"Sholay," a 1975 Indian action-adventure story regarded as a Bollywood classic, will be shown on Tuesday, Sept. 20, at 5 p.m. in the Coastal Theater in the Lib Jackson Student Union at Coastal Carolina University. The screening will be preceded by a discussion led by Tripthi Pillai, associate professor of English at CCU. The event is free and open to the public.

"Sholay," influenced by American action films and spaghetti westerns, is one of the most popular and successful films in the history of the Indian film industry. The story follows the activities of two criminals who have been hired to capture a ruthless bandit. The film is considered a prime example of the "masala" film, one that mixes several genres in one work. The original music and songs on the film's soundtrack also set popularity records in India.

The term Bollywood, a verbal fusion of Bombay and Hollywood, refers to the Hindi language film industry based in Mumbai, India.

" 'Sholay' is a film that puts on display some of the finest ways in which Western and non-Western cinematic styles and genres can be mixed and matched vibrantly to tell a classic tale about the blurring of lines in the struggle between good and evil," said Pillai.

In her discussion of the film, Pillai will discuss the similarities and differences between Hollywood and Bollywood, the classic Westerns made in the U.S. and their global appropriations, and about the ways in which Bollywood has influenced the aesthetics of the West. Pillai earned a Ph.D. in English from Loyola University Chicago.

The Coastal Theatre is located in the Lib Jackson Student Union, room A-110, at 106 Spadoni Park Circle, on the Conway campus. For more information, contact Pillai at 843-234-3410 or email her at tpillai@coastal.edu.