The Rough Guide to Bollywood (Second Edition) [Bonus DVD] - CD

The Rough Guide to Bollywood (Second Edition) [Bonus DVD]
It imposing to even try to survey the cinematic pop music work of India's Bollywood in a single disc, for the number of movies the Bombay-based center of the Hindi-language film industry has released since the 1940s probably outnumbers the stars in the heavens and its actors and actresses manage to sing a song, or two or three, in every one of them -- only it isn't them singing, but "playback singers" who provide the prerecorded vocals, while the actors lip-sync them onscreen. Playback singing is a precise and difficult art, and some playback singers like Lata Mangeshkar (who is represented here with three selections) have become shadowy stars whose faces are never seen onscreen. While it barely begins to scratch the surface of Bollywood唖 massive musical catalog, Rough Guide has at least provided a starting point, and the track-by-track liner notes will help novices begin to navigate the confusing Bollywood waters. ~ Steve Leggett, Rovi All Music Guide