Mirch Masala: Bollywood Cinema from 1950s onwards

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Mirch Masala Bollywood Cinema from 1950s onwards

• Professor Nilufer E. Bharucha
• University of Mumbai

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The Beginnings

• Cinema came to India almost as soon as it had
  been pioneered in the USA and in Europe
• The first films were shown in India on 7 July
  1896 at Hotel Watson in Bombay.
• They were Arrive dun Train a la Gare de la
  Ciotat and La Sortie de lUsine just six months
  after their world premiere in Paris.
• The first films made in India were short
  newsreels which started in 1897, such as The
  Races in Poona, A Train Entering the Station in
  Bombay.

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• Soon films were made on extracts from popular
  plays and on traditional dances and music.
• By the first decade of the Twentieth Century,
  feature films from the West were being shown in
  India.
• Almost 1,313 silent films were produced in India
  in 22 years from 1912-1934, on religious, social,
  political and historical subjects.

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• The first feature film made by an Indian was Raja
  Harishchandra in 1913 by Dadasaheb Phalke.
• This film told the story of Harischandra, an
  ancient king of the mythical city of Ayodhya, who
  was supposedly born of the Sun and was an
  extremely truthful man.
• This film introduced the genre of mythological
  films in India which enjoyed a very long
  popularity.
• This genre looped over the colonial present to a
  pre-colonial Indian past.

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• This film also introduced the various codes
  which Indian cinema has followed ever since.
• These being
• the battle between good and evil
• the ultimate victory of good over evil
• The very Indianness of this film also paved the
  way for an Indian rather than westernised Indian
  cinema.

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The run-up to the first Talkie

• In the 1920s and 30s, Indian cinema spread from
  Kohlapur Phadkes HQ to the metros, Bombay,
  Calcutta and Madras
• The studio systems were introduced and dominated
  the film-making scene till the 1950s
• Also born in those decades was the Star System.
• Thus right from these early years Hollywood
  influenced Indian cinema.

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The Introduction of Realism

• The 1920s saw the introduction of realism in
  Indian cinema
• Baburao Painters Savkari Pash (An Indian
  Shylock) 1925 was a film that condemned wicked
  moneylenders exploiting the poor rural and also
  the urban people.
• Such social films appealed more to the
  sophisticated section of the Indian audience
  which was not particularly attracted to
  mythologicals.

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The Western Collaborations

• Early 1930s saw several global collaborations
  between UFA Berlin, a British company and Frantz
  Osten
• Most successful between Frantz Osten, a German
  director and Himanshu Rai, the Indian film maker
• Fed the western market for Indian exotica
• Prem Sanyas (Light of the Orient) 1925 ran for
  ten months in London
• Shiraz, 1928, a Mughal romance
• Parpancha Pash (A Throw of the Dice), 1929, had
  the first kiss of Indian cinema. Story about a
  good and bad king who stake their kingdoms on a
  game of dice.
• Films full of dance, duels, spectacle

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The Arrival of Sound

• Alam Ara first Indian Talkie 1931, four years
  after first American talkie
• A historical which starred Zubeida, Vithal and
  Prithiviraj Kapoor
• Shirin and Farhad a lavish musical also 1931
• Indrasabha, 1932 had 70 songs
• Anarkali 1935, the legendary love story of the
  Mughal Prince Salim and the dancing girl Anarkali
• Kisan Kanya (Peasant Girl) 1937 first colour
  film, dealt with peasant revolt

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Formulas for Success

• Music became the defining code for films all over
  India
• Repeat value as a result of the songs
• Reinforcement of Moral values good versus evil
• Spectacle dances, duels
• Lost and Found
• Conflict between rich and poor
• Love and Romance
• High Tragedy and Emotionalism
• Sex and Glamour

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Postcolonial Cinemas1950s The Golden Age

• 1950s saw different kinds of cinemas
• Neo-Realistic Bimal Roy
• Socialist Raj Kapoor
• Nehruvian Mehboob Khan
• Modernist Guru Dutt

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Bimal Roy The Neo Realist

• Do Bheega Zameen 1953. Richly textured black and
  white cinematic language. Iconic scenes- the
  rickshaw race
• Devdas 1955. High Tragedy and Emotionalism. Rise
  of the cult of the tragic hero Dilip Kumar
• Sujata 1959. Social Reform. Banishing
  Untouchability. Nutan as actor par excellence
• Bandini 1963. Woman Centred. Critiqued
  Exploitation of women. Nutan again

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Raj Kapoor From Socialism to Glamour

• Awaara 1951
• Shri 420 1955
• Jagte Raho 1956
• Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hain 1960
• Sangam 1964
• Mera Naam Joker 1970
• Bobby 1973
• Satyam Shivam Sundaram 1978
• Ram Teri Ganga Maili Ho Gayi 1985

