Ardeshir Irani, Indian Film Director

Ardeshir Irani is the man who made the first Indian talkie and the first Indian colour film. Irani began his film career as an exhibitor, after that he started to co-own Alexandra Theatre with Abdulally Esoofally in 1914. He was also the Mumbai agent for Universal Pictures. His theatre ran both foreign and Indian films - and the success of Phalke`s Kaliya Mardan and Krishna Janam convinced him to make his own. Later on, in a partnership with Bhogilal K. M. Dave, Irani set up Star Films Limited.

Given here is the list of a few films he made:
1922 - Veer Abhimanyu: The film starred Fatima Begum, who later became India`s first woman producer-director.
1923 - Krishna Arjuna Yuddha: Champaraj Hodain which the film`s `beautiful bathing scenes` were advertised.

However after these films Irani and Dave parted ways - the former forming Majestic Films and the latter, Sharda Film Company. Majestic Films continued the journey. Some films are given below:
1924 - Veer Durgadar: This film was based on the Rajput warrior who challenged and defeated Aurangzeb, the despotic Mughal emperors.
Bombay Ki Sethani or Call of Satan: This film was based on the true-life incident, and court-case, of a rich lady exchanging her child with another`s, while travelling by train.
1925 - Naharsingh Dakoo: A film set in a fictitious kingdom, dealing with a good-hearted bandit who exposes the Minister and his wife and their treacherous doings.
1927 - Wild Cat of Bombay: This film was extremely successful, and starred Sulochana as the golden-hearted girl who robbed the rich to feed the poor.

After these movies there were also the following movies: Alauddin and his Wonderful Lamp, Alibaba, Anarkali, Madhuri, Heer Ranjha and Magic Flute.

In 1931 - Alam Ara: This was the first full-length feature film with sound, i.e. the first Indian talkie. Wrath (re-released as Khuda Ki Shaan).The film dwelt on the bigoted society and the caste system. The tale tells of a woman from the `untouchable` caste: her rape by a Hindu, induction into prostitution by a Muslim, and the subsequent pariah status accorded to her by all. She is finally rescued and cared for by Baba Garibdas, who holds that caste and religion are man-made divisions invented by the unscrupulous. The actor who portrayed Garibdas bore an uncanny resemblance to Mahatma Gandhi. The censors subjected the film to harsh censoring.

1937 - Kisan Kanya: The first Indian film in colour. Ardeshir Irani firmly believed in sending Indians abroad to learn the craft of film-making rather than employing foreign experts.

(Last Updated on : 20/08/2011)

Bollywood

Bollywood is the nickname for the immensely popular Hindi film industry in India located in Mumbai in 1930s and developed into an enormous film empire. It should be noted that the name is often incorrectly used for the entire range of Indian cinema. Bollywood is in fact a certain segment of the Indian film industry. The name is derived from Bombay (the former name for Mumbai) and Hollywood, the heart of the American film industry.

The term is mostly used for Hindi cinema (Hindustani may be a more appropriate term) However, Bollywood film-makers deals with the languages of Hindi, Urdu and English. The application of poetic Urdu words is quite prevalent. English has also successfully made its foray into the Bollywood movies. Indian English is widely used in the dialogue and songs. The Indian public has long been accustomed to seeing films that feature dialogue with English words and phrases and even sometimes a whole sentences. The number of English films produced in Bollywood is gradually on the rise. A few films have also been made in more than one language (either using subtitles, or several soundtracks). Bombay talkies, launched in 1934 by Himansu Rai, spearheaded the groth of Indian cinema. Over the years, several classic genres emerged from Bollywood.In the beginning of the 20th century, Bollywood produced as many as 1000 feature films annually.

Bollywood films cannot be strictly classified as musicals, because a few films (like Bhoot, Ek Hasina Thi, Kaun) have been made which have no song and dance number. In general, a Bollywood film is likely to consist of a number of elements, and one of the fundamental features is captivating music that is reproduced in the form of song and dance sequences and is an integral part of the script. The musical content of a film is often released before the actual film as a part of the promotional campaign of the film. In a typical Hindi film one can expect songs and dances, love triangles, comedy and dare devil thrills --- all are mixed up to form a perfect two and a half to three hour-long "masala" film. The word "masala" (which is the Hindi term for spices) is used because these movies are a blend of many things at once. The plots of the movies tend to be more or less melodramatic. More often than not, the films fall into a set pattern showing ill-fated lovers and angry parents, love triangles, family ties, kidnappers, corrupt politicians, sacrifice, conniving villains, courtesans with hearts of gold, long lost relatives and siblings separated by fate, dramatic reversals of fortune, and suitable coincidences.

