Discover a quick history of Bollywood, what itâs all about and why it will capture your heart.
*I’d just like to point out that I wanted to add amazing photos of Bollywood actors and films and songs etc but I haven’t worked out the whole “We’re suing and taking all your wages” situation with google copyright lol so once I take my own pictures I shall add them in! Please Search: Amitabh Bachan, Irrfan Khan and bollywood on google, and defintely bollywood songs on youtube lol. Sorry it’s dull!*
The word âBollywoodâ came from playing on the obvious âHollywoodâ but using the letter âBâ from the centre of India and the film world, Bombay (now known as Mumbai).
Back in the dayyy, Hollywood and Bollywood were two completely separate industries, with Bollywood being smaller yet producing a higher number of films yearly. Bollywood has now gained popularity on a global scale, and has known to exchange film adaptations, music and dance styles, singers and even renowned actors with Hollywood.
The main ideology an audience believes about Bollywood is that âit has a lot of musicâ. It really does to be honest, and itâs almost always epic. The introduction of music was a turning point of cinema as though Hollywood was producing musicals; they were at the time restricted to that one genre of music only being in musical genres.
After WWII, the making of production houses and the whole shebang, a new wave of Bollywood film introduced Manmohan Desai (1937-1994). A celebrated director, he changed the Bollywood industry and films as the audience knew them. By providing lengthy films full of music, dancing and entertainment, Desai showed all genres and all emotions in one movie, through different songs and dances.
Thank you Desai mate!
Desai created many iconic films that many view as the definition of Bollywood such as Amar, Akbar and Anthony (1977) which starred Amitabh Bachan, an actor who is infamous as a superstar in both Bollywood and has ventured into Hollywood films more recently. He was deemed by French director Francois Truffaut as âa one man industryâ after Desaiâs film and was called the most influential actor of the industry.
Amitabh Bachan has received the highest prestigious awards in both India and internationally for his contribution to film and the arts including The Padma Vibhushan in 2015 which is the highest civilian award in India awarded by the President. His recent Hollywood role, though many wished to work with the actor previously, was Baz Luhrmannâs the Great Gatsby (2013) alongside Leonardo DiCaprio (aka Romeo, aka imaginary husband).
 He is a great place to start if you want to watch a classic, Olden Goldie Bollywood film, even if you donât know Bollywood, ask any film guru about AB, Theyâll know!
As well as launching icon Amitabh Bachan, Manmohan Desai was most well-known for creating the term âMasala Filmâ (ICONIC!). This term is defined as a Bollywood film that includes âa mash of genres including action, comedy, and melodrama punctuated by approximately six song and dance numbersâ.
To this day, the majority of Bollywood films are not divided into sub genres, as Masala Film is an all-in-one and a genre in its self. If a film is deemed âmasalaâ it is normally an up to 2-3ish hour film that is based on romance but includes action, comedy and most importantly drama, along with many songs and âitem numbersâ.
 Item numbers are a music video which usually includes a dance beat and a female dancer that looks good on screen to basically, sell the film. They are much more common in present day Bollywood and if they cannot be placed somewhere in the film, they roll with the credits to keep the audiences, males especially, cheering and whistling in the cinema screen. Some films often become box office hits with audiences buying tickets simply to see an actress dance daringly on the big screen. Smart move.
Some of the latest item songs are lead by male actors now too! Something for everyone đ
Desai described his Masala Films by saying:
 âI want people to forget their misery. I want to take them into a dream world where there is no poverty, where there are no beggars, where fate is kind and god is busy looking after his flock.â (AboutEntertainment, Andrew Grant).
How sweet. Haha Iâm starting to really like this Desai.
The Masala film structure plays a vital part in the industry as this is what Bollywood is known for and what they do best. Many films still use the structure of a Masala for contemporary movies, but there is more presently a rise in focusing on the plot, dramatic tension and character development throughout a story.
 The stereotypical image of Bollywood films, for example a make believe, over the top love story which suffers a family conflict until the hero wins heroines father over with a few musical numbers, is still what is loved by most audiences. This is due to the Indian culture that is most relatable to them as a society. Although the screenplay can be exaggerated, the fundamental scenes such as the dancing at events and family orientated lifestyles actually exist. As Bollywood grew with films about family and relationships, so did its audience. Globally, it showed how welcoming India is and made Westerners interested in the lifestyle they see in the films.
