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History of Bollywood

1st film by D.S.Phalke in 1914. Themes were mythological of this era. Until 1940s
historical and mythological themes were popular apart from imported Hollywood action
films.

1940s - India affected by Great Depression of WWII. Indian independence movement,

violence. Most films now were escapist and replaced the earlier historical/mythological
themes. Some showed social justice and serious plots.

1931, 1st talkie film ALAM ARA. It had 7 songs. Songs henceforth became integral in films.

1937, 1st colour film 'KISAN KANYA'. However colour in Bollywood became popular in late 50s.

1st item number started by artist and dancer Azoorie in 1930s. in 1949, she featured in 17 films
performing dances.

In 1947, dowry system, religion, polygamy and prostitution were popular themes. During Late 1940s,
films in different languages were made - South Indian film Industry started with similar themes.

Era of Guru Dutt and Raj Kapoor. Social themes, working life of urban class, prevailing social unrest,
class disparity, authoritative upper class, western culture. Guru Dutt reflected western culture
negatively in 'K.K.PHOOL' and 'MR AND MRS 55'.

Cuckoo Moray, became the famous dancer in 'ANOKHI ADA' 1948. Items number again became
popular. In 'AWAARA', Cuckoo gave a famous number called 'Ek do teen, aaja mausam hai rangeen'.
She introduced Helen to Bollywood.

In 1951, Vyjayanthimala introduced classical dance numbers to Bollywood with debut in 'BAHAR'.
She mixed classical and contemporary dance in 'DEVDAS' 1955.

Item numbers then were performed mainly by vamps, cabaret dancers, tawaifs, wearing explicit
clothes considered bold for that era, smoke and drank, and were mostly jealous.

Parallel cinema started in Bengal. These films had socio-political themes, serious in content, plots
and characters served as commentary about the external world, were realistic and had
understanding of common man. Satyajit Ray and Chetan Anand were others who made such films.
PATHER PANCHALI by S.Ray won many international awards.

Films in late 50s became less intense; comedy, laughter, rock music.

India by now had over taken Hollywood and was now the largest film producing country in the
world.

1958 - 'Madhumati', earliest genre of re-incarnation. Had a gothic feel to it.

1960, Mughle-e-azam made romantic themes popular.

 1960s – 1970:
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 Colour fully replaced Black and white.

 First foreign location shoot was done in film 'SANGAM' 1964 by Raj Kapoor.

 Mixed genres of romance, action and thriller:

 Genres were love triangles like SANGAM and CHAUDHVI KA CHAND.

 Thrillers like BEES SAAL BAAD, TEESRI MANZIL, ANKHEN.

 Serious genres - DHARAMPUTRA about partition and fanaticism, AARADHNA about

unmarried mother, DO RAASTE about joint family issues and lower middle class society.

Soulful music during this era, by Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh, Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha
Bhosle, Manna Dey. Peak of their magical voices.

1970s – 1980:

 1970s - Amitabh Bachchan as an 'angry young man'. DEEWAR and COOLIE created a
sensation - Amitabh's energy, single handedly fights evil where justice system flawed.
Remedy to social maladies lies outside democracy. Evil dispersed with evil.

 1973, first masala film YADON KI BARAAT. Also the same year film BOBBY created
ripples with actress Dimple Kapadia wearing swim wear for the first time.

 'Curry Western' and genre of bandits became prevalent. Theme of revenge dominated
this era. SHOLAY was a blockbuster.

 Manmohan Desai was prominent director of late 70s. Lost and found theme, national
and secular msgs, absent god helping, co-incidences, mother is important and her
suffering is shown. Miracles performed by animals. Family central. Family is united
in the end.
 DEEWAR and TRISHUL by Yash Chopra, show son's trying to erase mother's
suffering.
 Multi-star-cast films were popular.
 Songs, tribal banjara songs were there which was a necessary setting to show the
actors love to bloom.

 End of 70s, commercialization stepped in, and so saree-clad heroines like Hema
malini and Jaya Prada.
 70s marked a distinction between big budget and parallel cinema. Cinemas of Mrinal
Sen, Shyam Benegal showed and later other Kumar Sahani, Govind Nihilani, Ketan
Mehta...all showed self serving political class because of the prevailing political status
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of Emergency and war with Pakistan in Bangladesh. Later these 'New Wave' films
fizzled out due to impact of TV and film exhibitors.

1980s – 1990:

 1980s marked the fall of Amitabh Bachchan.

 Bollywood threatened by western music channels. Lead actresses started performing bold
number to keep up with the trend - bold numbers, bling-bling costumes, voyeuristic camera,
elaborate background sets and dancers.

