bollywood

There is a strong history of dance in Indian tradition. For centuries dancing has played an important role in celebrations and religious festivals in India. However, it wasn't until the twentieth century and the advent of cinema that it was shown to the world. 

A Tradition of Dance

It was the Indian film industry and ‘Bollywood' which suddenly put dance on the big screen. Song and dance are both absolutely integral to Indian cinema (far more so than anywhere else in the world) and this is shown off on a global scale, with Bollywood now the largest film producers in the world. Over 1,000 feature films are produced every year with an ever-increasing international appeal from Asian audiences residing in the UK and US.

Mumbai (formerly Bombay) is the birthplace of Indian film and much of the present day mass marketing of Hindi language films still comes out of this entertainment hub. Over the years Mumbai has produced larger than life stars such as Amitabh Bachchan and Shilpa Shetty.

It was these stars roles in Indian musical films that made them the celebrities they are today. The melodrama of the script is interwoven with song and dance that usually consists of romantic love songs and complex dance routines.

For India Week we are focusing on Indian Entertainment, Music and Film today. It is impossible to look at such a topic without looking at Bollywood. Bollywood IS Indian entertainment in many aspects. So if you don't know too much about India's Hollywood, then here is a short introduction for you.

History and Style

Bollywood is basically the informal name for the Hindi Film Industry based in Mumbai, which is one of the largest centres of film production in the world. Although it is the largest in India, it is only part of the total Indian film industry, despite the term Bollywood often incorrectly referring to the whole of Indian cinema.

It all started way back in 1913 with the first silent feature film made in India, called Raja Harishchandra. Over the next twenty years the Indian film industry grew so quickly that by the 1930s, the country was producing over 200 films a year. It was in 1931 when Alam Ara became the first Indian film with sound, but not until the late 1950s when films started to regularly be made in colour.