History of Bollywood

The first films India watched were not made in Bollywood but cinema had indeed arrived on
Indias shores. The year was 1896, and thanks to the countrys 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.
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 Indias 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 Indias first talking and singing film Alam Ara made by Ardeshir Irani and screened in
Bombay in 1931.
Finally, Indias 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

Silent Era to Talkies

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History of Bollywood

various Indian languages with religion being the dominant theme.

While Indian commercial cinema enjoyed popularity among movie-goers, Indian
cinema did

Golden Age
Indias 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 Indias most critically
acclaimed films and memorable actors of all time. Among those in Bollywoods 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.
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 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 Bollywoods 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).

The Masala Movie

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.

Technology Rules
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art

History of Bollywood

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 Bollywoods 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.

The Term
"Bollywood"
The term Bollywood was created by combining two names, Bombay(the city now called
Mumbai) and Hollywood. Bollywood based in Mumbai (Bombay), is Indias and the
worlds - largest film industry in terms of the number of films produced, and also the
number of tickets sold each year. In fact, Bollywood has become so internationally
ubiquitous that it now has its own entry in the Oxford.

Global Appeal
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An International
Sensation!
It is not unusual to see Western pop and pure classical dance numbers side by side in a
Bollywood film. The international appeal of Bollywood dancing is something that has been in
the making for many decades.
Originally it was found only in places that had a significant consumption of Indian films. But
today it is rising in popularity in the US, Canada and Europe. With the success of films such as
the Oscar winning movie Slumdog Millionaire, Bollywood films and dance have taken the
world by storm & has now come into the global spotlight.
Much of this is due to the ever expanding Indian diaspora, but a significant proportion also
comes from non-Indians who are fascinated by the exotic, larger than life qualities inherent in
it. Be it their lavish sets, production value, or extravagant costumes, stars like Madonna,
Shakira & Britney Spears have incorporated the Bollywood style of dance or music into their
songs, videos and stage shows.

A True East-West Fusion Dance

Style
The highlight of Bollywood movies are elaborate dance sequences and original soundtracks.
Over the years Bollywood movies have developed their own signature style of song and dance,
which combines the rich texture of Indias many classical and folk dances, fused with elements of
Jazz, Hip Hop, Arabic and Latin Forms.