In the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, all five of the Chief Ministers since 1967 have been former actors. This provocative book debunks the notion of Bollywood as the synecdoche of Indian cinema to explore the hitherto less studied, yet highly influential cinema in South Asia. Developing the concept of the politics of sentiment, the author examines the ways in which actor-politicians constructed their cinematic charisma, projecting themselves as messiahs saving the people from injustices, to create a political appeal to voters. The resilience of cinematic charisma, as Indian society undergoes massive socio-economic changes, provides a compelling study of modern politics, cinema, celebrity and the culture of the subcontinent.
Dhamu Pongiyannan
Dhamu Pongiyannan received a PhD in Media Studies from the University of Adelaide in 2013. He has a wide range of professional experiences in the media industry. His research interests include media sociology and Indigenous studies. He is currently collaborating with Professor Ghil’ad Zuckermann, Chair of Linguistics and Endangered Languages at the University of Adelaide, on Aboriginal issues.
Editorial Reviews
 | “Coomaraswamy (1877–1947) was more than a scholar—he was a cosmopolitan cultural bridge, a provocateur, and part of Boston and New York’s avant-garde intellectual scene. . . . [Leoshko] masterfully unveils his complex legacy, from uncovering ruins in Sri Lanka to curating at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts.”
—Tricycle
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| “Recognizing how history is an unraveling as much as a construction, Leoshko disentangles the life and intellectual times of the influential yet enigmatic Coomaraswamy, showing how his cosmopolitanism was formative for the emerging discipline of international Buddhist art history. Making a Canon is sensitive, informative, balanced, and self-confident—mercifully free of professional jargon and polemic—and, in its own right, an innovative and insightful contribution to the ‘canon’ of Buddhist art history.”
—Peter Skilling, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok
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| “Much ink has been spilled over the art philosopher Ananda Coomaraswamy’s precise legacy. By delving into the roots of his intellectual formation in Sri Lanka, Leoshko compels us to revise many of our commonly held assumptions about the savant. This refreshingly original work is a must-read for all students of ancient Indian art.”
—Partha Mitter, University of Sussex
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| “With her usual sweeping thoroughness and unprecedented angles of approach, Leoshko discerns the origins of Coomaraswamy’s most influential ideas about Buddhism, South Asia, art, and religion in his first career as a geologist for the British Empire in Sri Lanka. Leoshko turns her forensic eye for pattern on new archival data. Her intellectual history of a visual thinker, told in accessible language, balances respect for his profound legacy with insight into his shortcomings.”
—Padma Kaimal, Colgate University
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| “We have long needed more biographical studies of influential individuals who were not only entangled in the ‘Orientalist’ enterprise but who also shaped it. Undoubtedly, one such figurehead in Buddhist art is Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy. Leoshko has now delivered an in-depth and critical study of Coomaraswamy’s scholarly activities in the broad context of contemporary and present academic discourse—a must-read for anybody interested in things South Asian.”
—Max Deeg, Cardiff University
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