Bollywood - Heart Of Hindi Cinema

My name is Lana, I am a professional linguist/ translator and am in love with writing, too! I was born, brought up and educated in Russia, continued my education and got married in India, now I am living in Thailand and have no idea where I will find myself tomorrow! I love learning languages, travelling and getting to know about other cultures. I know Russian, English and Hindi; some bits of German, Turkish and Tatar, now learning Thai, and have great plans for at least 5 more languages!:) I am happy to share a few articles regarding Russian, Indian and Thai cultures with you.

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The term "Bollywood" has firmly entered the English language and nowadays there is hardly anyone who has no idea what the word means. The name of the largest film industry in the world is an unmistakable derivative of the words "Hollywood" and "Bombay" (now Mumbai). Most of the times when we say Indian cinema, we imply films in Hindi, that is Bollywood films (though, it is not correct - Indian cinema is not limited by Hindi movies only and there is a number of regional film industries - Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, etc). However, Bollywood is the largest cinema centre in India, and all major movie stars live in Mumbai.

The first Indian feature film Raja Harishchandra was released in 1913, and its director Dadasaheb Phalke is considered the father of Indian cinema. By 1920 the film industry became a well-established institution, producing more than 20 movies a year. By the 1930s the number increased to over 200 films per annum.

The first sound movie Alam Ara (1931) was a super hit and opened a new era in Indian cinema. Very much in love with traditions of Indian theatre involving a lot of music, singing and dancing, Indian audience demanded the same from movies, and soon musicals became the nation's rage.

During the Second World War, the Indian Independence Movement and the Partition Bollywood films started to split into two streams, and the gap became very evident beginning with 1960s onwards. The major part preferred to cater to the audience's crave for escapism. Depressed by reality, people wanted to see a different life and forget about all the problems at least for a couple of hours. The other part of filmmakers opted for a realistic cinema, reflecting social issues and everyday life.

1950s and early 1960s are often referred to as The Golden Age of Hindi Cinema. A lot of lavish romantic and historical melodramas accompanied by immortal musical numbers composed and sung by best talents of the time were made during the period. Awaara, Shree 420, Pyaasa, Kagaz Ke Phool, Mughal-E-Azam and Bandini are classics that are still considered the model of quality filmmaking in Bollywood. Mother India (1957) was the first Hindi movie nominated for the Oscars. During the period the popularity of Hindi cinema began spreading abroad, mainly in Asia, Africa and the Soviet Union.

1970s switched to the rule of "angry young men", much inspired by Hollywood westerns. That is when the living legend of Bollywood Amitabh Bachachan stepped into the industry and drastically changed the whole perception of a classical Hindi movie hero. His movie Sholay (1975) is a record of box-office success in Indian film history.

A Romeo-Juliet style Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) - simple, sincere and fresh - turned one more page in Bollywood history. Audience was fed up of violence, and welcomed pure love stories back. The three top heroes of the new wave Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan are still ruling in the box-office, in spite of dozens of fresh faces appearing on screen every year.

The trend of the new millennium is glamour, sophistication and westernized plots. Huge investments is one more trait (2006 is predicted to set a new record in the amount of money invested in Hindi films). Chaste in the past, Bollywood movies become more and more revealing with kisses, bold scenes and heroines' skimpy outfits. Dancing and singing are still an essential part of every commercial film, and filmmakers often prefer foreign locations for song "picturisation". A few Hindi filmstars like Aishwarya Rai have made entry into Hollywood. The industry is still expanding, slowly and steadily making its way to the western market.