Bollywood Films Then And Now
Exactly 100 years ago, in the year 1913 history was made, when the first Bollywood silent movie was released. The film was created by the father of Indian cinema, Dadasaheb Phalke and was called Raja Harishchandra. It depicted the legends of King Harishchandra and was the first step in the epic launch of the entertainment industry in India.
Today, Bollywood is a multi-million dollar business. It churns out over 1000 films annually, which is almost twice as much as its western counterpart. Bollywood movies are just one aspect of the Indian entertainment industry. There are numerous regional languages spoken in different parts of the country hence, each state has its own selection of movies made in the spoken language. These movies are successful in their respective states and reap a good amount of profits every year.
If you look back at the movies of yesteryear, you will find a significant number of changes in the way the new Bollywood movies are approached and produced. There are four notable phases in the production of films let us look at each of these periods.
The first phase was the beginning of the Hindi film industry it started around 1940s and went on until 1960s. This period is labelled as the Golden Era of Indian Cinema. It featured a number of films that were a huge success like Shree 420, Mother India and Awaara. These movies usually featured a lead character that emerged from a poor background and constantly struggled to uplift, achieve his goals while staying true to his beliefs. The films where meant to target people in the rural areas. They offered a storyline the people could relate to and were a great success.
From the 1960s to the first half of the 1980s the second phase of Indian cinema began. During this period, the films featured a number of action scenes and almost always had a romantic angle. There was a hated villain who usually worked for the mafia and an angry youngster who would emerge as the hero. He would take on the don and win the affections of the leading lady in the process. Some successful films that were launched during this period include; Sholay, Bobby and Anand.
From the 1980s to the year 2000, there was a drastic change in the entire approach towards movie making. Technology was harnessed to come up with a new outlook on Indian movies. Although the movies were still predominantly romantic, a number of comedies were also released. A large number of these movies were filmed abroad with a just a mention of India.
Finally we reach the fourth phase, the phase we are in today, where more importance is given to visual effects, than to the story line. A number of 3D movies have been launched and this genre will probably go on to become the future of the film industry.
Today, Bollywood films are widely accepted all over the world. They have come a long way from the time where affections were portrayed through glances or smirks, where movies stretched over four long hours and included a number of musical dance numbers. Now the films have been modernized they tell stories that will entertain and thrill the public in different parts of the globe.
Today, Bollywood is a multi-million dollar business. It churns out over 1000 films annually, which is almost twice as much as its western counterpart. Bollywood movies are just one aspect of the Indian entertainment industry. There are numerous regional languages spoken in different parts of the country hence, each state has its own selection of movies made in the spoken language. These movies are successful in their respective states and reap a good amount of profits every year.
If you look back at the movies of yesteryear, you will find a significant number of changes in the way the new Bollywood movies are approached and produced. There are four notable phases in the production of films let us look at each of these periods.
The first phase was the beginning of the Hindi film industry it started around 1940s and went on until 1960s. This period is labelled as the Golden Era of Indian Cinema. It featured a number of films that were a huge success like Shree 420, Mother India and Awaara. These movies usually featured a lead character that emerged from a poor background and constantly struggled to uplift, achieve his goals while staying true to his beliefs. The films where meant to target people in the rural areas. They offered a storyline the people could relate to and were a great success.
From the 1960s to the first half of the 1980s the second phase of Indian cinema began. During this period, the films featured a number of action scenes and almost always had a romantic angle. There was a hated villain who usually worked for the mafia and an angry youngster who would emerge as the hero. He would take on the don and win the affections of the leading lady in the process. Some successful films that were launched during this period include; Sholay, Bobby and Anand.
From the 1980s to the year 2000, there was a drastic change in the entire approach towards movie making. Technology was harnessed to come up with a new outlook on Indian movies. Although the movies were still predominantly romantic, a number of comedies were also released. A large number of these movies were filmed abroad with a just a mention of India.
Finally we reach the fourth phase, the phase we are in today, where more importance is given to visual effects, than to the story line. A number of 3D movies have been launched and this genre will probably go on to become the future of the film industry.
Today, Bollywood films are widely accepted all over the world. They have come a long way from the time where affections were portrayed through glances or smirks, where movies stretched over four long hours and included a number of musical dance numbers. Now the films have been modernized they tell stories that will entertain and thrill the public in different parts of the globe.
Source...