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A HISTORY OF BOLLYWOOD
The film Raja Harischandra features an all-male cast, some of whom played female roles
The antecedent of the beginning of the Indian film industry is the first screening of a film that took place in 1896, when six silent shorts were screened at the Watson Hotel in Bombay on July 7. Years later was the beginning of Indian production when in 1913 the first silent movie performed in India was released, entitled “Raja Harishchandra.”
In the 1920s, the budding industry continued to grow with the emergence of various companies and directors. 1927 saw the beginning of construction of large movie theaters in the country that allowed the arrival of cinema to greater audiences.
In the 1930s, sound and color came to Indian films. The movie “Alam Ara” that premiered in 1931 was the first film with sound, as well as the first film with characteristic music and dance that would become the mark of Indian films. This was later followed by the first movie in color, entitled “Kisan Kanya,” in 1937.
The golden age of Bollywood began in the mid-1940s and extended throughout the 50s and 60s. During this time, due to the difficult social circumstances that India was going through, productions were filled with a great amount of social content. In 1955, the movie “Pather Panchali” was released, which would become the first internationally recognized film, earning an award in Cannes as the best social documentary in Cannes.
In the late 1960s and the early 1970s, movie content began to change from a marked social content to become movies with great doses of action and romanticism, thus becoming a more commercial type of cinema. Another novelty that emerged in the early 70s was the beginning of the use of terms such as “Bollywood” that was created from the fusion of the words “Hollywood,” which refers to the American film industry, and “Bombay,” the city in India that houses the heart of the Indian film industry. The term “masala” was also popularized; it was invented by the director Manmohan Desai to designate the flagship genre of Bollywood as a fusion of distinct cinema genres in a single film.
In the 1970s, great actors emerged on the Bollywood scene such as Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, and Rekha.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, a new generation of actors and producers started to emerge, such as Salman Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai, and Shahrukh Khan, who in particular became one of the most iconic Bollywood actors of all time. This generation began to star in movies with a highly romantic content focused on traditional Indian family values. Among the production houses were Yash Raj Films and Dharma Productions, the giants of the industry.
Movies such as the well-remembered Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge of 1995 and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai of 1998 are clear examples of the themes popular in the era of the 90s. This period observed a great progress in matters of production, more elaborate plots, and great technical advances in special effects and animation.
With the arrival of the 2000s, Bollywood made its great commercial foray in foreign markets and debuted as a great novelty in the West, bringing with it a more westernized image of its films and dance numbers. Today, fans and viewers can immerse themselves in the iconic film industry by taking a Bollywood tour such as in Mumbai.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Miguel Dumont Garcia
I am the happiest man when I am travelling and I decided to share this joy with others by founding www.hiretravellers.com , a travel agency that is focused in dance and music tours.
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