100 years of Bollywood!

Film industry of any country is also the mirror of its society, its culture, Socio-economic conditions and political scenario. The same can be said about India.

Indian cinema has come a long way. The Indian film industry which is commonly known as “Bollywood” today is 100 years old and is among the oldest film industries in the world. From black and white silent films to talkies and then, to the current digitally advanced and colorful form, Indian cinema has evolved in the last 100 years of its existence.

Dada Saheb Phalke

1913 was the year of birth of Indian cinema. “Raja Harishchandra” was India’s first film (silent) which was directed by Dada Saheb Phalke in the same year. Dhundiraj Govind Phalke or Dada sahgeb Phalke is also known as the father of Indian cinema. Dadasaheb Phalke award is the most prestigious award in the Indian film industry.

The era of silent films came to an end by 1931 when India’s first Talkies or talking movies “Alam Ara” was released. 

A collage of Indian Movie stills.

Post independence, Indian cinema witnessed a major transformation. 50s and 60s can be termed as the Golden era of the Indian film industry. Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, Madhubala, Nargis, Waheeda Rehman and trajedy queen Meena Kumari were some of the famous Actors of that era. Pran was a noted antagonist of the same time. 50s also produced legend film Directors like Satyajit ray, Bimal Roy, Ritwik Ghatak and Mahboob. Awara, Jewel Thief, Guide and Mother India are some of the masterpieces of that era and are timeless classics.

Amitabh Bachchan in "Zanjeer"

70s and 80s was an era which saw the rise of angry young man “Amitabh Bachchan”. He projected a rebellious young man’s image and was a Mega star of that era. The films projected deep rooted unrest and frustration of a common man.

 Romantic Rajesh Khanna, Jitendra, “Dreamgirl” Hema Malini and Rekha were other Mega Stars of the same era. Anand, Koolie, Sholey and Zanjeer were some of the noted movies of this time.

Today, due to the emergence of new age filmmakers like Dibakar, Anurag Kashyap and Vishal Bhardwaj, Bollywood has undergone an enormous transformation. Filmmakers are bold and are not shy of experimentation. Micro Budget films are doing well and prove to be  cost effective.  Bollywood film industry has reached out further to international audiences and, overseas markets make a considerable chunk to Bollywood's revenue.

Gulal, Khosla ka Ghosla, Black Friday are some of critically acclaimed movies of today’s time.