar among many others were in attendance for the launch of noted lyricist Amit Khanna’s latest book ‘A History of Media and Entertainment in India’, which is an encyclopedic study of the history of Indian media and entertainment, published by HarperCollins.
The event was also attended by former actress and politician Jaya Bachchan, Star India Chairman Uday Shankar and Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) Chairperson Prasoon Joshi among others.
Bollywood producer Mukesh Bhatt too was in attendance at the star-studded launch and spoke about the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to the media present there.
The book, which was unveiled in the capital on December 13 at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, starts with an examination of the origins, looking at a wide array of aspects including the state of entertainment during the Harappan and Vedic times, details from the Natyashastra, the early drama, music and dance of Kalidasa, the development of ragas, musical instruments and early folk traditions, the genesis of classical dance forms, developments through the ages, including in the Mughal period and in the southern kingdoms, in the northeast, and under the Marathas and the British.
Independence onwards, “Words Sounds Image” takes a decade-wise look at the evolution of newspapers, cinema, music, television, dance, theatre and radio.
The author, Amit Khanna, has worked across every segment in the field of media — print, radio, television, films, stage, live entertainment and digital media.
He started his film career as an executive producer, writer and lyricist with actor-film-maker Dev Anand’s Navketan Films in 1970. He has written the lyrics of 250 film and several non-film songs and in the 1980s, wrote, directed and produced many critically acclaimed feature films, documentaries, commercials and TV programmes.
