Abigail Welch

Bollywood: It’s History and Cultural Impact

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 Lights, camera, action! The film industry has left an undeniable impact on

the world’s culture. In the West, we are familiar with the film hub which is

Hollywood. The glitz and glam in the scorching Californian heat is a lure to many in

the quest for stardom. In the East, there is another film titan with just as much

charm as Hollywood could ever hope to gain. Mumbai, India is the cultural hub to its

own unique movie style. This industry, called Bollywood from the former name

Bombay, is the largest producer of film in the world. The West has slowly begun to

open up these productions, and as such we have seen an increasing global impact

that these films have left.

It should be noted that while the film industry of India is called Bollywood in

the West, it is descriptive more of a style than the title of the industry. The

stylistic choices of lavish colors, musical numbers, and vivid displays of human

emotion are all part of the Bollywood style. Critics of the Bollywood title often use

alternative title Hindi Cinema to describe the industry itself. However this is

limited to the films that are produced in the Hindi language, which is just one part

of the Indian film industry.

Bollywood’s birth began around the same period as film was beginning in

India. In 1913, the first full length Indian production was released titled Raja

Harishchandra. The film was directed and produced by D.G. Phalke. From the start,

it was clear that Bollywood had developed its own unique style. However, it was

later with the advent of talkies, films with sounds, that the Bollywood style was

given a chance to flourish.

The 1930s brought musicals into the popular sphere of Indian film.

Melodrama became a popular genre, and the story of star-crossed lovers who had

to balance love for each other with love for their families became a timeless tale

told many times over. Other stylistic choices of Bollywood films were being fleshed
out at this time as well. Films ranged from two to two and a half hours long, often

with several large scale musical and dance numbers. The use of lavish scenery of

exotic India becomes more common as a backdrop for the lover’s tale, being used

to set the tone and overall mood of the film. Other stylistic staples come from the

Hindu-dominated culture. Actors and actresses do not kiss on screen. Instead they

will longingly look into each other’s eyes, their lips may graze each other but will

never hold for the signature kiss.

Much like India, the films were often divided by their languages used. Many

films would be shot in Bengali, Tamil, Marathi, and Telugu. It was Bollywood films

though, that were able to bring some unity to the incipient nation by the push to

use Hindustani in many films as well. Hindustani is the lingua franca between the

language of Hindi, which would become the national language of India after it saw

independence in 1947, and Urdu, the national language of Pakistan after the

Partition of India later that same year. After the Partition, Pakistan saw its own

film industry emerge in the city of Lahore, known as Lollywood. Despite the

hostility between the nations, and restrictive government, Pakistan remains part of

the Bollywood sphere.

In the short decades since Bollywood’s start, it was now a cultural staple

that had taken hold. The mom and pop studios were on their way out, and the large-

scale producers were coming in. India went from producing a couple to 100-150

films a year by the mid 1930s. The major film families began to emerge and

Bollywood had begun its hold on India and South Asia as a whole. It could only go

further from here.

Modern Bollywood is an industry dominated by family. To be a Bollywood

star, you need to be born into it. It is through these major families that 95% of

Bollywood’s actor-celebrities are pulled from. While unknowns are discovered and
rocketed to stardom, it is much more the minority than in the Western Hollywood.

Stars are more than respected, they are adored, worshipped even. However, much

of these actors retain an appreciation of life that is less seen in the Western

Hollywood stories of despair. Young actors remain positive and hopeful, even in

career lows. Bollywood productions are described as being part of a family. It’s no

wonder cast members refer to each other as brother or sister.

Bollywood has also just begun its relationship with agents and managers.

Many of the classic actors of Bollywood old worked on oral agreements of payment

and work schedules. They would only potentially have a secretary to fall back on if

the schedules were particularly grueling. The youth of Bollywood are taking no such

chances and have begun the drive to get managers and agents who will negotiate

written contracts with studios on their behalf. A staple the Western film industry

has had for quite some time.

