Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at the 2009 International Indian Film Academy Awards
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If you ever see a film from India, the word Bollywood immediately conjures images of sumptuous, brightly colored productions shot in exotic locales featuring beautiful stars in impressively choreographed song and dance numbers. What is the history of India’s national cinema, how did it become one of the country’s most powerful and financially lucrative industries, and the world leader in the number of films produced annually as well as audience attendance?
Origins
The word Bollywood is a play on Hollywood with a B for Bombay (now Mumbai), the center of the film world. The word was coined in the 1970s by the writer of a magazine gossip column, though there is disagreement on which journalist first uses it.Indian cinema dates to 1913 and the silent film Raja Harishchandra, the first-ever Indian feature film, produced by Dadasaheb Phalke, Indian cinema’s first mogul who oversaw the production of twenty-three films between 1913-1918. Ulike Hollywood, initial growth in the industry was slow.
1920-1945
The early 1920s saw the rise of several new production companies, and most films made during this era were mythological or historical in nature. Imports from Hollywood, primarily action films, were well received by Indian audiences, and producers quickly began following suit. However, filmed versions of episodes from classics such as The Ramayana and The Mahabharata still dominated throughout the decade.1931 saw the release of Alam Ara, the first talkie, that paved the way for the future of Indian cinema. The number of productions companies began to skyrocket, as did the number of films produced each year—from 108 in 1927, to 328 in 1931. Color films soon began to appear, as did early efforts at animation. Giant movie palaces were built s a noticeable shift in audience makeup, namely a significant growth in working-class attendees, who accounted for a small take in tickets sold during the silent era. The WWII years led to a decrease in the number of films produced, the result of limited imports of film stock and government restrictions on the maximum allowed running time. Audiences remained faithful, and each year saw an impressive rise in ticket sales.
Birth of the New Wave
Around 1947 the industry went through significant changes and during this time modern Indian film was born. The historical and mythological stories of the past were replaced by social-reformist films, which turned an often critical eye on social practices like the dowry system, polygamy and prostitution. The 1950s saw filmmakers such as Bimal Roy and Satyajit Ray focusing on the lives of the lower classes, who until then were largely ignored as subjects.Inspired by social and political changes, as well as cinematic movements in both the US and Europe, the 1960s saw the birth of India’s own New Wave, founded by directors such as Ray, Mrinal Sen, and Ritwik Ghatak. Driven by a desire to offer a greater sense of realism and an understanding of the common man, the films during this era differed greatly from larger commercial productions, which were mostly escapist fare. It was the latter that would eventually become the template for the Masala film, a mash of genres including action, comedy, and melodrama punctuated by approximately six song and dance numbers, and the model is still used for most contemporary Bollywood films.
The Masala Film – Bollywood As We Know It Today
Manmohan Desai, one of the more successful Bollywood directors of the 1970s, considered by many to be the father of the Masala film, defended his approach: “I want people to forget their misery. I want to take them into a dream world where there is no poverty, where there are no beggars, where fate is kind and god is busy looking after his flock.” The hodgepodge of action, romance, comedy and ubiquitous musical numbers is a model that still dominates the Bollywood industry, although greater attention is now paid to plot, character development, and dramatic tension, it is, in most cases, sheer star power that accounts for a film’s success.With the recent success of Slumdog Millionaire and the injection of foreign capital into the Indian film industry, Bollywood may be entering a new chapter in its history and the eyes of the world are paying closer attention. The question remains – will a Bollywood film ever find crossover success with mainstream global audiences?
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