1. Bollywood Cinema Sources used: http://www.bollywhat.com
“The Road to Bollywood” - Film Comment Magazine, May/June 2002

2. Bollywood is the Indian Hindi-language film industry!
What is Bollywood?
Bollywood is the Indian Hindi-language film industry!
Located in Bombay (a.k.a. Mumbai)
Bollywood produces about 200 films out of
India’s 800 a year (Hollywood only makes around 250)
Famous Bollywood directors...
Bimal Roy: Devdas (1935), Madhumati (1958)
Raj Kapoor: Sangam (1964),
Bobby (1973)
Yash Chopra: Deewaar (1975),
Dil to Paagal Hai (1997)

3. A typical Bollywood film...
A typical Bollywood film usually consists of the following elements:
Romance
Comedy
Drama
Suspense
Violence
Family values
Music and dance
These films are “typical” Bollywood and are commonly referred to as masala films.
“There is no division of genres, as exists in the West: no Westerns, no romances, no thrillers.” (author Chidanada DasGupta)
Films are typically lengthy, running between 160 to 220 minutes
Stylistic, melodramatic
Between 5 and 8 song sequences

4. Filmmaking conventions
Films are made differently in India...
“Broken up” shooting schedule
Actors work on many films at one time
Use of dubbing techniques vs. sync sound
Lagaan (2001) is one Bollywood film that recently broke through these filmmaking conventions
Camera movement
Use of the zoom lens
Focus on color, “slick, high-gloss”

5. Bollywood and Indian culture
Indian culture affects Bollywood’s plot lines, characters, and song sequences.
Marriage
Eastern vs. Western culture
Pride in India, appeals to NRIs
The “Hindu Family Values” movie:
Respect for elders, Hindu traditions, “Joint Family”
India as a country of many languages and sub-cultures
Content is generally inoffensive, appeals to a mass audience
No kissing!!
Music permeates every aspect of Indian culture and religion.
Therefore, it seems fitting that these films should devote so much screen time to song and dance.

6. Songs are a necessity in Bollywood cinema.
Song sequences!
Songs are a necessity in Bollywood cinema.
Bollywood musical numbers complement the narrative, they do not construct it.
American musicals see songs as dramatic turning points in the plot, while Bollywood songs are generally used to expand emotion as a result of turning points in the plot.
Viewers would most likely be able to understand a Bollywood film’s meaning just as well without the song sequences.
“Yeh Ladka Hai Allah” - Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
During production, most time is spent filming the musical numbers
Important to the commercial success of a film
Playback singers
Actors never sing the lyrics themselves!

7. Song sequences, continued...
Typical Bollywood musical numbers:
Grand locales, montages
Lovers’ duet
Religious ceremonies
Highly choreographed dance
Emphasis on color and costume
Bollywood film songs traditionally do not exhibit character development, but many recent movies have changed this convention.
In Lagaan, characters communicate through subtext in lyrics, thereby advancing the plot of the film.

8. The future of Bollywood...
Bollywood has adapted to modern culture in a variety of ways
Dance club / music video song sequences to appeal to a younger generation
Musical numbers staged in a character’s imagination are more believable
Bollywood influence in Western cinema:
Modern musicals like Moulin Rouge borrow certain Bollywood conventions to reinvent the American musical genre. + see also Dancer in The Dark