Bollywood, the largest film industry in the world, will celebrate its centennial in 2013. With a current output of somewhere between 800 and 1000 films annually, it far exceeds Hollywood in the number of productions as well as tickets sold on a weekly, monthly and annual basis. But what are some of the milestones in India's film history that might have contributed to its stellar growth and continued success?
This second entry will look at the rapid rise of the industry between the years 1930-1950.
1. 1931 - Birth of the Talkies
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Though sound films from America had been shown in theaters since 1929, it wasn't until 1931 that the first Indian produced talkies were released. Alam Ara (The Light of the World), the first feature-length talkie, opens at the Majestic Theater in Mumbai on March 14, 1931. A love story between a prince and a gypsy girl set in the kingdom of Kumarpur, its success with audiences was such that police were called in to assist with crowd control. That same year also saw debuts of talkies in other languages: Tamil (Kalidass), Bengali (Jamai Sashti), and Telugu (Bhakta Prahlada).
2. 1933 - First English Language Film Causes First Scandal
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Himansu Rai produces and stars in Karma, the first Indian film in English, shot in England. Co-starring his wife Devika Rani, this romantic drama of forbidden love between a prince and princess caused a major scandal as it featured a passionate, four minute kissing scene, unheard of at the time in Bollywood cinema. Yet even with this controversy, the film was a financial disaster.
3. 1935 - Birth of the Playback Singer
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The use of professional singers to provide the musical voices of Bollywood actors and actresses begins in this year. A trend that continues to the current day, the idea was the brainchild of director Nitin Bose, whose film Dhoop Chhaon was the first to make use of this technique. Though never seen on-screen, playback singers have found remarkable success in India, with some (such as Asha Bhosle) providing songs for over 1000 films.
4. 1937 - First Color Film, First International Award
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Ardeshir Irani, the producer of India's first talkie Alam Ara (see above) is also the mastermind behind Kisan Kanya, the first color film shot and processed in India. A simple story about the relationship between a poor farmer and his landlord, the film was an under-performer at the boxoffice. That same year directors Vishnupant Govind Damle and Sheikh Fattelal win an international award for their film Sant Tukaram, voted one of the three best films at the International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art at the Venice Film Festival.
5. 1940-1945 - World War II Affects Bollywood
India, then a British colony, is dragged into World War II when Great Britain declares war on Germany. The Film Advisory Board, set up in 1940, begins rationing film stock, announcing that feature length films cannot exceed 11,000 feet in length (around two hours). Films that promote or support Indian independence are increasingly censored, and preference is given to films that support the war effort. Black market trading of goods gives rise to war profiteers, some of whom will go into film production and will eventually contribute to the demise of the studio system.
6. 1947 - Independence, "Azadi ka Utsav", and "Kismet"
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India declares independence from British rule on August 15. Shortly after, the Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association (IMPPA) creates the documentary Azadi ka Utsav (The Occasion of Independence), which chronicles the independence day celebrations in Delhi. Gyan Mukherjee's 1943 film Kismet, a romantic crime-drama about a conman who falls in love, becomes the longest running film in Kolkotta, where it plays in the same theater continuously for three and a half years.