Reel Duniya, Real Duniya: Cinema, Memory, and Leisure in Laggere is a photo-illustrated essay book that explores how cinema is experienced by those for whom it is at once a place of leisure, livelihood, and community. Emerging from six months of place-based research in Laggere, a predominantly working-class neighbourhood in Bengaluru with rich cinema culture and infrastructure, the book reflects on the many shapes cinema can take in everyday life beyond the screen. It explores how cinema slips into the life of garment workers, who synchronize the sound of the sewing machine with the hum of their favourite romantic hits. It asks what does one of Bengaluru’s surviving single-screen theatres mean to the many people whose work sustains it?

Through conversations with garment workers, theatre employees, fan club members, neighbourhood residents, and lifelong cinema lovers, Reel Duniya, Real Duniya reflects on cinema as it accompanies everyday routines, nurtures friendships, and finds expression in both ordinary acts of care and grand gestures.

The launch of this book, co-authored by Eshwari R and Mahima Gowda, brings together contributors including Shreyas and others from Laggere, whose voices, stories, and experiences shape the pages of the book.

The conversation will be moderated by Mridupankhi Rajkumari, bringing together the contributors to reflect on the stories, people, and experiences that shaped the book.

RSVP here.