No story about India is complete without a passing mention of Bollywood. Technically, Bollywood refers to the Hindi film industry that is 'headquartered' in Mumbai; however, owing to its immense popularity, it has come to loosely refer to the Indian film industry as a whole. As a concept, Bollywood has always fascinated movie lovers across the world, thanks to its dramatic dance-and-song sequences usually filmed in exotic locations, injecting some 'masala' (spice) into the overall cinema experience.

History

Bollywood may seem like a rip-off of Hollywood, the American film industry; however, unlike its American counterpart, it is not a physical space but an abstract term to refer to films churned out in the Hindi language in Bombay (now Mumbai). The first ever silent film made in India is widely acknowledged to be 'Raja Harishchandra' by Dadasaheb Phalke, known as the 'Father Of Indian Cinema' in 1913. Critics and experts argue that owing to poor documentation of Indian cinema, this may not technically be India's first silent film; however, for all practical purposes, it is regarded as the first of its kind in India. 'Alam Ara' directed by Ardeshir Irani is considered the first Indian sound film and it opened in 1931 to great commercial success, heralding the dawn of a new era of Indian films with dialogue, music and dance.

Alam Ara Poster

Evolution

Bollywood movies in the 40's onwards focused more on social themes, struggles of the middle class and patriotism. At the height of the Indian freedom struggle leading up to the country's independence in 1947, a number of movies made during the late 40s and 50s, in a sense, reflected the national mood. One such movie, 'Mother India' directed by Mehboob Khan in 1957, was even nominated under the Best Foreign Film category in the Academy Awards (Oscars). The 1950's also saw the rise of a new postmodern, neorealist cinema with a number of talented directors from across the country experimenting with themes, concepts and techniques that had not been employed in Indian cinema prior to that.

Movies made in the 1960's and 70's mostly revolved around romance and action, while a parallel art cinema movement was thriving – just outside of Bollywood, in the fringes, if you will. The late 70's and 80's saw a mix of various genres of films, both commercial and arthouse, with many including Mira Nair's 'Salaam Bombay' garnering international recognition at film festivals across Europe, such as Cannes. 'Sholay' directed by Ramesh Sippy in 1975 continues to be a favourite among movie-goers in the country, and it has inspired a number of movies, becoming a pop culture phenomenon in itself, besides cementing the careers of its lead actors, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Dharmendra and the like.

Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan

The 1990s and 2000s saw an interesting mix of movies with themes as varied as family, love, terrorism, musicals and so on, citing a return of family entertainers with movies such as Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Hum Aapke Hain Kaun running to packed houses. The era also saw the rise of the Khans – Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan – who would rule Bollywood throughout the decade. Since the late 2000s, Bollywood has experimented with a number of unique ideas, thanks to a new wave of maverick directors such as Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, to name a few, turning the tide to explore relationships, sexuality in a more realistic way.

So pull out those Bollywood DVDs from your Satara Hi-Fi Unit and get started on your movie marathon night already!

 

Image Sources:

"Alam Ara poster, 1931" by Anonymous - http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/2013/4/eb8e6be0-96c7-4981-a175-7fff2fa7834cWallpAutoWallpaper2.JPG. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alam_Ara_poster,_1931.jpg#/media/File:Alam_Ara_poster,_1931.jpg

"BigB N JayaB" by Bollywood Hungama - http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/more/photos/view/stills/parties-and-events/id/2242255. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BigB_N_JayaB.jpg#/media/File:BigB_N_JayaB.jpg