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A Brief history of Indian Cinema       

    

                                Name: Mital Raval

                                        Roll No: 18

                                       M.A. SEM: 4

                             Batch Year: 2016 – 2018

                      Enrollment No: 2069108420170026

              Paper Name: Mass Media and Communication

                               Submitted to: Dr. Dilip Barad

                                      Smt. S. b. Gardi

                                  Department of English

                               M .k. Bhavnagar University

Assignment Title: A Brief Hisory of Indian Cinema

Introduction:

         The hisorty of indian cinema goes back the nineteenth century. On

July 7th 1896, the Lumiere Brothers showcased six films at the Watson Hotel in Mumbai and this marked the birth of Indian cinema. The six films screened that day  that were Entry of Cinematographe, The Sea Bath, Arrival of a Train, A Demolition,  Ladies and Soldiers on Wheels and Leaving the Factory.  

           But history was actually created when Harishchandra Sakharam Bhatavdekar popularly known as Save Dada, the still photographer, was so much influenced by the Lumiere Brothers’ production that he ordered a camera from England. His first film was shot at the Hanging Gardens in Mumbai, known as ‘The Wrestlers’. It was a simple recording of a wrestling match which was screened in 1899 and is considered as the first motion picture in the Indian Film Industry.

Begning of Bollywood:

 

                                     

          Father of Indian Cinema, Dadasaheb Phalke released the first ever full-length feature film ‘Raja Harishchandra’ in 1913. The silent film was a commercial success. Dadasaheb was not only the producer but was also the director, writer, cameraman, editor, make-up artist and art director. Raja Harischandra was the first-ever Indian film which was screened in London in 1914. Though Indian Cinema’s first mogul, Dadasaheb Phalke supervised and managed the production of twenty three films from 1913 to 1918, the initial growth of the Indian Film Industry was not as fast as that of Hollywood. Other silent movies started coming out from Calcutta studios: for example, ‘SATYAVAADI HARISCHANDRA (1917) and ‘KEECHAKAVADHAM’ (1919).

        Numerous new production companies emerged in the early 1920s. Films based on mythological and historical facts and episodes from Mahabharata and Ramayana dominated the 20s but Indian audiences also welcomed Hollywood movies, especially the action films.

 Beginning of the Talkies/Age of sound

         The first ever talkie ‘Alam Ara’ by Ardeshir Irani was screened in Bombay in March 14, 1931. It was the first sound film in India. The release of Alam Ara started a new era in the history of Indian Cinema. Phiroz Shah was the first music director of Alam Ara. The first song which was recorded for Alam Ara in 1931 was ‘De de khuda ke naam par’. It was sung by W.M. Khan.

         Thereafter, several production companies emerged leading to an increase in the release of the number of films. 328 films were made in 1931 as compared to 108 in 1927. During this time, huge movie halls were built and there was a significant growth in the number of audiences.

During the 1930s and 1940s many eminent film personalities such as Debaki Bose, Chetan Anand, S.S. Vasan, Nitin Bose and many others emerged on the scene.
  

Themes in Indian cinema

 

          Early Indian cinema in the 1920s was founded on specific genres, such as the mythological or the devotional film. The sum and substance of the mythological theme is the fight between good and evil, and the importance of sacrifice in the name of truth. The retelling of stories known through an oral tradition was an important element in the success of the mythological film: ‘The Ram Leela’ and ‘The Rass Leela’ are said to be of particular influence in Indian cinema. too. This trend was visible not only in the silent era. It continued in the talkie era. NALLATHANGAL in Tamil, BHAKTA PRAHLADA in Malayalam and other languages, KEECHAKAVADHAM in Tamil etc. are good examples of theme of myths.

Growth of Regional Films

Not only did the country witness the growth of Hindi Cinema, but the regional film industry also made its own mark. In India we see so many regional cinema that are as bellow.
  
 Marathi: 

          Indian cinema had its beginning in Maharashtra , but right from the start, films in Marathi stood no chance against those in Hindi which could draw larger crowds. Yet, Marathi films have continued to be made. Sant Tukaram, for instance, was perhaps the first Indian film to win high praise at home and abroad. This and other films produced by Prabhat Talkies have inspired Marathi cinema over the years .The first studios, however, were set up in Kolhapur – the Maharashtra Film Co. - by Baburao Painter who together with Anandrao , pioneered the silent film era in Western India.

       ‘Ayodhecha Raja’ was the first Marathi film which was directed by V. Shantaram in 1932. This film was made in double version. ‘Ayodhya ka Raja’ in Hindi and ‘Ayodhecha Raja’ in Marathi was the first ever Indian talkie produced by Prabhat Film Company in 1932.
 

 Gujarati : 

       The first Gujarati film was Narsinh Mehta. It was released on April 9, 1932. The mental age of Gujarati cinema has remained five years though it is celebrating its golden jubilee in 1982. There is no difference between the present films and the ones produced in 1932. Earlier films such as Narsinh Mehto , Sati Savitri , Ghar Jamai were no different in treatment and content than today’s film.

