Discover the fairy tale of Indian Bollywood
Bollywood is an Indian film industry of Mumbai (formerly Bombay). It is something like an analogous of the world well-known Hollywood, located in California, USA. The name of the Indian film industry is a mixture of two different words: Bombay and Hollywood.
In Bombay, of course, there is no any hill like in Los Angeles, so there is no place where it is possible to set a huge sign with a word “Bollywood” on it. Also, you will not find in India any pointers tell how to get to the gates of the kingdom of the cinema dreams. In Bombay people usually don’t even notice the “cinematic” passion happening nearby. The building itself is hidden from the sights of casual passersby and only protrude street billboards are advertising the famous Indian film actors: Shah Rukh Khan (favorite of all women in the world), Aishwarya Rai (priestess of love, and now the face of L’Oreal Company), Salman Khan (a muscular warrior), Amitabh Bachchan (Bollywood winner of Olympus).
Bollywood is considered to be as old as Hollywood. The first picture in Bombay was made in 1912, and in Hollywood – in 1910. In the U.S. the filming of the average movie costs about $ 14 million, but in India – about $ 100,000.
The beginning of the film making starts in the 30s, when the Bombay, Calcutta and Madras were filled by young workers, who were trying to get the additional money. And, looking up from the usual rural leisure activities, they needed not only meal, but the entertainment as well. Exactly at that time the first performances of comedies and mythological plays appeared. Taking the money of ordinary people the Indian government began to build the cinemas. And soon, the Indian film industry became the most popular and favorite leisure activity of all Indians.
Besides the fun this art brought a touch of preaching and moralizing. Even the great Brahma argued that theater were required in order to send a commoner on the right path.
It is not surprising the dawn of Indian cinema coincided with the independence of India (1947). After all, the film had a common feature, which is not policy, but the community of feelings and fantasies.
Golden age of Indian cinema was in the 50s. All the famous Indian melodramas were made in this period. At this time there was already color film and with the help of it an opportunity to pass a riot of colors and paints of the Indian films appeared.
All films were shot in makeshift conditions in the spontaneous rush. This is because the directors and the actors immediately wanted to invest the proceeds to the production of the new films. Overall it was an atmosphere of the Klondike, because everyone was afraid to miss the chance.
Bollywood is recognized as best film studio, which occupies a leading position in the world because of the number of the released films.
Filmalaya and Film City are the famous film studios, which are located in the northern part of Mumbai. Every year Bollywood produces about 200 films, mostly in Hindi or Urdu, and Punjabi.
Standard film lasts more than three hours, but the main difference between Indian and Hollywood films is a strict ban on erotic scenes in India. But, unfortunately, the box-office receipts are still much lower than the American ones.
Today the popularity of Bollywood films even in Western countries is growing constantly. Film factory Bollywood consists of studios, sets of “Film City” (in the northern part of town), but all the places are very scattered and hidden. You want be able not find a place of Bollywood itself. Most of the studios are closed, covered with villas of famous actors in the elite neighborhoods. All costumes are sewn especially for the actress shooting a particular film. Movie extras evaporate as fast as they have gathered. Bollywood is the same fabric of dreams, as well as films it produces.
Bollywood is a fairy tale, which, in fact, reproduces itself. The enthusiastic audience is sitting at the screen. And it doesn’t need any plot conflicts and psychological truth of the persistent Western films. The viewer of the Indian films believes just in fate, knowing that everything in life has its own sequence and each story must have a “happy end”.