The Evolution of Indian Cinema

The word “Bollywood” was modelled on “Hollywood” with a B which stands for Bombay.

The start of Indian cinema was marked by the release of silent movie “Raja Harishchandra” in 1913. This film was produced by Dadasaheb Phalke, who went on to produce 23 movies within the span of next 5 years.

The period from 1920-1945 saw the classics like “Mahabharata” and “Ramayana” dominate indian cinema.

It was only after 1945 that Indian cinema gained some maturity and started making movies on issues like dowry system, polygamy and prostitution. These movies tried to bring a change in the mindset of Indians towards these issues.

After this came the type of movies that we see even today. Movies packed with action, romance, comedy and what not. This era is known as the era of Masala movies where the sole aim is to entertain the audience.

Today, Indian cinema is the world leader in the number of movies produced each year and the audience attendance.

The journey from “Ye hath mujhe dede thakur” to “Itne ched karenge ki confuse ho jaoge, sans Kahan se le aur p*#@ Kahan se” makes for the script of a super hit movie.

-ChoubeySahab