Bollywood

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What is Bollywood?
The term Bollywood comprises of all Bombay-based, Hindi language films. The Indian film industry at large includes many multi-lingual cinematic hubs outside of Bombay. When combined, this industry prides itself as the largest in the world. Bollywood holds the record for the largest quantity of films produced per annum as well as in tickets sold (BollywoodWorld).

Bollywood films can be divided into two separate categories: reality and fantasy. The reality-based films document the economic and social standing of India. The fantasy-based films provide an escape from the sometimes-difficult reality many individuals face. However, the distinction between reality and fantasy depends on the context. Different audiences will either relate to a film or use it as an escape from reality, depending on their lifestyle. media type="youtube" key="qI3SNRTEDd8"

History and Legends of Bollywood
Raja Harishchandra in 1913, was the first silent feature film made in India made by Dadasaheb Phalke. The first Indian film with sound was Ardeshir Irani's Alam Ara in 1931, which was a super hit. This film marked a huge new market for films in India.

Bollywood had just begun. This period marked the history of the Great Depression, World War II and the independence of India, which affected how films were presented and used in India. In fact, many films were used as forms of escapism, while others tackled social issues and attempted to get the public to struggle for Indian independence.
 * 1930s- 1940s**

The late 1950s marked a movement from black and white films to colour. Musicals and dramas were an important aspect of Bollywood. Successful actors during this time were Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor.
 * 1950s- 1960s**

1960s- 1970s** More violent movies were being made, with romantic movies coexisting. Dharmendra was a major star.
 * Dilip Kumar

**Dharmendra**

Western type movies with violence and gangs were becoming popular such as the movie Sholay released in 1975 starring the biggest names of Bollywood which at the time were: Amitabh Bachan, Dharmendra, and Hema Malini. However, the top actor during this decade and even in the 1980s to 1990s was Amitabh Bachan with his "angry young man" image. Amitabh Bhachan also continues to appear in movies even today.
 * 1970s- 1980s**


 * Poster of Sholay in 1975 on left and recent picture of Amitabh Bachan on right**

Romance and family movies made a big comeback. Madhuri Dixit was considered one of the top actresses who launched her career in the late 80s and delivered her biggest hit in 1994 with Hum Aapke Hain Koun. In the 90s, Bollywood also had several other super hits, such as Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge in 1995 because it was innocent, a family movie that was violent-free in an era where violence was taking precedence. in 1989 Maine Pyrar Kyun Kiya was a mega-hit, bringing to fame Salman Khan, one of the 'Three Khans' who are known to be the best actors in Bollywood: Salman Khan (known for his romantic comedies, fun flirty roles and action flicks), Aamir Khan (known for his deep, well etched out character roles and Shah Rukh Khan (known for his emotional family dramas and considered the best actor of the three Khans and the leading actor of today). Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in 1998 starred Shahrukh Khan, and after this movie more Hindi movies were made targetted mainly toward the NRI audience (Non-residential Indians, or Indians who live abroad).
 * 1980s-1990s**
 * Madhuri Dixit on left in a poster for Hum Aapke Hain Koun. On the right, Shahrukh Khan and actress Kajol in a scene from Dilwale Dulhania La Jayeng****e**

Romance stories start to get boring. Bollywood is now embracing more mature and Westernized themes similar to Hollywood such as murder, politics, and sex being explored more fully rather than being censored in Bollywood films, with kissing scenes and some aspects of sex scenes even being shown. Arguably, Bollywood has now gone on a sex wave, showing more and more skin and promoting 'sex out of the closet'.
 * 2000- present**


 * Bipasha Basu and John Abraham in Jism**

Bollywood meets Broadway
The use of song and dance plays an extremely crucial role in the Bollywood formula. Scattered throughout the average three and a half hour film, the audience can expect four to five musical numbers. The song and dance numbers occur at the most crucial points of a film to heighten tragedy, romance, and celebration. The music created for Bollywood films is an industry of itself. Prior to its release, the film launches a soundtrack. The success of a film’s soundtrack can determine the overall success of the film. Furthermore, most trailers include clips from the musical numbers, disregarding the plot. The significance of Bollywood’s music extends throughout Indian culture, influencing the most popular songs at weddings, in nightclubs, and other social settings.

Life Imitates Art, Art Imitates Life
Bollywood also impacts other aspects of culture, especially fashion. Particularly in blockbuster films, the clothing worn by the lead actress becomes highly desired by the general mass. The fashion industry takes direction for the following season from the demands of the consumer.

Not only does Bollywood serve as a predictor of fashion and music trends, but also as a channel for setting standards of beauty. In the past, fair-skinned actors with light eyes such as Aishwarya Rai and Hritik Roshan received the most adoration. Even an actor with a darker complexion submitted to strong lighting and make-up to falsify fairness and increase their popularity. Today however, several enamored actors with darker features such as Abhishek Bachan and Rani Mukherjee, reflect the majority of the Indian population. The very features Bollywood once attempted to conceal with lighting and make-up are now embraced. This also assists in changing the opinions of those in society, who used to – and still do to a lesser extent – look down upon Indians with darker complexions.

Bollywood also showcases components of successful and failed intimate relationships. Films such as “[|Chalte Chalte]” (Following the path) demonstrate the personal problems found specifically in Indian relationships. Hindi films cover social issues that are particular to the Indian community. Issues such as inter-faith marriage, pre-marital sex, and arranged marriage, to name a few.

