is the informal name given to the popular
Mumbai-based
Hindi-language film industry in
India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of
Indian cinema. Bollywood is only a part of the Indian film industry.
The name is a
portmanteau of Bombay (the former name for
Mumbai) and
Hollywood, the center of the American film industry. Though some deplore the name, arguing that it makes the industry look like a poor cousin to Hollywood, it seems likely to persist and now has its own entry in the
Oxford English Dictionary.
Bollywood is commonly referred to as
Hindi cinema, even though
Hindustani, the
substratum common to both Hindi and Urdu, might be more accurate. Bollywood consists of the languages of
Hindi,
Urdu and
English. The use of poetic
Urdu words is fairly common. The connection between Hindi, Urdu, and Hindustani is an extremely contentious matter.
There has been a growing presence of
Indian English in dialogue and songs as well. It is not uncommon to see films that feature dialogue with English words and phrases, even whole sentences. There is a growing number of
English films. A few films are also made in two or even three languages (either using subtitles, or several
soundtracks).
The history :
Raja Harishchandra (1913) was the first silent feature film made in India. It was made by
Dadasaheb Phalke. By the 1930s, the industry was producing over 200 films per annum. The first Indian sound film,
Ardeshir Irani's
Alam Ara (1931), was a super hit. There was clearly a huge market for talkies and musicals; Bollywood and all the regional film industries quickly switched to sound filming.
The 1930s and 1940s were tumultuous times: India was buffeted by the
Great Depression,
World War II, the
Indian independence movement, and the violence of the
Partition. Most Bollywood films were unabashedly escapist, but there were also a number of filmmakers who tackled tough social issues, or used the struggle for Indian independence as a backdrop for their plots.
In the late 1950s, Bollywood released its first color films; however, the majority of films continued to be black-and-white until the mid-1960s. At this time, lavish romantic musicals and melodramas were the staple fare at the cinema. Successful actors included
Dev Anand,
Dilip Kumar and
Raj Kapoor and actresses like
Nargis,
Meena Kumari,
Nutan and
Madhubala. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, romance movies and action films starred actors like
Rajesh Khanna and
Dharmendra. In the mid-1970s, romantic confections made way for gritty, violent films about gangsters and bandits.
Amitabh Bachchan, the star known for his "angry young man" roles, rode the crest of this trend with actors like
Mithun Chakraborty and
Anil Kapoor, which lasted into the early 1990s. Actresses from this era included
Hema Malini,
Jaya Bachchan and
Rekha.
In the mid-1990s, the pendulum swung back towards family-centric romantic musicals with the success of such films as
Hum Aapke Hain Kaun (1994) and
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) making stars out of a new generation of actors (such as
Aamir Khan,
Salman Khan and
Shah Rukh Khan) and actresses (such as
Sridevi,
Madhuri Dixit,
Karisma Kapoor and
Kajol). In that point of time, action and comedy films were also going strong with actors like
Govinda and
Akshay Kumar and actresses such as
Raveena Tandon and
Karisma Kapoor. This decade marked an entry of new performers in the art cinema area, some of which were succesful at the box-office as well, with new critically acclaimed performanes by actors of this generation (
Nana Patekar,
Ajay Devgan,
Manisha Koirala,
Tabu and
Urmila Matondkar).
In the 2000s, the industry faced a strong renovation from its new filmmakers. This decade meant the spreading of Bollywood's popularity in the world. The increasing popularity of Indian cinema, often called “Bollywood Mania” by the press, was the main cause driving Indian filmmaking to new heights in terms of quality, cinematography and innovative story lines as well as technical quality advances, moviegoers come in ever increasing numbers to watch the latest movies arriving from India's largest city. Big production houses, among them veteran ones like
Yash Raj Films and
Dharma Productions were the producers of new modern films. The opening up of the overseas market, the more Bollywood releases abroad and the explosion of multiplexes in big cities, led to the growth of national and international hits like
Devdas,
Koi... Mil Gaya,
Kal Ho Naa Ho,
Veer-Zaara and
Dhoom 2 delivering a new generation of popular actors (
Saif Ali Khan,
Hrithik Roshan,
Abhishek Bachchan) and actresses (
Aishwarya Rai,
Preity Zinta and
Rani Mukerji), and keeping the popularity of actors of the previous decade.