Apart from these, there are also films, which have a more artistic, and a more sophisticated storyline. But they often flop at the box office (quality assessment panel) due to lack of mass appeal. However the conventions recorded in Bollywood movies are gradually undergoing changes under the influence of Hollywood models. Film kisses are no longer a taboo. Plots now increasingly feature Westernized urbanites dating and dancing in discos rather than going in for arranged marriages. According to film critic Lata Khubchandani, "our earliest films...[had] liberal doses of sex and kissing scenes in them. Strangely, it was after Independence the censor board came into being and so did all the strictures."

Expert playback singers sing Songs in Bollywood. These singers generally record the songs previously with the actors lip-synching the words to the song on screen, often during dancing. Most actors are excellent dancers while some can also sing. Kishore Kumar one of the prominent name of the Bollywood was a multifaceted actor, who acted in a number of major films in the 1950s and also had a bright career as a playback singer. K. L. Saigal, Suraiyya, and Noor Jehan were also known to have both singing and acting potential. Some actors in the last thirty years have sung one or more songs in their own voice.

The names of the playback singers are widely featured in the opening titles. These singers often have their own fan following. Fans often go to watch a `not so hit` movie just to hear their favorites` voice. Some of the eminent female playback singers of Bollywood are Suraiyya, Noor Jehan, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Geeta Dutt, Shamshad Begum, Alka Yagnik and the notable male playback singers are K. L. Saigal, Talat Mahmood, Mukesh, Mohammed Rafi, Manna Dey, Hemant Kumar, Kishore Kumar, Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, Sonu Nigam. Mohammed Rafi is considered to be the finest of the singers who sung for Bollywood, followed by Lata Mangeshkar, who in her bright career of over six decades has sung thousands of songs for Indian movies. Besides the playback singers, there are also music composers or music directors. Some of the notable music directors are S.D. Burman, Bappi Lahiri, O.P. Nyar, Nadeem Shravan, Shankar Mahadevan and Anu Malik.

In the past, Bollywood film dances were principally modelled on various forms of Indian dance such as classical dance styles, dances of historic northern Indian courtesans (tawaif), or folk dances. In modern films, Indian dance styles have largely been influenced by Western dance styles. Now Western pop and pure classical dance can often be seen side by side in the same film. The hero or heroine is frequently seen to perform with a troupe of supporting dancers. A lot of song and dance sequences in Indian films show quixotically instantaneous shifts of location along with swift changes of costume between verses of a song. Picturesque sceneries are selected as the background for song sequences. Songs naturally highlight the action-taking place in the movie, in several ways. Sometimes, a song is mingled with the plot such that there is a reason for the character to sing.

Sound in Bollywood films is seldom recorded on location. In most cases the sound is generally created (or recreated) completely in the studio, where the actors recite their lines in the studio while viewing on screen images that has been previously shot. This process is known as ADR. This sometimes creates problems, because the sound in these films more often occurs a little bit later than the mouth movements or gestures.The actors have to act out the scene twice --- first on the location, and then in the studio. The same emotional intensity is often very difficult to evoke. Commercial Indian films-not just the Hindi-language variety-are known for their lack of ambient sound, so there is a strange silence underlying everything instead of the proper sound to create some sort of depth. The film Lagaan, after a thirty year gap, set a different trend by using synchronized sound, in which the sound was recorded on the location and quite a lot of Bollywood films have utilized on-location sound since then.

Bollywood films in general have a huge budget, with the priciest productions costing up to $10 million. More costly projects are apparently being planned, the most expensive of which is an epic film Mahabharata, by Ravi Chopra. The budget of this film is expected to rise up to $30 million. Sets, costumes, special effects, and cinematography were more or less average until the middle or the late 1990s, even though with a few notable exceptions. As Western films and television gained widespread access in India the Bollywood films felt an increasing fact to achieve the same production levels, especially with regard to action and special effects. Very recently, Bollywood films have employed international technicians to improve the quality of these areas. For example, Krrish (2006), directed and produced by Rakesh Roshan, has its action choreographed by Hong Kong based Tony Ching. Love Story 2050 (2007) has 5 international studios engaged in doing its special effects, which includes the Oscar winning WETA. Professional action and special effects are being increasingly employed to incorporate sci-fi genres in the Hindi Movies. Naturally, the film Budgets have raised considerably.