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Celebrating India

• Raj Kapoors early films celebrated newly
  independent India
• Mera Joota Hain Japani song
• Created the persona of the tramp the subaltern
• Romanced the lady Nargis
• The trope of the lady as object of romance and
  desire

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Mehboob Khan Nehruvian Dream

• Mother India 1957. Iconic film on Nehruvian India
• Showcased the Nehruvian Dream
• Agriculturally self-sufficient
• Industrially progressive
• Economically successful
• and Literate India
• Wrote the nation across the body of the woman
• Re-worked the Nation as Goddess symbol
• Bharat Mata Mother India

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Guru Dutt Modernist Disillusionments

• Critiqued the failure of the Nehruvian Dream
• Used Modernist tropes of the nation as a
  wasteland
• Cult following in cinematic circles
• Pyaasa 1957
• Kagaz ke Phool 1959
• Chaudhvin ka Chaand 1960
• Saahib Bibi aur Ghulam 1962
• Created a muse in the actress Waheeda Rehman
• Committed suicide in 1964, aged 39

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The Duttian Techniques and Tropes

• Guru Dutt specialised in the aesthetics of
  failure. Failure a major trope
• Used self-reflexion as a narrative technique
• Innovated camera and sound techniques
• Used lighting as a language
• Used silence as a sound

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The Big Heroes of the 1950s and 60s

• Dilip Kumar the tragic hero. Historical Star.
  Devdas, Andaz, Mughal-E-Azam
• Dev Anand the light romantic hero. Stylised
  actor. Also later film maker. Guide, Hare Rama
  Hare Krishna
• Raj Kapoor the comic romantic hero apart from
  being a film maker. Sapnon ka Saudagar, Around
  the World in Eight Dollars, Teesri Kasam.
• Rajendra Kumar. The Jubilee Star. Romantic Hero.
• Manoj Kumar the patriotic hero. Purab aur
  Paschim, Upkaar.
• Sunil Dutt. Hero and film maker
• Dharmendra. The Macho Hero.
• Ashok Kumar. Senior Actor. Acted from 1940s-1980s

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The 1950s and 60s Big Heroines

• Meena Kumari. The Tragedienne.
• Nutan. The Realistic Actress.
• Vijayantimala. The Dancing Star
• Waheeda Rehman. The Excellent Actress.
• Nargis. The Major Star
• Suraiya. The Singing Star
• Madhubala. The Ethereal Beauty
• Asha Parekh. The Tom Boy
• Sadhana. The Sophisticated Lady

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1960s Colour Glamour Escapism

• Technicolour, romance, glamorous locations
• New stars, new music directors, new locations
• Shammi Kapoor and the cult of the big, brash
  young man
• Joy Mukherjee. The romantic hero
• Glamorous, westernised heroines Sharmila Tagore,
  Babita, Saira Banu
• Musicals set in Kashmir, Simla, Kulu
• Junglee (1961), Love in Simla (1960), Kashmir ki
  Kali (1964)
• Foreign locations Paris, London, Geneva, New
  York
• in Evening in Paris (1967), Sangam (1964),
  Around the World in Eight Dollars (1967)
• Wafted the audience into an escapist universe
  away from the poverty, shortages and hardships of
  the India of the 1960s.

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The 1970s New Directors New Films New Stars

• Shakti Samanta. The Musical Melodramas. Aradhna
  (1970), Amar Prem (1971)
• Created the new superstar Rajesh Khanna
• Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The Small Film Big Hits.
  Anand (1970), Guddi (1971), Mili (1975), Abhimaan
  (1973)
• Ushered in the girl-next-door, Jaya Bahaduri
• Ramesh Sippy. The Big Films. Sholay (1972), Seeta
  aur Geeta (1972), Shakti (1982).
• New stars Hema Malini, the Dream Girl, Amitabh
  Bachchan, the Angry Young Man, Rishi Kapoor, the
  Romantic Hero
• A mix of middle class realistic cinema and major
  masala films

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Hema Malini Female Superstar

• First major female superstar
• Earned the same amount or more than her male
  stars
• Called the Dream Girl
• First film Sapnon ka Saudagar (

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The Rajesh Khanna Phenomenon
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• Rajesh Khanna the romantic rage of the 1970s
• Hairstyle, clothes, watches, shoes copied and
  worn by fans
• Girls and women married his photographs
• Commanded a huge price
• First real superstar of Hindi Cinema
• Became stylised in his acting
• Best films Anand, Aradhna, Roti, Bawarchi, Amar
  Prem
• Replaced by Amitabh Bachchan

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Amitabh BachchanThe Mega Star