The Indian film industry has preferred films that appeal to all segments of the audience (see the discussion in Ganti, 2004, cited in references), and has resisted making films that target narrow audiences. It was believed that aiming for a broad spectrum would maximise box office receipts. However, filmmakers may be moving towards accepting some box-office segmentation, between films that appeal to rural Indians, and films that appeal to urban and overseas audiences.
Asia
The majority of
Pakistan's population watch Bollywood films, due to the similarities between Hindi and Urdu languages as well as similar culture. Despite the ban on Indian films, a few of Bollywood films have been legally released there such as Taj Mahal. For the most part, Bollywood movies are watched on cable in Pakistan, and there is a huge market for Bollywood movies in local video stores. Many people in other
South Asian countries, especially
Bangladesh and
Nepal, also watch Bollywood films.
Bollywood movies are widely watched by
Afghanistan's population because of the close proximity with the Indian subcontinent. Many people in the country understand watching Indian movies because the culture and languages used in the movies are similar to the Afghan culture and languages.
[6] Several major Bollywood actors even have their roots connected to Afghanistan. A number of Bollywood movies were filmed inside Afghanistan while some dealt with the country, including
Dharmatma,
Kabul Express,
Khuda Gawah, and
Escape From Taliban.
[7][8]Recently Bollywood has even become successful in
Israel. Special channels dedicated to Indian films have been displayed for almost two years.
Indian films are also shown in cinemas across
Iran. Of the major theatres in
Tehran, a number are dedicated exclusively to Indian films. Stars from Bollywood, even the newcomers, are well recognized faces in Iran. Entertainment magazines dedicate specific sections to the latest news from Indian Cinema.[
citation needed]
Indian films have been popular in quite a few
Arab countries, particularly in the
Gulf countries. Almost all imported Indian films are immediately dubbed in
Arabic upon their release.
[
edit] Africa
Bollywood is popular in many parts of Africa. The substantial Indian population in countries such as
South Africa,
Nigeria and
Morocco allows for box office successes for many Bollywood products. Not only do the citizens but the armed forces seem to be in current with the ongoings and new releases at Bollywood like in the countries of
Sierra Leone and
Morocco.
[
edit] Russia
Bollywood films are mostly popular in the former
Soviet Union. Bollywood films were
dubbed to
Russian being shown in big theatres like
Mosfilm and
Lenfilm.
Ashok Sharma, Indian Ambassador to
Surinam, who has served three times in the
Commonwealth of Independent States region during his diplomatic career said:
“
The popularity of Bollywood in the CIS dates back to the Soviet days when the films from Hollywood and other Western countries were banned in the Soviet Union. As there was no means of other cheap entertainment, the films from Bollywood provided the Soviets a cheap source of entertainment as they were supposed to be non-controversial and non-political. In addition, the Soviet Union was recovering from the onslaught of the
Second World War. The films from India, which were also recovering from the disaster of partition and the struggle for freedom from colonial rule, were found to be a good source of providing hope with entertainment to the struggling masses. The aspirations and needs of the people of both countries matched to a great extent. These films were dubbed in
Russian and shown in theatres throughout the Soviet Union. The films from Bollywood also strengthened family values, which was a big factor for their popularity with the government authorities in the Soviet Union.
[9]”
After the collapse of the Soviet film distribution system, Hollywood occupied the void created in the Russian film market. This made things difficult for Bollywood as Bollywood was losing market share to Hollywood. However, Russian newspapers report that there is a renewed interest in Bollywood among young Russians.
[10][
edit] Europe and the Americas
Although Bollywood is largely popular in Eastern Europe, and has a strong hold, it is slowly getting popular in Western Europe. The large diasporic audiences in the
UK have helped Bollywood to become a successful presence. Bollywood is also popular in countries like
France and
Germany.
Today's famous actors in India are popular stars in Europe.
Shilpa Shetty, in particular is very popular in the
United Kingdom after winning the reality show
Celebrity Big Brother 2007.
