The first films India watched were not made in Bollywood but cinema had indeed arrived on India’s shores. The year was 1896, and thanks to the country’s colonial rulers, it was the Lumiere Brothers who introduced the art of cinema to the sub-continent. Bombay, as it was then called, was the first Indian city to screen Cinematography, six short films by these cinematic pioneers.But it was a portrait photographer called Harischandra Sakharam Bhatavdekar who made Indian ‘motion picture' history. His short ‘reality’ film screened in 1899 was called The Wrestlers and was a simple recording of a local wrestling match.
Silent Era to Talkies
It was only after the turn of the century that Indian entertainment underwent a sea change when the Father of Indian Cinema, Dadasaheb Phalke, released his pathbreaking film of the Silent Era, Raja Harishchandra. The film, based on a mythological character, was released in 1913 and was India’s first full-length feature film. Yes, Bollywood had finally arrived!
The growth of technology and the excitement it generated the world over eventually gave birth of India’s first ‘talking and singing’ film – Alam Ara made by Ardeshir Irani and screened in Bombay in 1931.
Finally, India’s actors had found a voice. They could talk, they could shout, they could even cry, and they could do one more thing – sing for their audiences! It was a gift that remains the signature of the quintessential Hindi film to date.
Developments in the world of Indian cinema were rapid and the 1930s and 1940s saw the rise of film personalities such as Debaki Bose, Chetan Anand, S S Vasan and Nitin Bose, among others.
In the meantime, the film industry had made rapid strides in the South, where Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films were taking South India by storm. By the late 1940s, films were being made in various Indian languages with religion being the dominant theme.
The growth of technology and the excitement it generated the world over eventually gave birth of India’s first ‘talking and singing’ film – Alam Ara made by Ardeshir Irani and screened in Bombay in 1931.
Finally, India’s actors had found a voice. They could talk, they could shout, they could even cry, and they could do one more thing – sing for their audiences! It was a gift that remains the signature of the quintessential Hindi film to date.
Developments in the world of Indian cinema were rapid and the 1930s and 1940s saw the rise of film personalities such as Debaki Bose, Chetan Anand, S S Vasan and Nitin Bose, among others.
In the meantime, the film industry had made rapid strides in the South, where Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films were taking South India by storm. By the late 1940s, films were being made in various Indian languages with religion being the dominant theme.
Golden Age
India’s struggle for independence in the 1950s finally parted the curtain on the Golden Age of Indian cinema. This historic period provided a strong impetus to the industry, with themes changing to social issues relevant at the time. Sure they were entertaining but the movies were now also a potent medium to educate the masses.
But it was the Golden Age – 1950s and 1960s – that produced some of India’s most critically acclaimed films and memorable actors of all time. Among those in Bollywood’s hall of fame are Guru Dutt, Mehboob Khan, Raj Kapoor, Balraj Sahani, Nargis, Bimal Roy, Meena Kumari, Madhubala and Dilip Kumar.
So while the Guru Dutts and Bimal Roys held audiences in a trance, Indian cinema moved one step further with the release of K Asif`s Mughal-e-Azam in 1960. The film kickstarted a trail of romantic movies all over India.
While Indian commercial cinema enjoyed popularity among movie-goers, Indian art cinema did not go unnoticed. Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Ritwik Ghatak, Aravindan, Satyajit Ray, Shaji Karun and several other art film directors were making movies that took India to international fame and glory.
But it was the Golden Age – 1950s and 1960s – that produced some of India’s most critically acclaimed films and memorable actors of all time. Among those in Bollywood’s hall of fame are Guru Dutt, Mehboob Khan, Raj Kapoor, Balraj Sahani, Nargis, Bimal Roy, Meena Kumari, Madhubala and Dilip Kumar.
So while the Guru Dutts and Bimal Roys held audiences in a trance, Indian cinema moved one step further with the release of K Asif`s Mughal-e-Azam in 1960. The film kickstarted a trail of romantic movies all over India.
While Indian commercial cinema enjoyed popularity among movie-goers, Indian art cinema did not go unnoticed. Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Ritwik Ghatak, Aravindan, Satyajit Ray, Shaji Karun and several other art film directors were making movies that took India to international fame and glory.
The Masala Movie
The masala film – the quintessential Bollywood entertainer – burst onto the scene only in the 1970s. And audiences were enthralled by the histrionics of actors such as Rajesh Khanna, Sanjeev Kumar, Waheeda Rehman, Asha Parekh, Tanuja and others.
This was Bollywood’s heyday, a time when director Ramesh Sippy gave us his iconoclastic Sholay (1975). The film, which has been internationally acclaimed, also clinched the title of ‘superstar’ for Amitabh Bachchan, who already had well over 30 films under his belt by then.
The 1980s saw the rise of several woman directors such as Aparna Sen, Prema Karnath and Meera Nair. It was also the decade when sultry siren Rekha wooed audiences with her stunning performance in Umrao Jaan (1981).
This was Bollywood’s heyday, a time when director Ramesh Sippy gave us his iconoclastic Sholay (1975). The film, which has been internationally acclaimed, also clinched the title of ‘superstar’ for Amitabh Bachchan, who already had well over 30 films under his belt by then.
