Bollywood- A 107-Year-old Legacy
I will be reviewing the whole industry (jk, it's just a tour) from the beginning till the end of 2020 (Cuz why not rub some more salt into their wounds ;D)
(1913)The first movie that came out was Harishchandra, based on the life of the truth-telling king who had to face endless hardships and came out a phoenix at the end! It was a silent, black-and-white movie.
Raja Harishchandra: India's entry into motion pictures!
(1931) Alam-Ara, the first movie with sound, obviously had a lot more to offer than the silent films
Mahal (1949)- India's first thriller- (1949)- Mahal- India’s first horror thriller movie, starring Ashok Kumar, Madhubala. (Oh lord, she was a breath-taking beauty, I’d pay to meet her!) It played well with the black and white frames; the storyline was tight and kept the audience’s blood pressures at an all-time high!
(1951)- Amar- Starring: Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, Nimmi. This movie left India in the deepest shock ever! Speaking on an issue that wasn’t allowed, made the movie into a taboo and hush-hush affair. Also, these powerhouses of talents had one of the first underwater shoots in Bollywood! Kudos to Nimmi!
(1955) Devdas- Starring- Dilip Kumar, Vyjantimala. This novel-turned-movie sent the audience into gasps and applause for the depth in the performance! People loved seeing sadness on-screen and cried buckets! (My granny still finds Dilip Kumar handsome! *facepalms*)
Devdas (1955)
(1960)- Mughal- E - Azam. Starring- Dilip Kumar, Madhubala. It was the first movie to have technicolour assistants and the magnum opus for two decades! This was India’s first biggest blockbusters, with people going to see this movie on elephants and sheer grandeur. Forty-four years later, this movie was wholly colourized and came back!
Later, Feroz Abbas Khan re-wrote this as a play with a huge cast, and it returned to the theatres(Broadway-style) and still manages to move people!
That would be it, for part one of this journey/legacy of the industry that inspired, motivated, celebrated, and condemned people through these 100+ years!