Indian Bollywood: the history of popularity
In an exclusive commentary for TV BRICS, Andrey Volkov, political analyst and programme director of Russkiy Mir publishing house, spoke about Bollywood. He stressed that this is one of the main associations that come to mind when talking about India, along with food, yoga and cricket. But Bollywood is not only about mind-blowing special effects, dizzying dances and endless songs. Experts speak of Bollywood first and foremost as a sign cultural phenomenon in its own right, as an essential element of India's cultural influence, through which the ability to promote the "Indian Dream" of a happy life through Bollywood emerges. A term like "Bollywood Diplomacy" has come into circulation.
"Bollywood is the centre of the Indian film industry and one of the largest film producers in the world with over 1,000 films released annually and offers an opportunity to experience India's unique traditions, value system and aesthetics with a potential reach of 100 or more countries"Andrey Volkov political scientist
Origin of the name
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly Bombay cinema, refers to the Mumbai-based film industry that produces Hindi language films. The popular term "Bollywood" is a combination of the words "Bombay" (formerly Mumbai) and "Hollywood". The industry is part of the larger Indian film industry, which also includes films from southern regions and other smaller film industries.
"Bollywood is usually referred to as all cinema, which is not quite correct because Bollywood is films produced in Mumbai in the Hindi language. The linguistic aspect also contributes to the spread of Indian influence in South Asia through cinema. For example, Indian films are shown in Tamil (Kollywood) and are very popular in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore and Fiji,” Andrey Volkov said.
Anastasia Senina, head of EdTech start-up Hindi Guru and a Hindi teacher, in an exclusive commentary for TV BRICS, pointed out that the names of Indian film studios are linked to the cities where they are located: Bollywood is based in Mumbai, Tollywood hails from Kolkata and Hyderabad and Kollywood is in Chennai.
Brief history
Dadasaheb Phalke's silent film Raja Harishchandra (1913) is the first feature film made in India. The plot tells about a just ruler who never lied. An interesting fact: there is a spicy scene in the film when the main character sees his wife and her maids in wet saris after swimming in the pool - but there are no women in the frame! To reduce the degree of scandalousness, male actors were filmed in the scene, disguised as the fairer sex.
By the 1930s, the industry was producing more than 200 films a year.
India's first sound film, Ardeshir Irani's Alam Ara (1931), was commercially successful. With the great demand for spoken word films and musicals, Hindustani cinema (as Hindi cinema was then called) and other regional film industries quickly switched to sound films.
The most popular commercial genre in Hindi cinema since the 1970s has been masala, which freely mixes various genres including action, comedy, romance, drama and melodrama as well as musical items. Masala films usually belong to the genre of musical films, of which Indian cinema has been the biggest producer since the 1960s.
Along with commercial masala films, there was also a particular underground genre of feature films known as "parallel cinema", which presented realistic plots and lacked musical items. In recent years, the distinction between commercial masala and parallel cinema has gradually blurred and an increasing number of mainstream films are adopting traditions that used to be strictly associated with parallel cinema.
What languages are films made in?
Indian Bollywood has become the biggest centre of film production in the world. In 2017, 1986 feature films were released in India, of which the largest number – 364 – were made in Hindi. According to 2014 data, Hindi cinema accounted for 43 per cent of India's net box office revenue; Tamil and Telugu cinema accounted for 36 per cent and the rest of the regional cinema accounted for 21 per cent.
Early Indian films tended to use the colloquial language Hindustani, understood by Hindi or Urdu speakers, while modern Hindi films increasingly include elements of Hinglish (a common mixed language in India based on English and various Indian languages).
Bollywood: figures
The Indian film industry has been called the most prolific in the world, with 1,500-2,000 films released annually. Bollywood films account for most of the revenue (40%).
"Bollywood films are longer than Hollywood films, they often add dancing and use genres more understandable to mass audiences - family dramas and comedies rather than action films. Indian cinema is not about a gripping plot and the transformation of a character, but about guiding the viewer through a whole palette of emotions," said Hindi teacher Anastasia Senina.
She added that 11 million viewers watch Indian cinema every day and now Indian films have entered a new round of global popularity.
"RRR: The Revolution Roars Nearby", for example, has grossed over $136 million at the box office and was one of the top ten films of 2022. The films received Golden Globe and Oscar nominations in 2023. In Russia, one and a half million people a month search for 'Indian films'," said the Hindi teacher.
What is it that makes Bollywood films so popular?
First of all, excellent soundtracks - cheerful, energetic songs that uplift the mood. Their motifs are easy to remember and reproduce, melodies remain in the memory.
Another factor is the elaborate choreography in the famous dance scenes. Classical Indian dance is a story told through gestures. With movements of the legs, arms, fingertips and facial expressions, the artist tells about ancient battles, love stories and other plots of the Indian epic. And not a single movement is random! In Indian treatises, 108 of Shiva's postures, called karanas, act as the alphabet of dance. An Indian dancer puts together combinations from karanas that become the basis of a dance composition - they are called angaharas. Finger positions (mudras) and gestures (hastas) as well as movements of the eyes, neck, head and other body parts complete this language. There are more than 500 concept symbols in total.
And of course, the plots of Indian films appeal to the viewer: Bollywood cinema offers stories about ordinary people who face challenges that help them grow as individuals - without fancy special effects. Such films have become superhits all over the world because of the accessibility of the film language and the universality of the stories told.
Photo: istockphoto.com