• Started small with Saat Hindustani (1969)
• Catapulted to fame with Zanjeer (1973)
• Competed with Rajesh Khanna in Anand and Namak
  Haram
• Came into his own with Mega hits Deewar and
  Sholay in 1975
• 1977-82 major hits Amar Akbar Anthony, Muqaddar
  ka Sikander, Trishul, Don, Mr. Natwarlal, Coolie
• Come-back in the 1990s with Shehshah, Agneepath,
  Khudah Gawah
• Return to Stardom in 21st Century Kabhie Khushi
  Kabhi Gham, Sarkar, Baghbaan, Cheeni Kum, Last
  Lear
• Married to Jaya Bahaduri Son Abhishekh
  daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai
• Linked to Rekha

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Hema Malini Female Superstar

• First major female superstar
• Earned the same amount or more than her male
  stars
• Called the Dream Girl
• First film Sapnon ka Saudagar (1968)
• Major hits Seeta aur Geeta, Sholay, Charas,
  Jugnu, Lal Patthar
• Directed Dil Aashna Hain (1992)
• Come-back with Baghban (2003)
• Bharat Natyam Dancer
• Member of Parliament
• Married to Dharmendra two daughters

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The 1980s-90s GenNext

• New Film-makers
• Govind Nihalani, Ardh Satya, Aakrosh, Tamas,
  Hazaar Chaurasi ki Maa
• Shyam Benegal, Kalyug, Mandi, Trikal
• The Making of the Mahatma, Sardari Begum
• Ketan Mehta, Maya Memsaab, Mirch Masala
• Muzaffar Ali, Gaman, Umrao Jaan
• Mahesh Bhatt, Arth, Saaransh, Daddy, Dil Hain Ke
  Maanta Nahin
• Prakash Jha, Damul, Mrityudand
• Shekhar Kapoor, Masoom, Mr. India

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• New Actors
• Shabana Azmi
• Smita Patil
• Naseeruddin Shah
• Om Puri
• Sanjay Dutt
• Madhuri Dixit
• Anil Kapoor
• Sridevi
• Amir Khan
• Salman Khan
• Sharukh Khan

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The Women Film makers

• Vijaya Mehta, Rao Saheb, Pestonjee
• Sai Paranjape, Sparsh, Chashme Badoor,
• Katha, Saaz
• Kalpana Lajmi, Ek Pal, Rudaali
• A Feminist reading rather than a Feminist
  methodology possible
• Woman centred films

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Diasporic Indian Film makers

• Distance, Nostalgia, Time warp, Periscopic point
  of view
• Meera Nair, Salaam Bombay, Mississippi Masala,
  Monsoon Wedding, Vanity Fair
• Deepa Mehta, Earth, Fire, Water
• Gurinder Chadha, Bhaaji on the Beach, Bend it
  Like Beckham, Bride and Prejudice

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Cross-Over Films

• For NRI and Wider Global Markets
• Formula remains, melodrama toned down for
  non-Indian tastes
• Family values, glamour, love, conflict,
  emotionalism
• Finding wider audiences
• Hindi films had audiences in the Arab World,
  Central Asia, Soviet Union, Eastern Europe
• New audiences in Western Europe and the USA

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• Aditya Chopra, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge,
  Mohabbatein, Dil to Pagal Hain
• Karan Johar, Kuch Kuch Hota Hain, Kabhi Khushi
  Kabhi Gham
• Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Black, Devdaas
• Aamir Khan, Lagaan, Rang De Basanti, Taare Zameen
  Par
• Shahrukh Khan, Hum Hain Na, Om Shanti Om
• Rakesh Roshan, Kaho na Pyaar Hain, Koi Mil Gaya,
  Krrish
• Shekhar Kapoor, Elizabeth, The Four Feathers,
  Elizabeth, the Golden Age

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The Actors of the 21st Century

• Global faces, glamour quotient
• Aishwarya Rai. Miss World. Diasporic Films.
  Mainstream Hollywood. Provoked Pink Panther
  Bride and Predjudice Mistress of Spices
• Rani Mukherjee, Black, Veer Zaara, The Rising
• Preity Zinta, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehana, Last Lear
• Saif Ali Khan, Parineeta, Omkaara
• Hritik Roshan, Koi Mil Gaya, Krrish

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In Conclusion

• The journey from 1897, to 1913, to 1931 to the
  21st Century has been momentous
• Bollywood from a Wannabe-Hollywood has begun to
  find its own space in the realms of World Cinema
• Diasporic film makers, Crossover film makers
  making dents in not just the NRI but also global
  markets
• However, the major time-tested formulae remain
  intact, songs, spectacle, romance, glamour,
  fights, emotions and family values