There has also been a rise in acting schools. Whistling Woods International,

founded in 2005 by Subhash Ghai, is considered to be the best of India’s film

schools, and possibly one of the best film schools in the world. The casting process

of Bollywood is harsh. Whereas in the West, the casting offices are scheduled to

be as efficient as possible, this isn’t the case for Bollywood productions. It is

customary for an aspiring actor to show to a casting office each day, just to find if

their “type” is being sought out by directors that day. Some actors will wait all day

by the office, just in case a director rushes in with a burst of inspiration. The

audition portion of the casting is another affair entirely, often taking 3-5 hours

and being quite demanding of young, often exhausted actors.

Modern Bollywood films still keep much of the stylistic choices of Bollywood

past, but have updated them to fit into the niche market of modern viewers.

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) became a modern example of the star-crossed

love story that brought it to its height. The 1997 film, Dil To Pagal Hai, revitalized

the Bollywood dance number with synchronized dance sequences. Bollywood is also

daring to tell more stories of violence and betrayal. Alcohol abuse is a common flaw

for the protagonist to overcome, and domestic violence is not shied away from in

Bollywood films. Terrorism is also a common source of conflict for the

protagonists. Unfortunately, given the history of India, this does play into some

very negative stereotypes, particularly of Muslims. As of recent, there has been a

push for more culturally aware and sensitive Bollywood films to be released, but

much like the West, it is a slow moving process that will not come all at once.

Bollywood films have only begun recognition in the West within the past 20-

30 years. The history and reach of these films far extends what the West could

provide. Bollywood films are immensely popular in the Middle East into South Asia,

where Western films often fail to impact. These films are also hugely popular in

Western spheres of first and second generation immigrants. In both America and

the United Kingdom, where South Asian communities are strong, these films

dominate the foreign film market.

Aspects of Bollywood film-making have been seen in Western movies, one

notable example being Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film Moulin Rouge. Likewise, Bollywood

films have been evolving to utilize more of the Hollywood style. These films are

called diasporic for their disconnect with the main Indian culture, and often

attempt to bridge the gap between Hollywood and Bollywood styles to make films

with wider appeal to Western audiences to varying success. Films like Mira Nair’s

2001 BAFTA winner Monsoon Wedding and Gurinder Chadha’s Bend It Like

Beckham (2002) are examples of diasporic Western releases. Diasporic Bollywood

releases like Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan (2001) and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s

Devdas (2002) have found success with the Western audiences. However some
diasporic films which were meant to bridge the gap end up alienating one half of

the audience while finding appeal with the other. Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, released in

2001 and directed by Anil Sharma, was immensely popular in India with it’s anti-

Pakistani and anti-Muslim messages, but failed to capture a wider audience in the

West.

The impact Bollywood has left on India and the world cannot be understated.

It bridges the gap for those who are no longer living in India to participate in the

culture that the films bring. Diaspora is the word often associated with these

communities. People who no longer live in their homeland. The word has become

known more as the exile and movement of the Jewish people across the world. The

scholarly community prefers the word diasporic rather than immigrant to describe

Bollywood films. These communities are given the chance to feel a part of the

culture of their homeland, while they are living a life in another country. Dual

citizenship is a topic of debate in India, that is now brought to more mainstream

discussion with these productions. Being unable to participate in the homeland

culture, yet being a part of the Bollywood culture is a narrative that brings hope

and peace to these communities.

These communities are also being taken into account as an economic and

cultural aspect of the Bollywood production. The desire to remain “Indian” while

living and participating in the Western culture has been the theme of modern

Bollywood. Films such as Subhash Ghai’s Pardes (1997), Karan Johar’s Kuch Kuch

Hota Hai (1998), and Aditya Chopra’s Mohabbatein (2000) are all examples of this

emerging genre of Bollywood films. This is a source of comfort for the diasporic

Indians in the West. It also brought a lucrative and attentive market to Indian

produced films.
 The future of Bollywood remains to be predictable, healthy, and lucrative.

As long as the market remains, Bollywood productions will remain strong. The rich

history and culture that these films bring are a strength that have yet to be

matched by Western craft. This bright future can only be strengthened as India

becomes more accepting of its minorities. I do also see Bollywood being more

willing to take on unknown actors in the future. Also with foreign films given more

spotlight in the West, I do see one day Bollywood films being a part of mainstream

Western culture. The Bollywood scene only has up to go, and I for one look forward

to seeing it fly.