Bollywood

Bollywood is India's largest film producer, as well as the world's largest film producer in terms of number of movies produced, people employed, and cinema attendance. The name Bollywood, coined in the 1970s, is a play on the words Hollywood and Bombay (Mumbai of today). Bollywood films have especially been known for their elaborate song-and-dance numbers, colorful costumes, and glamorous actors.

The first films, by Indian producer Dadasaheb Phalke, were released between 1913 and 1918, after which Indian cinema began to produce hundreds of films annually. The first Indian "talkie" debuted in 1931, and the first Indian movie in color was released in 1937. Some of Bollywood's most critically acclaimed films were produced during the 1950s and ’60s, when social issues and politics were the dominant themes. Indian cinema evolved to feature comedies, action movies, thrillers, and romantic movies. It gained mass global appeal in the twenty-first century, with financial investments from studio giants such as Warner Bros, Sony Pictures, and 20th Century Fox.

Brief History

Indian or Hindi cinema began in 1913 with Dadasaheb Phalke's silent film Raja Harishchandra, the first-ever Indian-made feature, in which men played both the male and female characters. Alam Ara, a box office success produced by Ardeshir Irani in 1931, was India's first sound film or "talkie." Irani's Kisan Kanya, produced in 1937, was India's first color film.

During the 1930s, the industry produced over two hundred films annually, with early plots inspired by ancient texts, mythology, and traditional Indian folk theater. From the late 1930s and through the 1940s, Indian film was hampered by the effects of the Great Depression, World War II, India's Partition, and the Indian Independence Movement. During this time, many filmmakers began to use India's struggle for independence and other social issues as the background for their plots.

After independence, Bollywood achieved international recognition with establishment of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and the country's International Film Festival. The most famous movies were produced during what film historians dubbed the "Golden Age" (1950s and 1960s), starring many of India's most memorable actors. Laughter, romance, action, and rock music replaced melancholy songs and dramatic scenes. Comedies, romantic musicals, and melodramas swept the market.

The 1970s,’80s, and ’90s saw a return to themes in Indian cinema of social ills and daily struggles, while post-1990, Bollywood films again featured romance, comedy, and action with the addition of elaborate choreographed musical numbers. Financial investment from the West poured in, funding technological advancements such as special effects, Dolby digital sound, and a multiplex boom.

In the early twenty-first century, Bollywood's global appeal continued to reach international audiences, with several Indian film production firms listed on the National Stock Exchange. In India, cinema was the number-one source of entertainment as Indian corporations UTV, Zee, and Adlabs produced and distributed Bollywood films, and direct-to-home TV technology brought movies straight into viewers' homes.

However, the 2010s began to mark a need for further shifts and reinvention in Bollywood productions due to changes in film and television technology as well as content focus and characterization often influenced by societal developments. In addition to female actors beginning to receive more lead roles, including in film or television scripts centered upon feminist issues, as countries worldwide reconsidered the concept of gender and inequity amid such movements as #MeToo, international adoption of digital streaming services as a popular way to consume film and television media had increased and would only grow further in the wake of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. While reductions in the number of less expensive, single-screen theaters meant more Bollywood films being made for multiplex audiences, commentators also noted that many of the industry's films had become too repetitive and out of touch to many populations in India. At the same time, the previously atypical nationwide success of Indian films made outside of Bollywood, particularly 2015's Baahubali: The Beginning, convinced many experts that Bollywood needed to evolve. Some Bollywood producers, writers, and directors began to make adaptations, often including a transition away from the larger ensemble dance numbers of the past; casting; character depth and relatability; and content quality and approaches.

However, by the early 2020s, particularly as more and more people were exposed to a range of content available through increasingly accessible international streaming services in India, Bollywood was largely considered to be struggling to meet audience expectations, including cultural and political.

Overview

In India, cinema is considered integral to the national culture, serving both as a medium for expressing the country's struggle to achieve national integration and independence, and as a form of escapism.