 Regardless of the theme and plot, these songs were present. (unlike the older pattern where
songs fitted into the occasion and was important to narrative, like K.K.PHOOL

 Family centric romantic musicals- QAYAMAT SE QAYAMAT THAK, MENE PYAR KIYA,
TRIDEV and TEZAAB had more action and glamour. MR INDIA was also a hit.

 Director Rajiv Rai came to be known as Master of Masala films TRIDEV, MOHRA,
GUPT

 Yash Chopra - King of Romance. SILSILA - blockbuster. Popularised foreign location

shooting.

 1988 - Mira Nair's SALAAM BOMBAY nominated for best foreign language film in
Academy Awards. Aparna Sen also ventured as another female director.

 Mahesh Bhatt's ARTH about woman's independence attempted first time.

CHANDNI (1989) film by Yash Chopra ended the violent films genre and brought back
melody and music into Bollywood.

FROM 1950s - 80s bandit films and Marxist films, films of class distinction were recurrent.
Dons and police were often shown. These subsided during end of 80s and are rare since then.

1990s-2000:

1990s and globalisation and commercial uprising. Because our country entered now into
globalisation, the film industry was threatened, and so it churned out traditional films like -
HUM AAPKE HEIN KAUN, DIL TO PAGAL HAI, KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI. All these films
showed richness, but in a traditional way. Costumes were traditional.

Sense of class and community, a sense of belongingness. commodification of culture.

Traditional themes: obedience, patriarchal law, sanctity of relations, family values - all
aspects of social life which came as a threat to our country.

Songs started resembling music videos.

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THEMES ON POOR FAMILY ALMOST OBLITERATED DUE TO GLOBALIZATION.

Divide between parallel and mainstream became more prominent. Parallel cinema was kind
of ignored.

 In 1995, Ash's and Sushmita's wining the beauty pageant created a stir. The Indian
actresses started imitating a more model-like elegance.

 Shiamak Davar's westernized dance started coming into Bollywood. DIL TO PAGAL
HAI was choreographed by him. Saroj Khan started doing fewer numbers.

 End of 1990s, Ram Gopal Verma's SATYA released. Mumbai Noir - urban film
reflecting social problems of Mumbai city.
 post 2000:
 Anurag Kashyap is Master of Mumbai Noir films, 'guerrilla filmmaking' technique -
low budgets, skeleton crew, simple props, real locations, shot quickly, improvisation
on sets. His controversial BLACK FRIDAY was critically acclaimed. Anurag
Kashyap is lke the Quentine Tarentino of Bollywood.
 Danny Boyle inspired by SATYA and BLACK FRIDAY for his SLUMDOG
MILLIONAIRE.
 POST 2000 - More off-beat themes came like DOR, HAZARON KHWAISHEN AISI,
DEV. D, GULAL.

Other changes post 2000 onwards -

Films left the old pattern:

 Poetic dialogues replaced more natural dialogues. Techno-age eradicated poetic

license of films.
 No iconic vamp or villain or comedian (Johny Walker, Johny Lever, Satish Shah,
Mehmood) like earlier films.
 Multi-star-cast less frequent
 Earlier themes of mother, lost and found, revenge, dons and cops, bandits, class
disparity, poverty, are gone. Bolder themes have come in mainstream films - KYA
KEHNA, more recent - OMG and VICKY DONOR. No more joint family themes
because now we are in a society with nuclear families.
 Item number are still continuing.
  LAGAAN did 1st sync sound. KRISHH was Bollywood's proper 1st CGI, SFX
film.
  Increase in overseas market also changed the way films were being made because
distributors wanted films for overseas spectators as well.
  parallel cinema is still present today. It was called the Indian New wave back in
50s, 60s and 70s.

In terms of form -
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Mainstream Bollywood has conformed to the 'INVISIBLE STYLE' of Hollywood where

spectators are not conscious of edits, time lapses, music, lights.

 entrances and exits not there as in older films. Narrative more crisp.
 reaction shots of character of lesser duration than earlier films.
 quicker edits.
 lesser melodramatic acting and songs
 Bollywood became as good as Hollywood in terms of structure and form of film.
 more genres.

Masculinity!!!!! The Greatest transition. From pot-bellied heroes of 1950s, to six-pack heroes! From
submissiveness to aggressiveness.

THE TWO RECURRING THEMES IN BOLLYWOOD ARE:

 Love triangles.
 Romance in the backdrop of rich and poor, elite and middle class, educated and
uneducated.