The birth of Bollywood dated back to 1913, the year in which Dadasaheb Phalke's silent movie Raja Harishchandra was released. After the roaring success of the film, creative people and technicians stepped into movie making in Mumbai. The introduction of sound in Bollywood cinema was with Alam Ara made in 1931, and it was followed by the first Hindi film in colour, titled Kisan Kanya.
During the Second World War and the period of independence movement in the 1940s, Bollywood seemed to move away from reality with a vengeance and concentrated on making escapist films to provide some much needed joy to the masses. However, relevant social problems were also depicted on screen, and Achhut Kanya that dealt with the trials and tribulations of a Dalit woman was released, besides an array of films of patriotic fervour like Shaheed.
Poverty in villages and lasting family values were finely depicted in Mehboob Khan's Mother India, which hit the screens in 1957. During the same period, ace director Guru Dutt gifted the audience such wonderful films like Pyaasa, and the versatile Raj Kapoor made two outstanding films, namely Shree 420 and Awara. Mughal-E-Azam (1960) was an epic on celluloid that brought the Mughal era on the Indian screen with great realism.
Film actors like Dev Anand, Ashok Kumar, Nargis and Madhubala became heartthrobs of millions, and music directors like OP Nayyar and SD Burman kept the listeners spellbound by their immortal musical compositions. Singers like Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar ruled the hearts of millions of listeners during the 50s and 60s with their god-gifted voice.
Shammi Kapoor carved out a career as a swinging star of the 60s with his on-screen histrionics and Elvis-like looks. Amitabh Bachchan with his action hero image ruled Bollywood in the 70s. Action films ruled the minds of the cine goers during the eighties, but with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988), the audience started appreciating romantic movies. Romance continues to be the staple theme in a large proportion of even the latest Bollywood movies. However Bollywood today has a much more sophisticated industry, producing movies that often get a lot of acclaim from all over the globe.
During the Second World War and the period of independence movement in the 1940s, Bollywood seemed to move away from reality with a vengeance and concentrated on making escapist films to provide some much needed joy to the masses. However, relevant social problems were also depicted on screen, and Achhut Kanya that dealt with the trials and tribulations of a Dalit woman was released, besides an array of films of patriotic fervour like Shaheed.
Poverty in villages and lasting family values were finely depicted in Mehboob Khan's Mother India, which hit the screens in 1957. During the same period, ace director Guru Dutt gifted the audience such wonderful films like Pyaasa, and the versatile Raj Kapoor made two outstanding films, namely Shree 420 and Awara. Mughal-E-Azam (1960) was an epic on celluloid that brought the Mughal era on the Indian screen with great realism.
Film actors like Dev Anand, Ashok Kumar, Nargis and Madhubala became heartthrobs of millions, and music directors like OP Nayyar and SD Burman kept the listeners spellbound by their immortal musical compositions. Singers like Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar ruled the hearts of millions of listeners during the 50s and 60s with their god-gifted voice.
Shammi Kapoor carved out a career as a swinging star of the 60s with his on-screen histrionics and Elvis-like looks. Amitabh Bachchan with his action hero image ruled Bollywood in the 70s. Action films ruled the minds of the cine goers during the eighties, but with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988), the audience started appreciating romantic movies. Romance continues to be the staple theme in a large proportion of even the latest Bollywood movies. However Bollywood today has a much more sophisticated industry, producing movies that often get a lot of acclaim from all over the globe.