The 1980s saw the rise of several woman directors such as Aparna Sen, Prema Karnath and Meera Nair. It was also the decade when sultry siren Rekha wooed audiences with her stunning performance in Umrao Jaan (1981).
Technology Rules
The 1990s ushered in a mixed genre of romantic films, thrillers, action movies and comedy films. Gradually, the face of Indian cinema was changing once again. Technology now gave us Dolby digital sound effects, advanced special effects, choreography and international appeal. This brought investments from the corporate sector along with finer scripts and performances.
It was time to shift focus to aesthetic appeal. And stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Rajnikanth, Madhuri Dixit, Aamir Khan, Chiranjeevi, Juhi Chawla and Hrithik Roshan began to explore ways to use new techniques to enrich Indian cinema with their performances.
It was time to shift focus to aesthetic appeal. And stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Rajnikanth, Madhuri Dixit, Aamir Khan, Chiranjeevi, Juhi Chawla and Hrithik Roshan began to explore ways to use new techniques to enrich Indian cinema with their performances.
Global Appeal
Indian cinema finally found global mass appeal at the turn of the 21st century. As the world became a global village, the industry reached out further to international audiences.
Apart from regular screenings at major international film festivals, the overseas market contributes a sizeable chunk to Bollywood’s box office collections. Investments made by major global studios such as 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, and Warner Bros was confirmation that Bollywood had etched itself on the global psyche.
Prominent Indian corporate firms such as Zee, UTV and Adlabs also jumped onto the Bollywood bandwagon, to both produce and distribute films. This coupled with the multiplex boom across India made fame and fortune soar to new heights.
Such was the excitement in the industry that by 2003, as many as 30 film production companies had been listed on the National Stock Exchange.
Cinema in India remains the single largest entertainer to date. And despite technology such as Direct-to-Home TV bringing the movies straight into the living room, the marquee still rules.
Apart from regular screenings at major international film festivals, the overseas market contributes a sizeable chunk to Bollywood’s box office collections. Investments made by major global studios such as 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, and Warner Bros was confirmation that Bollywood had etched itself on the global psyche.
Prominent Indian corporate firms such as Zee, UTV and Adlabs also jumped onto the Bollywood bandwagon, to both produce and distribute films. This coupled with the multiplex boom across India made fame and fortune soar to new heights.
Such was the excitement in the industry that by 2003, as many as 30 film production companies had been listed on the National Stock Exchange.
Cinema in India remains the single largest entertainer to date. And despite technology such as Direct-to-Home TV bringing the movies straight into the living room, the marquee still rules.
Community
Danke Bollywood
Bollywood, derived from the mix of Bombay (the former name for Mumbai) and Hollywood, is a term that is used to refer to the Indian film (Hindi language) industry that is based in Mumbai. Indian cinema on the whole is also made up of Bengali cinema, Karnataka cinema, Kollywood (Tamil Film Industry), Malayalam cinema, Marathi cinema, Punjwood (Punjabi language), and Tollywood (Telugu film industry).
The Bollywood movie industry is by far one of the largest film industries in the world. On an average, it produces more than 800 feature films and over one thousand short films annually. Producers love making Bollywood movies simply because there are millions of millions of movie enthusiasts in India. Movie tickets here are the cheapest in the world. As demand and popularity of Bollywood movies grow within India and internationally, Bollywood production companies have increased their production spending to keep pace with the demands from the audience for better movies with more special effects and more exotic locations.
1896 is the year when cinema first entered India. The first silent films were introduced by Lumiere Brothers. Most Bollywood movies are 2 to 3 hours long. Themes vary from drama, romance, action, suspense, thriller, science fiction and comedy. The Indian Censor Board is a great crusader in preventing pornography and nudity in Bollywood movies.
Bollywood movies integrate their culture in every film. Indian films have a number of scenes displaying folk songs and dances that are incorporated in the movie's storyline.
Over the years, Bollywood movies went under major transformation and have also undergone a number of changes and improvements. Because of the rise and popularity of Hollywood movies, Indian films also adopt some of the trends similar to western films. This is evident in some movie scripts where the English language is sometimes used. The plots used in some Bollywood movies are also patterned in western style of scriptwriting. And mostly recently Bollywood has also started to release movies on the high definition video known as BlueRay to keep pace with the technology.
Awards ceremonies such as Filmfare Awards, IIFA Awards, and Zee Cine Awards, are held every year to recognize the contributions of movie director, cast, music director, playback singer, actors and all who are involved in the making of the movie.
Actors, writers and producers from both Bollywood and Hollywood industry have interests with each other's movie genre. This gave rise to the new era of Bollywood movies. The versatility and art of Bollywood movies are truly world class and can enter the international scene with outstanding and credible merits.
Over the years, Bollywood has produced many great movies like Devdas, Lagaan, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Swades, Jodhaa Akbar, Dhoom, Taare Zameen Par and Veer Zaara. Some world known personalities are Amitabh Bachchan, A. R. Rahman (music director), Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar, Hrithik Roshan, Kajol, Mukherjee, Katrina Kaif, Madhuri Dixit, Mallika Shearwat, Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Sridevi, and Shilpa Shetty. Notable directors are Ashutosh Gowariker, Karan Johar and Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
