“Bade, bade, desho mein, aisi choti choti baatein….” Congratulations if you completed the line! You have managed to be part of this planet’s most iconic entertainment industry, Bollywood!!
India is unique in various aspects, be it the food or people. One must also understand that as a country we are a land of emotional beings. We treat animals as religious beings, cricket matches as wars and movies as something bigger than life. Today cinema is India’s soft power. Bollywood icons like Shahrukh Khan, Amitabh Bachan and Shabana Azmi have a massive fan following even abroad.
The question arises what makes this industry and its art so unique? When seen from a Western perspective there is a lot of song, dance and Indian drama, not to forget the ever-lasting action scenes where the protagonist combats ten antagonists (or as we call the villains) at the same time. When seen from the Indian lens, it is a gateway. A gateway, that enables everyone irrespective of their caste, creed, religion, social or economic background to live those 180 minutes as someone they wish to be, a theatre artist, a scientist or even at times the Prime minster of this country by visualising themselves by the characters they see on the screen. Today as I take you through the magical lanes of cinema, tighten your seat belts and place your hearts safely as even you might fall for this industry.
The British have looted us of resources but it is undeniable that they took back everything they brought (some would argue that they left behind today’s grammar police:P). The first cinematic experience was a gift of the French Lumière brothers, who showcased a set of six films in the basement of the Watson Hotel in Bombay. This screening exposed Indians to a new world of possibilities and soon after there were screenings in Calcutta of events and plays recorded in Bombay, thus bringing the country closer.
The first Indian film to be released was Raja Harishchandra by Dadasaheb Phalke in Bombay. This was a silent black-and-white motion picture based on the life of a famous ruler. This release had a tremendous impact on everyone such that today we recognise Dada Saheb Phalke as the father of Indian Cinema. Cinema to thrive needed an industry to sustain it which developed over the years. There were many production houses the cinema chain was founded quite early by a Parsi gentleman Jashedji Framji Madan named Madan Cinemas. In the next four decades, Indian Cinema made a manifold progress. ‘Mother India’, India’s first motion picture with sound was released which to date leaves the audience in praise of the work. Following this in the next 3 decades, Indian cinema got a major boost with colour films being produced.
The initial days of Bollywood were followed by an era of golden jubilees, during this time India got its superstars like Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Madhubala etc. Films have played a role in fostering stronger diplomatic ties with many nations. One classic case of this can be considered Russians to date enjoying songs like – “Mera juta japani..”. Such was the stardom of Raj Kapoor, as per some, he is believed to have travelled to Russia without any visa and on landing received free access to the country. Later, as he boarded a taxi, he was amused by seeing the crowd that gathered instantly on recognising him. Mera Naam Joker a classic, one of the longest films in Indian Cinema (it had 2 intervals) was shot for over six years it had Russian actors and some scenes were also shot in Russia.
The craziness of cinema does not end here, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenege (DDLJ) was released nearly thirty years ago. Even today one can experience the magic of this timeless, picturesque mustard fields, the comic yet adorable father-son bond of Raj and Dharamvir Malhotra, the story of Raj and Simran and the iconic scene – ‘Jaa Simran Jaa, Jee le Apni Zindagi’ at the railway station. Where? If one may ask, the answer would be Martha Mandir in Mumbai at thirty Rupees. India is a country of ambitious people and their ambitions come true through such stories.
Over the years there have been various transitions in filmmaking. Many actors, producers, and directors come from the theatre. They come from a set-up with no re-takes and each scene is crafted to hold its live audience. Some names include Shabana Aazmi, Naseerudin Shah and Manoj Pawha whose contributions are immeasurable. This shift from theatre to Cinema brought themes that were not a part of Bollywood before. It reintroduced the idea of adaptation, with movies like City Lights, Margarita with a Straw and Paa, the masses were introduced to many new themes.
However, there has been a rise in the number of movies which have yet to receive a warm reception from everyone in the audience. The reason, for this is they are either considered polarising or are being boycotted by people of similar ideologies, belief systems etc. To put it in simple terms the art of spreading joy at times is seen from the lens of polarisation. This is true to some extent, as one must agree there can be various narratives of the same incident and the version of everyone’s truth can be different. Not falling for the debate if movies are creating or supporting any narrative, one must learn to enjoy the art of storytelling and steer clear of such debates to a good extent as such debates at times degrade the joy of cinema…
India’s media and entertainment industry was valued at over 2.3 trillion Indian rupees in 2023 out of which nearly 33% was a contribution of Bollywood. Revenue in this sector is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2024-2029) of 5.50%, which will result in a projected market volume of US$6.05bn by 2029. The contributions of Bollywood and the industry at large across the nation have been enormous to these figures. The works of Raja Mouli, Aamir Khan, A R Rehman, and Guneet Monga have not only won accolades but have also been a sneak peek in India.
As we conclude this journey, one must address the rise of OTT platforms. These platforms have brought the cinematic universe closer to its fans but have had a detrimental impact on the multiplex industry. Though there are two sides to a coin such is the idea of OTT and its content. Whilst the pros include easy access and a wide range the cons like lack of moderation and loss of larger-than-life experience make a strong case for consumers of content. At last, if you have been reading this article to the end it is my humble entreaty to you to experience this world once as one learns a few life lessons at times and I too would like to leave you with one of my favourites from the legendary actor Rajesh Khanna – “Babumoshai, zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahi”…