As of the late 2010s, Bollywood typically represented approximately 43 percent of the net box office revenue in India. Telegu and Tamil cinema claimed about 36 percent of net box office revenue, and other regional cinemas earned the other 21 percent.

Music and Dance. Music has always played a significant role in Indian cinema. In 1931, the first talkie, Alam Arma, featured seven songs, and 1932's Indra Sabha featured sixty-nine songs. Most Bollywood movies contain an average of six to ten songs that are considered integral to the plot, and composers are considered as important as producers and directors. Sung by professionals, the songs are lip-synced by the actors with perfect synchronicity between lyrics and choreography, creating a musical theater atmosphere.

In addition to original soundtracks, elaborate dance sequences are a hallmark of Bollywood films, fusing classical and folk dances with more modern styles such as Latin, hip-hop, and jazz. For example, early Bollywood films featured folk dances from different regions of India and Indian classical dance forms such as Kathak and Bharata Natyam.

In the 1950s and ’60s, choreographers worked with larger groups of dancers, producing high-energy classical and semi-classical dance sequences. In that era, acclaimed dancers such as Geetanjali Kulkarni, Sandhya Raju, and Helen and Mahipal raised the bar and captivated audiences with their talent.

In the 1970s, Bollywood films featured cabaret dance styles as well as disco moves, the global phenomenon of the times. Post 1980, Bollywood dancing was heavily influenced by dance styles from the West, including free style, which was exemplified by Indian dancers such as Govinda and energetic hip-hop dance variations.

Common features of traditional Bollywood dance have included large dance troupes, bold and extroverted movements, brightly colored productions shot in exotic locations, elaborate costumes, and frequent costume changes. While remaining true to its Indian roots, Bollywood dance became increasingly cross-cultural in the twenty-first century, blending Eastern and Western influences and styles. On the global scene, influences of Bollywood on Western entertainment became apparent. Bollywood dance moves and music styles were integrated into Western artists' songs, videos, and concerts, including those by Shakira, Britney Spears, and Madonna.

The masala movie genre, originated by Bollywood director Manmohan Desai in the 1970s, is considered the archetype of modern Bollywood films. Its mash-up of genres includes action, romance, comedy, melodrama, musical numbers, and star power. It is named after "masala," a mixture of Indian spices. The influence of masala is also apparent in Western films and musicals, including Britain's 2009 Academy Award-winning Slumdog Millionaire, which was directed by Danny Boyle and filmed in Mumbai, and Baz Luhrmann's 2001 Oscar-nominated Moulin Rouge!, which was directly inspired by Bollywood musicals.

Bibliography

"Bollywood Dance." AllAboutIndia.com. All About India.com, 2015. Web. 16 June 2016.

"Bollywood History." BollywoodTourism.com. BollywoodTourism.com, 2009. Web. 16 June 2016.

"Bollywood origins, history, music." Just Landed. Just Landed.com, 2016. Web. 16 June 2016.

Delaney-Bhattacharya, Alexandra. "The 2010s: Reflecting on a Decade of Change in Bollywood." The Diplomat, 1 Jan. 2020, thediplomat.com/2020/01/the-2010s-reflecting-on-a-decade-of-change-in-bollywood/. Accessed 18 Oct. 2022.

Dermansky, Marcy. "10 Bollywood Actresses to Know." About Entertainment. About.com, 2016. Web. 16 June 2016.

"Hindi Movies." Bollywoodhungama.com. Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., 2016. Web. 16 June 2016.

"History of Bollywood." World Film Awards.com. World Film Awards.com, 2016. Web. 16 June 2016.

Jamkhandikar, Shilpa, and Krishna N. Das. "Bollywood Broken? Movie Moguls' Spell over India Fades." Reuters, 1 Sept. 2022, www.reuters.com/world/india/bollywood-broken-movie-moguls-spell-over-india-fades-2022-09-01/. Accessed 18 Oct. 2022.

"What is Bollywood?" About Entertainment. About.com, 2016. Web. 16 June 2016.

"What is Bollywood?" Rhythm India. Rhythm India.com, 2016. Web. 16 June 2016.