Bollywood:
The World of Indian Film

The Indian film industry, based in Bombay and known to the world as Bollywood, produces over 1,000 films a year and reaches 3.6 billion people worldwide. People from countries in the Middle East, South and East Asia, Fiji Islands, and the Caribbean are followers of Indian films. Also to be included, somewhat strangely, is Russia, where in the 1960s the Indian films became a big hit. In some of these countries Western films are banned yet Indian films are allowed to be screened. The main reason is because the Indian cinema censor board, despite being a bit more relaxed recently, does not allow kissing on the screen to this day.

Bollywood and Hollywood began at essentially the same time in the 1920s. Originally, Indian and Western film progressed along a parallel path. Both industries began with multi-faceted stories that fulfilled many different audience needs, yet a gulf emerged due to the Indian film industry’s reluctance to change due to cultural expectations, illiteracy, and censorship.

These factors have hindered Western acceptance of Indian films. In addition, the subject matter of most films is particularly culturally oriented. Western audiences who are not familiar with cultural nuances might not easily understand the meaning of certain things happening within the film. 

For most of the population of India, especially the poor, Bollywood movies offer an escape from the relative poverty and hardships they face. During festivals and occasions, it is quite common for people to celebrate together by pooling money or getting a sponsor to support a screening event. Food is distributed to the needy, neighborhoods come together, and everyone looks to help others.

For the Indian population, many impoverished filmgoers look forward to the escape of the cinema. People will often save what meager funds they have for several movies weekly, often forgoing household necessities at times. Thus, the films must encapsulate nearly every human emotion. Musicals, dramas, love stories, comedies, tragedies and action scenes are all found within a single film with a set story formula and many archetypes: hero, heroine, love story, rain dance, etc. 

Colorful song sequences amidst exotic foreign locations as well as comic plots and subplots are all a must. Melodrama and outlandishness are common and played to the hilt. The song sequences and melodrama relate to the public as an exaggerated expression of emotion and feelings.

The cult of personality of Bollywood stars is prevalent in India, with the most famous actors in dozens of films yearly. Their worship is sometimes the only subject of conversation between Indians of different social classes. Thus, Bollywood serves to unite the public and their escape from the harsher realities of life.

Copyright 2006. Author: Hesh Sarmalkar