A Brief History of Bollywood

Bollywood: what images does that word conjure for you? Those who are somewhat familiar with it may think of colorful sets and dancing numbers. Others might say: don't you mean Hollywood?

Bollywood is India's answer to Hollywood, at least as some people believe. But did you know that Bollywood's history is as long and rich as that of Hollywood?

The first films screened in India were six short soundless films by the Lumiere Brothers at the Watson Hotel in Bombay on July 7, 1896. The first film by an Indian, named Harishchandra Bhatvadekar, was in 1899. Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, more generally known as Dada Saheb Phalke, was responsible for the film that heralded the birth of the Indian industry- the first fully indigenous silent feature called "Raja Harishchandra". The film was released for viewing on May 3, 1913 at the Coronation Cinema in Bombay. During the1920s, these small beginnings became a full blown industry with several prominent film makers from all the biggest cities in India and catering to almost all of India's major language groups.

Sound pictures began to be produced in India in the 1930s. The first talkie was "Alam Ara" and was released on March 14, 1931 at the Majestic Cinema in Bombay. Films during this time were mostly vehicles of social protest. The first color film was also produced during this period: "Kisan Kanya" in 1937.

The turbulent 1940's, with World War II and Indian Independence, did not seem to slow the industry's growth at all. Many films which are considered vital classics of Bollywood were released during this time.

The 1950s were the decade of "neorealism" in Bollywood, and the time when Indian film making was first brought to the attention of the world.In 1952 the first International Film Festival of India was held. !955 saw a Bollywood film win the first Cannes award for the country's industry, for Best Human Documentary, with a film titled "Pather Panchali". This was also the decade when Bollywood films began co-producing films with other countries and sometimes venturing into other countries for locations.

It was also during the 1950s and on into the 1960s that there developed a preference for escapist entertainment and a reliance on stars. Indian film makers also became concerned with the dynamics of the box office, changing the face of Bollywood forever. In the regional languages, the emphasis throughout the 1960's was on movies derived from national and local literature. Throughout the industry as a whole, this was an era of experimentation and the development of many styles. As a consequence, there was a broadening of what one could expect from a Bollywood film and a fragmentation into different genres. This phenomenon continued at full speed on through the 1970s.

The 1980s further cemented Bollywood on the international level as several movies during this period won prestigious awards, including the British Film Institute Award and the Golden Camera Award in Cannes. In 1990, Adoor Gopalakrishnan's "Mathilukal" won the FIPRESCI and UNICEF awards. As the 1990s progressed, there was a revival of Hindi love stories as musicals, bringing the Indian cinema full circle with its earliest beginnings. It is these musicals which Americans are most familiar with today.

After 90 years of making movies, Bollywood- India's film industry- is consistently the largest film producer. As of August 2008, it has made 27,000 feature films and thousands of documented short films. It has also produced at least one international star: Aishwarya Rai, the Queen of Bollywood and one-time Miss World. Miss Rai has signed to a handful of Hollywood films in recent years indicating that this actress, voted by Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People and named one of the top 10 most beautiful women in the world, is looking to cross over. India is very proud of this. It will be interesting to see what comes from Bollywood next.

RESOURCES:
http://bollywoodzone.wetpaint.com/page/History+of+Bollywood?t=anon

http://bollywoodzone.wetpaint.com/page/Aishwarya+Rai