It is also very popular in
North America. It is believed Bollywood ranks second after
Hollywood but it is slowly catching up. Bollywood films have largely been filmed in
New York,
Los Angeles,
Vancouver and
Toronto. 2006 was the most successful year ever for Hindi films in the U.S. reflecting Bollywood's slow rise in the United States, with 7 releases grossing over $2 million. Of the top 15 foreign-language films that year, 8 were in Hindi, of which Deepa Mehta's
Water was the top grosser, pulling in $3.3 million. As a critic stated "No other language has come close to contributing so many box office hits to the list. Spanish, despite being spoken by millions of more Americans, trails far behind as the next most popular foreign language at the U.S box office with only two films above the $2 million benchmark this year (compared to 7 in Hindi)."
[11]Bollywood is not as popular in
South America, however it has its fans in countries such as
Guyana and
Suriname and the Caribbean island-nation of
Trinidad and Tobago — all of which have people of Indian descent as a majority of their population. In (2006),
Dhoom 2 was the first Bollywood film to be shot in
Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil.
[
edit] Oceania
Bollywood is hugely popular in Oceanic Countries such as
New Guinea and
Indonesia whereby there is a strong hold. However Bollywood ranks second to
Hollywood in countries such as
Australia and
New Zealand.
Australia is one of the countries where there is a large South Asian Diaspora. Bollywood is popular amongst non-Asians in the country as well.[
citation needed] The
Yash Raj Film film
Salaam Namaste (2005) was the first Indian film to be shot entirely in Australia and was the most popular Bollywood film of 2005 there.
Cast and crew :
Bollywood employs people from all parts of India. It attracts thousands of aspiring actors and actresses, all hoping for a break in the industry. Models and beauty contestants, television actors, theatre actors and even common people come to
Mumbai with the hope and dream of becoming a star. Just as in Hollywood, very few succeed.
Stardom in the entertainment industry is very fickle, and Bollywood is no exception. The popularity of the stars can rise and fall rapidly.
Directors compete to hire the most popular stars of the day, who are believed to guarantee the success of a movie (though this belief is not always supported by box-office results). Hence many stars make the most of their fame, once they become popular, by making several movies simultaneously.
Only a very few non-Indian actors are able to make a mark in Bollywood, though many have tried from time to time. There have been some exceptions, one recent example is the hit film
Rang de Basanti, where the lead actress is an Englishwoman.
Kisna,
Lagaan, and
The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey also featured foreign actors.
Bollywood can be very clannish, and the relatives of film-industry insiders have an edge in getting coveted roles in films and/or being part of a film's crew. However, industry connections are no guarantee of a long career: competition is brutal and if film industry scions do not succeed at the box office, their careers will falter. Some of the biggest stars, such as
Dharmendra,
Amitabh Bachchan have succeeded despite total lack of show business connections. For film clans, see
List of Bollywood film clans.
Dialogues and lyrics
Main article:
Bollywood songsThe film script or lines of dialogue (called "dialogues" in
Indian English) and the song lyrics are often written by different people.
Dialogues are usually written in an unadorned
Hindi or
Hindustani that would be understood by the largest possible audience. Some movies, however, have used regional dialects to evoke a village setting, or old-fashioned courtly
Urdu in
Mughal-era historical films. Contemporary mainstream movies also make great use of English. In fact, many movie scripts are first written in English, and then translated into
Hindi.
Cinematic language, whether in dialogues or lyrics, is often melodramatic and invokes God, family, mother, duty, and self-sacrifice liberally.
Music directors often prefer working with certain lyricists, to the point that the lyricist and composer are seen as a team. This phenomenon is not unlike the pairings of American composers and songwriters that created old-time Broadway musicals (e.g.,
Richard Rodgers and
Oscar Hammerstein II, or
Alan Jay Lerner and
Frederick Loewe). Song lyrics are usually about love. Bollywood song lyrics, especially in the old movies, frequently use Arabo-Persic
Urdu vocabulary. Here's a sample from the 1983 film Hero, written by the lyricist
Anand Bakshi:
Bichhdey abhi to hum, bas kal parso,
jiyoongi main kaisey, is haal mein barson?
Maut na aayi, teri yaad kyon aayi,
Haaye, lambi judaayi!
Hindi: "बिछड़े अभी तो हम, बस कल परसों,"
"जियूँगी मैं कैसे, इस हाल में बरसों?"
