Bollywood – The Who, What, When, Where, Why and How?

Did you know that Bollywood star Abhijeet Bhattacharya recently donated 50,000 Rupees to Hemophilia Federation India? The MTV India Lifetime Achievement Award-winner partnered with fellow Bollywood star, Shaan, and Hemophilia Federation India to raise awareness of the condition, which brought hemophilia front and center via one of the region’s most revered sources of entertainment.

Although Bollywood produces the most films in all of India and is one of the largest centers of film production in the world, it’s estimated that only between 13,000 and 16,000 of the more one billion people in India have been diagnosed with hemophilia, though the actual estimates are closer to 148,000, with most cases going unreported.¹ Much like hemophilia in India, the preconceived notions of Bollywood don’t necessarily reflect the true reach of the art form.

Bollywood was named for the convergence of Bombay (present-day Mumbai) and Hollywood (the epicenter of the American film scene). The coined name originated when India beat out the United States as the world’s largest film producer – in the 1970s.

Bollywood’s music also has its own coined name: Filmi, which is derived from the Hindi meaning "of films." What’s interesting about Bollywood songs is that they are – in most cases – pre-recorded by professional playback singers, meaning that actors on screen lip synch the words to the songs, often while dancing. While most on-screen characters have well-flexed acting and dancing chops, few can say the same for singing. Playback singers usually get top billing when the opening credits roll, and even have their own dedicated fan bases. Some fans go as far to see sub-par movies just to hear their favorite vocalists.

Playback singers aren’t the only crowd pleasers. The musical directors of Bollywood films – those who compose the music – are also fan-favorites. The popularity of their songs usually determines the fate of a Bollywood film. Indian pop music is also heavily influenced by Bollywood. Film and music producers have been known to collaborate and remix film songs with modern beats and rhythms.

The dancing in Bollywood films, especially the firsts of the genre, is modeled after classical Indian folk dance styles. However, dance styles continue to shift more towards western and Broadway styles. Much like American movie musicals, the lead characters often perform with a dance troupe, also known as an ensemble. In most cases, song and dance scenes – unrealistically and instantaneously – shift locations and costumes often, sometimes between verses of the same song. To help viewers extend their disbelief, directors use a feature called picturization, which is staging the song and dance number in stunning natural surroundings or grand architecture settings.
 
India’s first home-grown movie, The Wrestler, which documented a wrestling match in 1899 put India in the movie-making game, but Bollywood’s most critically-acclaimed films weren’t produced until shortly after India gained independence in the 1940s. During this period, Bollywood’s first blockbusters hit the silver screens, including Awaara in 1951, Shree 420 in 1955, Pyaasa in 1957 and Kaagaz Ke Phool in 1959.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Bollywood was taken over by romance movies and action films, starring actors like Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, and Sharmila Tagore.

In the latter part of the 1970s, Bollywood shifted from romance films to gritty, violent depiction of the Indian mafia. This theme lasted until the early 1990s.

During the 1990s, Bollywood shifted focus back to family-friendly and romantic musicals. Action and comedy films were also successful during this time period.

Nowadays, you’ve likely noticed that the 2000s gave way to the global widespread popularity of Bollywood. During this time, Bollywood’s influence spread across the ocean to the Western world and played a significant role in increasing the popularity of American musical films, such as Moulin Rouge, which was released in 2001. Moulin Rouge’s director, Baz Luhrmann, admitted the inspiration for his film was a direct result of Bollywood musicals. Many other western filmmakers followed in Luhraman’s footsteps, producing and directing films such as Chicago, The Producers, Rent, Dreamgirls, Hairspray, Phantom of the Opera, and Mamma Mia! – all of which featured some of Hollywood’s most popular actors.

Since its humble beginnings, Bollywood has come a long way. From India’s first movie by portrait photographer Harischandra Sakharam Bhatavdekar in 1899, called the Wrestler, to 2008’s Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, the art form continues to influence not only India, but the world.

¹Frankly.net, September 2011, http://frankly.net/en/travel/the-india-factor/