The public has immensely approved sequences shot overseas, so Mumbai film groups are increasingly filming in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, continental Europe and elsewhere.Nowadays, Indian producers are attracting more and more financial support for big-budget films shot within India as well, such as Lagaan, Devdas and other current films. Finances for Bollywood films often comes from private distributors and a few big studios. Indian banks and financial establishments were not allowed to lend money to movie studios. However, this prohibition no longer persists. A typical problem that this film industry is facing is the rampant copyright encroachment of its films. In many cases, it so happens that DVD copies of movies come out in the market before the prints are formally released in the cinema halls.

The history of Bollywood is quite interesting. Raja Harishchandra (1913) was the first soundless feature film produced in India. Dadasaheb Phalke made the film. By the 1930s, the industry was producing more than 200 films per year. The first Indian film with sound effect was Ardeshir Irani`s Alam Ara (1931). The film greatly appealed to the masses and naturally was a super hit. The 1930s and 1940s were the times for the film Industry because of the World War II and the Indian independence movement, which culminated in the brutality of the Partition. During this time, a lot of filmmakers discussed complex social issues in their films or made use of the struggle for Indian independence as a background for their plots. The late 1950s saw the release of the first color films by Bollywood. In spite of this, a large number of films continued to be black and white until the mid 1960s. At this time, idealistic musicals and melodramas were very popular. Successful actors of this time include Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor and the notable actresses are Meena Kumari, Nutan, and Madhubala. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, romance movies and action films starring actors like Rajesh Khanna and Dharmendra were in rage.

In the mid 1970s, gritty, violent films about gangsters and bandits gradually replaced romantic refreshers. Amitabh Bachchan, the star well known for playing "angry young man" characters, is a prominent figure in Bollywood. Actresses from this age included Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan and Rekha. In the mid 1990s, the filmmakers against turned towards romantic musicals centered around family Films like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun (1994) and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) were immensely successful and gave birth to a new generation of actors (such as Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, and Shah Rukh Khan) and actresses (such as Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, and Kajol).

One of the oldest and most famous film awards given for Bollywood films in India is The Filmfare Awards ceremony. It is sometimes cosidered as the "Indian Oscars". The distribution of Filmfare awards first commenced in 1954. A twofold voting system for this award was first developed in 1956. In contrast to the National Film Awards (sponsored by the government of India), which are decided by a panel appointed by the Indian Government, the Filmfare Awards are voted by both the public and a group of experts. The National Film Awards are handed out at a yearly ceremony presided over by the President of India. Other award ceremonies related to Bollywood held in India are Stardust Awards and Star Screen Awards. Some other award ceremonies are held overseas. These include

Bollywood along with other major cinematic centers (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, Oriya, Malayalam, and Assamese) comprise the broader Indian film industry, whose productivity is the highest in the world in number of tickets sold.
(Last Updated on : 11/08/2009)

Dadasaheb Phalke

Dhundiraj Govind Phalke: Affectionately called Dadasaheb Phalke, he is considered as the `father of Indian Cinema`. Born in Nasik (Maharashtra), he studied at the Sir J.J. School of Art, Bombay and the Kala Bhawan at Baroda. He was interested in magic, theatre and painting and these same interests converged in his films and translated into unforgettable sequences. Photography and architecture were added to his skills and he later acknowledged that his Baroda education helped him to develop all the qualities needed for a successful film producer.

A viewing of `Life of Christ` and seeing first-hand the impact the film had on the audience, decided his vocation. He made up his mind about cinema production, and that mythological films were close to the viewer`s heart. Added to the fact was the fact that Indian subject matter would give birth to an indigenous Indian film industry.

