With studios all around the nation producing films in more than 20 languages, India is one of the world’s biggest producers of motion pictures. The largest is Bollywood, the Hindi-language film industry, which is headquartered in Mumbai.
Bollywood: What Is It?
Bollywood is the Hindi-language film business based in Mumbai, India (formerly known as Bombay). The bulk of films produced in India are produced by Bollywood, the largest of the Indian film industries (the word is a combination of “Bombay” and “Hollywood”), while many films are made in regional languages including Bengali, Tamil (also known as Kollywood), and Telugu (Tollywood). With 1,500–2,000 films released annually in 20 different languages, the Indian film industry is the greatest in the world in terms of annual film production.
A Synopsis of Bollywood’s History
Since its founding in 1913, the Indian cinema industry has experienced continuous expansion.
1.] Initial developments
The 1913 silent picture Raja Harishchandra, directed by Dadasaheb Phalke, was the first feature film produced in India. By 1931, when the first talkie, or talking film, was released, India was turning out over a hundred films annually.
2.] Golden Era:
Following India’s separation from Britain in 1947, the nation was divided into Pakistan and the Republic of India. Historians refer to the period in Indian movie history that followed as the Golden Age of Hindi cinema. Mother India (1957) by Mehboob Khan is the first Indian film to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. During this period, a number of Hindi films tackled societal concerns like class and launched the careers of actors like Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, and Dev Anand.
3.] Bollywood’s founding:
In the 1970s, the name “Bollywood” was first used. The masala film, which freely combines the genres of romance, melodrama, comedy, and musical, and the violent crime film, which delves into the murky underbelly of Indian society, are two examples of the norms of Bollywood cinema that were developed during this period. The Indian film industry was the largest in the world in the 1980s, putting out about 800 films a year.
4.] Bollywood as of right now:
Bollywood enjoyed growth in the 1990s as India’s economy opened up, having stagnated in the 1980s. Production costs rose, and expensive sets in far-off places were frequently used for films. Bollywood movies are now viewed in theaters and on a variety of streaming services throughout the world.
Five Prominent Bollywood Actors
Bollywood movies are mostly focused on stars; some of the most well-known actors from the genre are:
1.] Shah Rukh Khan:
Throughout the 1990s, Shah Rukh Khan—dubbed the “King of Bollywood”—has starred in over 100 motion pictures. He is well-liked both in India and abroad and is well-known for playing the romantic lead.
2.] Bachchan Amitabh:
Since the 1970s, Amitabh Bhachchan has starred in over 200 movies and is recognized as one of the most important characters in Indian cinema.
3.] Jonas, Priyanka Chopra:
Priyanka Chopra Jonas, one of the highest-paid celebrities in India today, has acted in TV series and films from both Hollywood and Bollywood. Nick Jonas, a musician, is her husband.
4.] The actor Akshay Kumar
In the past three decades, Akshay Kumar has starred in over 100 movies, becoming well-known for his action movie roles.
5.] Dixit Madhuri:
Bollywood movies need dancing, and Madhuri Dixit, a classically trained dancer, was a well-known actress who appeared in over 70 movies during the 1980s and 1990s. (Other well-known Bollywood dancers are Katrina Kaif, Shahid Kapoor, Malaika Arora Khan, and Hrithik Roshan.
Eight Well-Known Bollywood Pictures
Each year, Bollywood produces over a thousand films. Bollywood movies that are noteworthy include:
1.] Pyaasa (1957):
Pyaasa, which translates as “thirsty” in Hindi, is a classic of 1950s cinema about the difficulties of an idealistic poet. Guru Dutt was the film’s producer, director, and star. Renowned music composer SD Burman composed the film’s timeless soundtrack.
2.] Mother India (1957):
Mother India, which revolves around the exploitation of farmers in rural India, starring Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar, and Nargis. It was the first Hindi movie to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.
3.] Sholay (1975):
Sholay, a Western-themed film written by Indian screenwriters Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, centers on two criminals (played by Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan) who attempt to apprehend a bandit (Amjad Khan).
4.] Amar Akbar Anthony (1977):
The plot of this 1970s comedy centers on three brothers who were reared in disparate religious traditions after being split up at birth (Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna, and Rishi Kapoor).
5.] Monsoon Wedding (2001):
Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding, a comedy-drama hybrid, centers around a grandiose Indian wedding in Delhi. While it contains many of the common elements of a masala film, such as music and dance choreography, it also tackles difficult social topics and includes genuine language. The movie received a Golden Globe nomination.
6.] Dil Chahta Hai (2001):
Farhan Akhtar’s coming-of-age picture features three young Mumbai-based males, played by Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, and Akshaye Khanna. The film was a break from previous masala films that usually prioritized family, with characters grounded in Western liberal ideas, especially regarding drinking and sexuality.
7.] Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…(2001):
A host of celebrities, including Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, and Kareena Kapoor, star in this melodrama directed by Karan Johar. The cast depicts a family that is shattered when the son marries a woman from a lower socioeconomic class. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, which explores the lives of the ultra-wealthy and boasts lavish sets, costumes, and dance routines, is a symbol of the big-budget films of this era.
8.] India’s Chak De! (2007):
Shah Rukh Khan plays a disgraced field hockey captain who mentors a women’s field hockey team in this sports movie.