As Bollywood is most widely known for its romance, song and dance numbers, it can be seen by many as an unrealistic perspective of life: âsomething goes wrong and queue the sad songâ but this is what differentiates the industries. Bollywood is always used as a form of escapism from the real world by its audiences. The films are generally happy endings and a rollercoaster of emotions- but this is because we WANT the characters to succeed in their life and relationship goals.
The technicalities are less important than the love story. The songs and dance moves become viral and Indian residents often form crowds around the actorsâ houses, dance along in the cinema and copy their favourite heroâs hairstyle, outfit and one liner quotes. The over the top displays of affection are present in Hollywood romance/chick flick genres, which is a common trait in both industries, but the traditional morals of characters is something Indian audiences take very seriously.
In more recent years, Bollywood is both praised and criticised for the way they have adapted their customs to more of a Western ideology. Films classed as âclassicsâ or classic Bollywood are extremely different to the majority of films made today. The standard âMasalaâ film which was mentioned previously now contains evident influences from Hollywood film and western ideologies.
 Audiences have changed their perspectives from traditional and cultural cinema to western entertainment value, as the majority of films made today lack depth and any Indian culture. In modern Bollywood, there are now many more changes that have occurred due to the rise of Western films being watched in India. As well as intimate scenes in movies, clothing for both male and female actors has changed rapidly.
That however, is a topic of conversation for a ranting blog about western values reaching eastern cultures.
Donât get me wrong though, the films will still become your go to hobby, time pass and new addiction. Great music, bright colours and moving scenes- thereâs nothing better really.
Film critics and audiences alike are gaining an interest in Bollywood globally. Many are interested in the way Bollywood films are made, and the entertainment techniques that are used. Hollywood and the West now approach Indian actorâs e.g. Irrfan khan, Anil Kapoor, for roles that US actors may not execute the same.
Irrfan Khan has crossed over the industries and acted in Hollywood films such as Slumdog Millionaire (Anil Kapoor was in this too, playing Chris Tarrant and whoever hosts the US Who wants to be a Millionaire), The Amazing Spiderman, The Namesake and Ang Leeâs Life of Pi, where he played the adult version of Pi himself. In Hollywood, he last acted in Jurassic World (2015). Khan is also set to star in the 2016 Ron Howard release Inferno opposite Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks.
In recent years more celebrities are being served recognition and getting nominated for awards of International Categories. A good example to focus on would be Bollywood Singer and Musician A.R. Rahman, who won Oscars for his work on Danny Boyles âSlumdog Millionaireâ (2009) and has continued to work across Industries, recently working with American musicians Will.i.am, Pussycat dolls and more.
 Bollywood Actress Priyanka Chopra is now the lead actress in American TV series Quantico- she won a Peopleâs Choice Award yesterday!
Many Bollywood film award shows also paid homage to Hollywood stars, with the likes of Kevin Spacey and John Travolta attending the 2014 Filmfare Awards (India).
Another common crossover which occurs almost every year is the high number of Bollywood films that are nominated for international awards under International categories: In 2013, Ritesh Batraâs âThe Lunchboxâ was nominated for the Grand Rail dâOr Audience Award at the 66th Cannes Film Festival and won.
Bollywood has been nominated for awards such as Oscars and Academy awards since âMother Indiaâ in 1957 (Rishi, 2012).
Just to put Bollywoodâs awesomeness into perspective, hereâs a cool quote:
 âThe massive size of Indian Cinema is obvious from the statistics: eight hundred films a year shown in more than thirteen thousand predominantly urban cinemas, viewed by an average eleven million people each day, and exported to around a hundred countries.â
-Vijay Mishra, 2002.
Eleven million people!? Each day! That number is most likely even higher now. *mindblown*
So please, whether youâve just learnt about Bollywood through this essay of a blog, or knew bits and bobs about it, give it a chance and get those feel good vibes going! Then you can all dance with me âș
I hope youâve learnt something new or enjoyed at least a sentence of this blog post! I can write some films/songs/actors Iâd recommend if this has sparked an interest at all.
Thank you if you made it to the end! You trooper! â„
Qureshi online 