The 1970s marked a distinctive change in the socio-political landscape of India, after 25 years of Independence. The cinema of the era, always influenced by and influencing society in which it operated, also witnessed radical changes. In the range and quality that the decade offered in terms of the art and craft of film-making, the music, fashion trends, the coexistence of commercial blockbusters with minimalist arthouse classics – the 1970s had it all. At our Online Talk, #TheSwinging70s, film writer and critic Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri explains why this decade has endured in public consciousness, so much so that it is referred to constantly, every time the word retro comes up in conjunction with Bollywood. About the speaker Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri is a film buff, editor, publisher, film critic and writer. Books commissioned and edited by him have won the National Award for Best Book on Cinema a number of times. He is also the winner for Best Writing on Cinema Award at the inaugural MAMI (Mumbai Academy of Moving Images). In 2017, he was named ‘Editor of the Year’ by the apex publishing body, Publishing Next. He has contributed to a number of magazines and websites like The Telegraph, The Daily Eye, Cinemaazi, Film Companion, The Wire, Outlook, The Taj Magazine, and others. He is the author of three books: Whims – A Book of Poems (published by Writers Workshop), Icons from Bollywood (published by Penguin/Puffin), and The Swinging 70s.