India is famous for two things – Taj Mahal, its prehistoric monument, and Bollywood. Over the past few years Indian cinema has put the nation on the international map and is all set to celebrate it Golden Jubilee in the year 2013.
Transformation of Indian Cinema from silent films to colored films
Indian Cinema started its voyage with the production of the first silent film – “Raja Harish Chandra” in 1913. The Late Dadasaheb Phalke produced and directed the movie. The production of films expanded in 1930s with Indian Film Industries churning out close to 200 movies on yearly basis.
India witnessed its first sound film in the year 1931 in the form of “Alam Ara”. The film was a big commercial success and played a major role in revolutionizing the national cinema. After its success many short films came into limelight out of which most were directed by Hiralal Sen. His first venture was “The Flower of Persia” in the year 1898.
After few years the renowned director of black and white silent film Alam Ara, Ardeshir Irani, introduced the concept of color films to Indian film industry by releasing “Kisan Kanya”. However the color concept gained popularity after 1955.
Indian cinema witnessed the arrival of Indian Masala films soon after the Second World War. These films were entirely commercial in their appeal and incorporated a blend of song, dance, romance, action, comedy, etc. in it, to suit the entertainment needs of the Indian audiences.
The period between 1940s - 1960s was considered as the “Golden Era” of Indian cinema as it saw the success of some of the critically applauded films directed by Guru Dutt and Raj Kapoor like Pyaasa in 1957, Kaagaz Ke Phool in 1959, Awaara in 1951 and Shree 420 in 1955.
Landmarks set by Indian cinema and its filmmakers
Before 1980s: By 1950s Indian cinema started gaining recognition at Cannes film festival with legendary filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, K. Asif and Guru Dutt getting listed among the best Asian filmmakers for directing movies like Apu Trilogy, Pather Panchali, Pyasa, Mughal-e-Azam, etc.
It was in 1957 that the Mehboob Khan directed “Mother India” was nominated under the Oscar category of Best Foreign Language Film by Academy Award, while the Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray featured among the “All-TIME” 100 best movies in Time magazine. During this time Parallel cinema also surfaced with directors like Satyajit Ray and Shyam Benegal as its chief contributors.
After 1980s: 1980s was the most significant era of the Indian cinema. It was “Salaam Bombay!” directed by Mira Nair in 1988 which ruled the era by fetching the most prestigious Camera d’Or honor at the Cannes Film Festival and boasted of its nomination under the category of Best Foreign Language Film by the Academy Award.
In 21st century: During this period Bollywood saw the emergence of realistic cinema like Gulaal, Fire, Page 3, Dev D, etc directed by unconventional filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap, Madhur Bhandarkar, Nandita Das, etc. In the year 2009, Slumdog Millionaire gave whole new significance and verve to Indian cinema by grossing an annual turnover of USD 4 billion.
After almost a millennium, Indian cinema churned its first Black and White film in the form of “Frozen”. Directed by Shivajee Chandrabhushan, Frozen is the personification of Indian cinema’s mellowness. It was conferred by the award for best cinematography at Durban Film festival and was also nominated for best films in 2007 London Film Festival.
Indian cinema is embraced by the international audiences for its realistic and rustic appeal. It has now become a trend for the Indian movie producers to organize exclusive screenings of their films internationally. Hence, to retain its glory, Indian cinema should start producing more evocative cinema besides churning out masala flicks.
Indian Cinema started its voyage with the production of the first silent film – “Raja Harish Chandra” in 1913. The Late Dadasaheb Phalke produced and directed the movie. The production of films expanded in 1930s with Indian Film Industries churning out close to 200 movies on yearly basis.
India witnessed its first sound film in the year 1931 in the form of “Alam Ara”. The film was a big commercial success and played a major role in revolutionizing the national cinema. After its success many short films came into limelight out of which most were directed by Hiralal Sen. His first venture was “The Flower of Persia” in the year 1898.
After few years the renowned director of black and white silent film Alam Ara, Ardeshir Irani, introduced the concept of color films to Indian film industry by releasing “Kisan Kanya”. However the color concept gained popularity after 1955.
Indian cinema witnessed the arrival of Indian Masala films soon after the Second World War. These films were entirely commercial in their appeal and incorporated a blend of song, dance, romance, action, comedy, etc. in it, to suit the entertainment needs of the Indian audiences.
The period between 1940s - 1960s was considered as the “Golden Era” of Indian cinema as it saw the success of some of the critically applauded films directed by Guru Dutt and Raj Kapoor like Pyaasa in 1957, Kaagaz Ke Phool in 1959, Awaara in 1951 and Shree 420 in 1955.
Landmarks set by Indian cinema and its filmmakers
Before 1980s: By 1950s Indian cinema started gaining recognition at Cannes film festival with legendary filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, K. Asif and Guru Dutt getting listed among the best Asian filmmakers for directing movies like Apu Trilogy, Pather Panchali, Pyasa, Mughal-e-Azam, etc.
It was in 1957 that the Mehboob Khan directed “Mother India” was nominated under the Oscar category of Best Foreign Language Film by Academy Award, while the Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray featured among the “All-TIME” 100 best movies in Time magazine. During this time Parallel cinema also surfaced with directors like Satyajit Ray and Shyam Benegal as its chief contributors.
After 1980s: 1980s was the most significant era of the Indian cinema. It was “Salaam Bombay!” directed by Mira Nair in 1988 which ruled the era by fetching the most prestigious Camera d’Or honor at the Cannes Film Festival and boasted of its nomination under the category of Best Foreign Language Film by the Academy Award.
In 21st century: During this period Bollywood saw the emergence of realistic cinema like Gulaal, Fire, Page 3, Dev D, etc directed by unconventional filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap, Madhur Bhandarkar, Nandita Das, etc. In the year 2009, Slumdog Millionaire gave whole new significance and verve to Indian cinema by grossing an annual turnover of USD 4 billion.
After almost a millennium, Indian cinema churned its first Black and White film in the form of “Frozen”. Directed by Shivajee Chandrabhushan, Frozen is the personification of Indian cinema’s mellowness. It was conferred by the award for best cinematography at Durban Film festival and was also nominated for best films in 2007 London Film Festival.
Indian cinema is embraced by the international audiences for its realistic and rustic appeal. It has now become a trend for the Indian movie producers to organize exclusive screenings of their films internationally. Hence, to retain its glory, Indian cinema should start producing more evocative cinema besides churning out masala flicks.
| Indian Cinema | |