"मौत न आई, तेरी याद कयों आई?"
"हाय, लंबी जुदाई!"
Urdu: بچھڑے ابھی تو ہم، بس کل پرسوں
جیوں گی میں کیسے، اس حال میں برسوں؟
موت نہ آئی، تیری یاد کیوں آئی؟
!ہاۓ، لمبی جدائی
Translation: We have been separated just a day or two,
How am I going to go on this way for years?
Death doesn't come; why, instead, do these memories of you?
Oh; this long separation!
Another source for love lyrics is the long
Hindu tradition of poetry about the mythological amours of
Krishna,
Radha, and the
gopis. Many lyrics compare the singer to a devotee and the object of his or her passion to Krishna or Radha.
Bollywood song and dance :
Bollywood film music is called
filmi music (from
Hindi, meaning "of films").
Songs from Bollywood movies are generally pre-recorded by professional playback singers, with the
actors then
lip synching the words to the song on-screen, often while dancing. While most actors, especially today, are excellent dancers, few are also singers. One notable exception was
Kishore Kumar, who starred in several major films in the 1950s while also having a stellar career as a playback singer.
K. L. Saigal, Suraiyya, and
Noor Jehan were also known as both singers and actors. Some actors in the last thirty years have sung one or more songs themselves; for a list, see
Singing actors and actresses in Indian cinema.
Playback singers are prominently featured in the opening credits and have their own
fans who will go to an otherwise lacklustre movie just to hear their favourites. Going by the quality as well as the quantity of the songs they rendered, most notable singers of Bollywood are Suraiyya, Noor Jehan,
Lata Mangeshkar,
Asha Bhosle,
Geeta Dutt,
Shamshad Begum,
Alka Yagnik, etc among female playback singers and K. L. Saigal, Talat Mahmood,
Mukesh,
Mohammed Rafi,
Manna Dey,
Hemant Kumar,
Kishore Kumar, Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, Sonu Nigam among male playback singers. Mohammed Rafi is often considered the arguably finest of the singers that sung for Bollywood, followed by Lata Mangeshkar, who, through the course of a career spanning over six decades, has recorded thousands of songs for Indian movies. The
composers of film music, known as music directors, are also well-known. Their songs can make or break a film and usually do.
Remixing of filmi songs with modern beats and rhythms is a common occurrence today, and producers may even release remixed versions of some of their films' songs along with the films' regular
soundtrack albums.
The dancing in Bollywood films, especially older ones, is primarily modelled on Indian dance: classical dance styles, dances of historic northern Indian courtesans (
tawaif), or
folk dances. In modern films, Indian dance elements often blend with Western dance styles (as seen on
MTV or in Broadway musicals), though it is not unusual to see Western pop and pure classical dance numbers side by side in the same film. The hero or heroine will often perform with a troupe of supporting dancers. Many song-and-dance routines in Indian films feature unrealistically instantaneous shifts of location and/or changes of costume between verses of a song. If the hero and heroine dance and sing a pas-de-deux (a dance and
ballet term, meaning "dance of two"), it is often staged in beautiful natural surroundings or architecturally grand settings. This staging is referred to as a "picturisation".
Songs typically comment on the action taking place in the movie, in several ways. Sometimes, a song is worked into the plot, so that a character has a reason to sing; other times, a song is an externalisation of a character's thoughts, or presages an event that has not occurred yet in the plot of the movie. In this case, the event is almost always two characters falling in love.
Bollywood films have always used what are now called "
item numbers". A physically attractive female character (the "item girl"), often completely unrelated to the main cast and plot of the film, performs a catchy song and dance number in the film. In older films, the "item number" may be performed by a courtesan (
tawaif) dancing for a rich client or as part of a cabaret show. The dancer
Helen was famous for her cabaret numbers. In modern films, item numbers may be inserted as
discotheque sequences, dancing at celebrations, or as stage shows.
For the last few decades Bollywood producers have been releasing the film's soundtrack, as tapes or CDs, before the main movie release, hoping that the music will pull audiences into the cinema later. Oftentimes the soundtrack is more popular than the movie. In the last few years some producers have also been releasing music videos, usually featuring a song from the film. However, some promotional videos feature a song which is not included in the movie.
