‘During my years (1973–76) at the film institute, Pune, there was a lot of experimentation going on in commercial cinema in Bombay, and parallel cinema was raring to go. Nirupama and Shantanu’s book gives the reader a lot of insights into this crucial decade in Hindi cinema. I love going back to that period as it energizes me and reminds me of why I, a small- town boy from Kashmir, came to Bombay to make films.’ – Vidhu Vinod Chopra, film-maker

‘Nirupama’s head works for the civil services and her heart for art. She is a huge film buff. In this, book apart from her stories of cinema, she has managed to get the best critics and film-makers to write from the heart. Nirupama and Shantanu’s book celebrates beautiful memories of cinema. Thoroughly enjoyable.’ – Raju Hirani, film-maker

‘Hindi cinema of the 1970s was one of anger and anguish. The heady nation-building romance was waning. Indians felt let down by the midnight promise of a tryst with their destiny. Out of this came great cinema, poetry, songs and storylines. It was the post-golden, pre-rotten decade of movies, writes Varun Grover; the Ritas, Rosys and the Monicas made room for themselves around superhuman heroes and virginal heroines, says Nandini Ramnath; and it was a decade of two Vijays – one invented by Salim–Javed, and then there was Vijay Tendulkar, writes Amborish Roychoudhury. This anthology of essays curated by Nirupama Kotru and Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri captures the churn underway beautifully.’ – Shekhar Gupta, journalist

‘Nirupama and Shantanu bring out a timely anthology of the cinema of the seventies and eighties in India. The collection of essays, reflections and memories is a wonderful bouquet that represents a time passed when so many diverse visions and world-views could coexist in such a democratic manner. Ah, nostalgia!’ – Saeed Mirza, film-maker

‘The 1970s was a very interesting phase of Hindi cinema. There were middle-of-road films, and the flyover films of multi-starrer blockbusters. Nirupama and Shantanu have prepared a cake of the seventies full of cherries for you. I hope you will read the book and keep it too.’ – Gulzar, poet and film-maker