The Blockbuster
In 2002, the remake of the classic tragedy “Devdas” (a boy’s name) was reputed as one of the most expensive Hindi films ever made and one of the “biggest box-office grossers of the decade” (BollywoodWorld). Furthermore, the pre-colonization setting of the film stood out during a time when Bollywood was feeling the effects of Americanization. Rather than incorporating extreme western ideals to achieve popularity, Devdas returned to modest Indian standards. Even today, four years after the film’s release, “Devdas”- inspired saris and jewelry remain popular. Since the success of this groundbreaking film there has been a wave of historic movies, reminding the Indian community of their difficult past.

After the success of Devdas, remakes of old classics are becoming common. The 1981 classic hit Umrao Jaan was remade in 2006, with another appearance by Aishwariya Rai (also appeared in the 2002 remake of Devdas). This movie, based in the mid-1800's, is a story of a girl named Ameeran, who was kidnapped and placed into a brothel at a young age. Once into the brothel, her named was changed to Umrao Jaan and the movie continues its journey as Umrao Jaan faces many hardships throughout her life. Another hit, this movie shows the success of cultural-based and historical dramas with the Indian population (imdb.com)

Looking in the Future
Bollywood’s greatest challenge today is merging the variety of tastes and themes to appeal to the masses. Certain films containing kissing and love making are regarded as extremely modern and controversial. This concept is still new to Bollywood since the Indian government only recently lifted the ban on intimate scenes in films. Other films prefer to focus on social and political issues such as corruption and women’s rights. These films appeal to the serious moviegoers, in search of thought-provoking cinema. The films that achieve the most success, such as “[|Shakti]” (Feminine Power) blend old India (the rural village setting) with new India (modern dance and heavy percussions). This will most likely be the future route that Bollywood takes.

Bollywood is an artifact of popular Indian culture. Since its conception, this genre has documented the cultural transition from traditional themes to western trends. As India continues to evolve politically, socially and culturally, Bollywood will produce films that reflect these changes.

Bollywood and Western Crossovers
Interestingly, at the end of the nineties Indian commercial films started gaining recognition in the West. The movie 'Taal' directed by Subash Ghai became the first Indian film to enter the US top 20 and Dil Se was the first Hindi movie to be entered in the British box-office charts. Even Hollywood's big companies like Columbia Tristar and Polygram have been involved in Bollywod ventures. Star TV, the cable created by Rupert Murdoch wants to launch a Hindi film channel. Additionally, NRI's and Indians who live abroad enjoy and live off Hindi movies to bring them back to their roots and their culture, atleast for the three hours they escape from daily problems.

A big moment for Bollywood was when the 2001 American film "Moulin Rouge" featured a techno-music remix of the hit Bollywood song "Chuma Chuma." Another turning point was when "Devdas," starring Aishwarya Rai, made a huge impact at the Cannes film festival in 2002. And in 2004, the Bollywood-themed Broadway musical "Bombay Dreams" brought a taste of the Indian genre to American audiences. The exposure Aishwarya Rai received from "Devdas", as well as her mesmerizing eyes, stunning beauty and fluent English, have made her the most widely known Bollywood actress outside India. The 30-year-old former Miss World became the new face of L'Oreal and then tour Britain, the U.S. and Canada in a Bollywood road show (TIME.com). She will also act in a string of film roles such as Coline Serreau's Chaos, in which she plays a prostitute who is rescued by a housewife, played by Meryl Streep; Singularity, a historical drama about British colonial India from Roland Joffe (The Killing Fields); and Bride and Prejudice, director Gurinder Chadha's follow-up to her 2002 hit Bend It Like Beckham (TIME.com).

Recently, taboo in Indian films has caused lots of controversy. Films such as Tum, Hawas, Murder, Girlfriend, and Julie contain content that Indian society avoids. These films contain sexual content, which is considered taboo when exposed openly. Content in the movies listed above include topics such as prostitution, female homosexuality, sex, and other genres not easily accepted in Indian culture. Often, films such as these trigger widespread protests and civil unrest. Hindu fundamentalists often burn movie poster and billboards, riot, cause destruction of film theatres and participate in other vandalistic acts.

Helpful Websites
http://www.bollywood.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollywood http://www.planetbollywood.com/

References

> http://www.10ka20.com/img/dilip-kumar-2.jpg > http://www.bollywoodcity.com/profiles/dharmendra.gif > http://www.directmovie.nl/dm/upload/jism.jpg
 * "What is Bollywood?" __BollywoodWorld__. 1997. BBC. 05 Feb. 2006 <[|http://www.bollywoodworld.com/whatisbollywood/>.]
 * Devdas Image
 * [|Rani Mukherjee]
 * [|Aishwarya Rai]
 * [|Abhishek Bachan]
 * [|Hrithik Roshan]
 * Picture of Dilip Kumar:
 * Picture of Dharmendra:
 * Picture of Amitabh Bachan: [|http://www.popcorn.org]
 * Sholay picture and info from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sholay
 * Hum Aapke Hain Koun movie poster and info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hum_Aapke_Hain_Kaun
 * Image from Dilwale Dulhania La Jayenge: http://movies.sulekha.com/hindi/dilwale-dulhania-le-jayenge/pictures/1.htm
 * Poster of Jism:
 * History of Bollywood.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollywood
 * Profile and article on Aishwarya Rai http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,994006,00.html
 * Information on Umrao Jaan: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0485522/
 * http://www.culturopedia.com/Cinema/recentfilms.html