Bengal Cinema : 

       The Bengali cinema has been dominated for over three decades now by Satyajit Ray , Mrinal Sen , Tapan Sinha and Ritwik Ghatak. The first Bengali feature film ‘Nal Damyanti’ in 1917 was produced by J.F. Madan with Italian actors in the leading roles. It was photographed by Jyotish Sarkar. The first ever talkie film in Bengali was ‘Jamai Shashthi’, which was screened in 1931 and produced by Madan Theatres Ltd.

South Indian Film: 

        The year 1919 saw the screening of the first silent South Indian feature film named ‘Keechaka Vadham’. The movie was made by R. Nataraja Mudaliar of Madras (Chennai). Dadasaheb Phalke’s daughter Manadakini was the first female child star who acted as the child Krishna in Phalke’s ‘Kaliya Mardan’ in 1919. ‘Kalidass’ was the first Tamil talkie which was released in Madras on 31 October 1931 and directed by H.M. Reddy. Apart from Bengali and South Indian languages, regional films were also made in other languages such as Assamese, Oriya, Punjabi, Marathi, and many more.

 

Birth of a New Era

        The number of films being produced saw a brief decline during the World War II. Basically the birth of modern Indian Film industry took place around 1947. The period witnessed a remarkable and outstanding transformation of the film industry. Notable filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, and Bimal Roy made movies which focused on the survival and daily miseries of the lower class. The historical and mythological subjects took a back seat and the films with social messages began to dominate the industry. These films were based on themes such as prostitution, dowry, polygamy and other malpractices which were prevalent in our society.

In the 1960s new directors like Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, and others focused on the real problems of the common man. They directed some outstanding movies which enabled the Indian film industry to carve a niche in the International film scenario.

        The 1950s and 1960s are considered to be the golden age in the history of the Indian cinema and saw the rise of some memorable actors like Guru Dutt, Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Meena Kumari, Madhubala, Nargis, Nutan, Dev Anand, Waheeda Rehman, among others.

       This article will be incomplete if the contribution of music in Indian cinema is not mentioned. Songs are an integral part of Indian movies. Presence of songs has given Indian films a distinctive look as compared to international films. The Indian film industry has produced many talented lyricists, music directors and artists.

Bollywood – The Pioneer of Masala Movies

 

 

       The 1970s saw the advent of Masala movies in Bollywood. The audiences were captivated and mesmerised by the aura of actors like Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, and many others.

The most prominent and successful director, Manmohan Desai was considered by several people as the father of Masala movies. According to Manmohan Desai, “I want people to forget their misery. I want to take them into a dream world where there is no poverty, where there are no beggars, where fate is kind and god is busy looking after its flock.”

          Sholay, the groundbreaking film directed by Ramesh Sippy, not only got international accolades but also made Amitabh Bachchan a ‘Superstar’.

Several women directors like Meera Nair, Aparna Sen and others showcased their talents in the 1980s. How can we forget the extraordinary and splendid performance of Rekha in the film Umrao Jaan in 1981?

The 1990s saw a whole new batch of actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Aamir Khan, Juhi Chawla, Chiranjivi, and many more. This new genre of actors used new techniques to enhance their performances which further elevated and upgraded the Indian Film Industry. 2008 was a notable year for the Indian film industry as A.R. Rahman received two academy awards for best soundtrack for Slumdog Millionaire.

Indian cinema is no longer restricted to India and is now being well appreciated by international audiences. The contribution of the overseas market in Bollywood box office collections is quite remarkable. Around 30 film production companies were listed in National Stock Exchange of India in 2013. The multiplexes too have boomed in India due to tax incentives.

Indian cinema has become a part and parcel of our daily life whether it is a regional or a Bollywood movie. It has a major role to play in our society. Though entertainment is the key word of Indian cinema it has far more responsibility as it impacts the mind of the audiences.

Conclusion:

         To sum up, the Indian cinema has grown quite big during the past century, especially during the past six decades. This latter period saw the growth of the cinema into a mass medium. Despite thematic peculiarities and drawbacks, social conditioning and cultural inhibitions, it has proved its merit in technical perfection, artistic evalution and directorial innovations. Indian cinema, by and large, has remained on the path of clean popular entertainment. In the coming decades , it can give more attention to the social dimension of the medium , its use in mobilizing the masses through effective messages on serious issues such as social justice , environmental safety and a more rational and scientific approach to human problems .

Thank you...

Works Cited

Paul, Sanchita. History of Indian Cinema. n.d. 15 March 2018. <https://www.mapsofindia.com/my-india/history/history-of-indian-cinema>.

pillania, rajesh K. The Globalization of Indian. n.d. 15 March 2018. <http://www.fm-kp.si/zalozba/ISSN/1854-4231/3_115-123.pdf>.

Souza, Noel De. A Brief History of Indian Cinema. 02 January 2014. 15 March 2018. <https://www.goldenglobes.com/articles/brief-history-indian-cinema>.

Thapliyal, Anvita. The history of the Indian cinema. 21 September 2011. 15 March 2018. <http://thehistoryofindiancinema.blogspot.in/2011/09/birth-of-cinema-in-india-silent-era.html>.