The Evolution of India's Bollywood Industry from the 1930s
By Shruthi Arun, Elana Anil, Raina Gol, and Lufei Wan
National History Challenge Year 10 2022: Harrisdale Senior High School
Cultural
Causes
Most Bollywood films were dedicated to ancient stories and turned popular myths and topics into a movie. Women were seen to be wearing more skimpy and tighter outfits and traditional dances such as the Kathak and Bharatnatyam were gone and the bobbing of the heads of Hollywood became common. Mainstream films produced in the late 1940s and into the 1950s reflected the conservatism that dominated the social and political arenas of the time.
However, by the 1960s, youth culture began to emerge in opposition to the dominant institutions, and these anti-establishment views soon found their way onto the screen. The movements incorporated into early Bollywood films were based primarily on classical Indian dance and folk dances from the time, including both the Kathak and Bharatanatyam styles.
- Raj Kapoor and Nargis walking down an empty street singing the song of love.
Source: Filmfare.com
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- This image is one of the most iconic scenes from the movie "Om Shanti Om," starring Deepika Padukone and Shah Rukh Khan.
Source: Youtube.com
Consequences
Bollywood has influenced Indian society and culture as the biggest entertainment industry; many of the country's musical, dancing, wedding, and fashion trends are Bollywood-inspired.
Producers and directors influenced the movies based on their culture and their religion. Many movies started showcasing different rituals and norms of Hinduism. The Chinese acceptance of Indian films is seen to be the first step of crossing the cultural bridge, connecting people, and improving India–China ties, given political, territorial, economic, and diplomatic frictions between the two adjacent nations.
After the successful accomplishment of Bollywood, many other smaller film industries became established, including Tollywood, Mollywood, Gujarati films, Punjabi films, etc.
Hindi films were subtitled and dubbed so that non-Indian and non-Hindi speaking audiences could enjoy them. As Bollywood films and dance have grown in popularity, the dance style has evolved into many other forms and interpretations. Now, the dancing technique may be included in musical films, taught in courses, competed in, or used as a form of fitness. Indian movies and Bollywood cinemas are simply much more conservative and that gives it a greater chance of export success in some of the other more culturally conservative markets.