The smell of hydrocarbons from diesel and burning plastic: the greeting at the airport. Unmistakeable, unforgettable.

"Hoardings" is a British term for billboards that's often used in India to describe movie posters. I've seen them in all shapes and sizes in Delhi, Mumbai, Cochin, and other cities; here, in Kolkata. Bollywood stars are often seen in huge posters as well, shilling for everything from chocolate bars to expensive watches. Religious and secular gods surround you.

Some of the films advertised here were made in and around Kolkata, a center for production since the birth of Indian cinema. The term "Tollywood" refers to the Tollygunge neighborhood of Kolkata where many Bangla-language filmmakers worked and dates back to 1932, long predating the use of Bollywood to describe Bombay cinema. Bangla films have become the best known Indian titles in the art house venues of the USA and Europe, particularly true in the case of Satyajit Ray.

Even in cases where Kolkata artists migrated to Mumbai and produced Hindi films, their titles were more carefully wrought and intellectually satisfying than the standard masala entertainments made at the same time. I'm thinking here of Bimal Roy and Guru Dutt, two of my favorite directors.