A Cinema Like No Other: Bollywood

I have to keep making films in my country so that it gets established as an industry at home.
-Dadasaheb Phalke

Bollywood is not a name for the Indian filmmaking industry; it is a name for the country’s Hindi film industry and is formerly known as Bombay Cinema. The film industry came to be known as 'Bollywood' because of the Hindi language films produced through the studios in Mumbai (Bombay). Films are made in other languages in India, and each language's industry carries its own name (such as "Tollywood" and "Kollywood").

The Hindi-language film industry is the world’s largest film industry in film production. According to the Censor Board of India, more than 1,600 films were produced in the country in 2012.

India's Independence in 1947 was an influential factor in Bollywood's growth. As it became an autonomous country, National Cinema experienced a Golden Era which saw directors like Satyajit Ray, Guru Dutt, Raj Kapoor, and Vijay Bhatt create a wide range of classic films.

Beginning of Bollywood

Dadasaheb Phalke also known as the Father of Indian Cinema released the first ever full-length feature film ‘Raja Harishchandra’ in 1913. The silent film was a commercial hit. Dadasaheb was not only the producer but was also the director, writer, cameraman, editor, make-up artist and art director.

The phenomenal success of Raja Harishchandra was kept up by Phalke with a series of mythological films followed.

- Mohini Bhasmasur of 1914
- Satyavan Savitri of 1914
He as well established studio culture in India. The emergence of numerous new production companies was seen in the early 1920s.

Beginning of the Talkies

In 1931 the first ever talkie ‘Alam Ara’ by Ardeshir Irani was screened in Bombay. It was the first sound film in India. Phiroz Shah was the first music director of Alam Ara. The first song recorded for this film was ‘De de khuda ke naam par’ which was sung by W.M. Khan.

Growth of Regional Films

The emergence of new sound films came and gave rise to the parallel cinema movement.

The first Bengali feature film ‘Nal Damyanti’ in 1917 was produced by J.F. Madan and after that in the year 1919, the screening of the first silent South Indian feature film named ‘Keechaka Vadham’ was done. The movie was made by R. Nataraja Mudaliar. 1932 gave the first Marathi film ‘Ayodhecha Raja’ which was directed by V. Shantaram.

Various genres came out as a result of the growth of Indian cinema. Genres like Comedy, Tragedy, Drama, Horror, and Romance became very famous. These genres were even mixed together to make movies which came to be known as Masala Films.

Birth of New Era

The birth of the modern Indian Film industry took place around 1947. The modern era saw more advancement in Cinematography, Art designing and editing. Digitalization gave more portable reels and machines to shoot and save the film.

Thus, cinema is not bound by the constraints of mobility or literacy and it has reached and satisfied the Indian public in a way no prior medium had.