Phalke, with his imported camera, exposed single frames of a seed sprouting to a growing plant, shot once a day, over a month-thus inadvertently introducing the concept of `time-lapse photography`. This resulted in the first indigenous `instructional film`- The Birth of a Pea Plant (1912) - a capsule history of the growth of a pea into a pea-laden plant. This film came very handy in getting financial backing for his first film venture. In 1912, he left for England with the intention of learning film and purchasing equipment. Cecil Hepworth, the well-established producer, proved an invaluable source and Phalke returned with a Williamson camera, developing and printing equipment, a perforating machine, and raw film stock.

His films centered on well-known mythological stories and episodes, and audience response was positive. However, an interesting part of the cast in his films was that the roles requiring women performers were played by men as no women were willing to act. Similarly, he settled for Solanke, an effeminate cook he chanced upon in a cafe. What really obsessed him was the desire to see Indian images on the screen in a purely Swadeshi venture. He fixed up a studio in Dadar Main Road, wrote the scenario, erected the set and started shooting for his first venture Raja Harishchandra in 1912. The first full-length story film of Phalke was completed in 1912 and released at the Coronation cinema on April 21, 1913, for special invitees and members of the Press. Phalke`s first film, was 3,700 feet long and played for close to a month. The film was widely acclaimed by one and all and proved to be a great success. Other films at the time ran for less than a week! Initial shows included live dances to lure in an audience as yet unaccustomed to film shows. Trick photography, a passion with Phalke, and the acting skills of the cast, received rave reviews.

Most of the camera set-ups were static, with plenty of movements within the frame. The bathtub sequence where Harishchandra comes to call his wife Taramati, who is in the tub, with her fully drenched attendants is indeed the first bath-tub scene in Indian cinema. All the females in their wet sarees and blouses clinging to their bodies are in fact all males in female grab. Bombay Chronicle, the newspaper also eulogized over Raja Harishchandra.

For the first time, the film Mohini Bhasmasur in 1913 had women playing the female roles! Dadasaheb Phalke, as he was fondly known, was making 20 prints of the films at this stage. In 1917 for his film Lanka Dahan the Phalke Films made into a partnership concern and renamed Hindustan Film Company. And in 1918 for the film Shri Krishna Janam the special effects here were truly spectacular: The evil king Kamsa dreamt of many Krishna figures attacking him, and cutting off his head. The severed would float awhile and then rejoin the body, only to be cut off again! That year, this was the only film showing in Bombay.

1919 - Kaliya Mardan: By now, his studio in Nasik was flourishing, and it housed a library, reading rooms, bodybuilding-riding-fencing facilities, a zoo, and accomodation for technicians and artistes. Due to differences with partners, Phalke took a respite from film-making and wrote the satire Rangabhoomi. Other studios - Madan Theatres (Calcutta), Kohinoor (Bombay), and Maharashtra Film Company (Kolhapur) had entered the world of film production and were making a mark. He also made Sant Tukaram (1921) & Setu Bandhan in 1932.

Bollywood Personalities

Bollywood Personalities are the most-loved and respected and famous persons in all corners of India. Bollywood or the Indian Hindi film industry is located in the metro city of Mumbai in Maharashtra The sincere dedication of the famous personalities attached to the Bollywood Hindi film industry make it one of the most profitable entertainment industries in the world. It takes its viewers to a world of world of illusion, emotions, passion and hope. The social as well as political life of India as well as various other aspects of the society is depicted in a number of Hindi cinemas. While one genre of filmmaker is engaged in a realistic work of art, the other demonstrates an escapist view.

A cinema or rather a Hindi cinema requires the contribution of a large number of people to make it complete. These include the actors and actresses, director, producer, financer, choreographer, script writer, music director, song writer, dialogue writer, light men, costume designer, make-up artist, hair stylist, dummy, supporting dancers, visual effect assistants, sound recorders, cameraman and a number of other supporting staffs.

The first silent feature film made in India is known as `Raja Harishchandra` in the year 1913, by Dadasaheb Phalke. Phalke is regarded as one of the prominent Bollywood personalities who contributed a lot in the success of Bollywood film industry. The industry was producing about 200 or more films per annum by the 1930s. Ardeshir Irani`s Alam Ara was the first Indian sound film produced in the year 1931, which tasted huge commercial success. The 1930s and 40s were considered to be the turbulent times, when India was severely hit by World War II, the Great Depression, the Indian independence movement and the furiousness of the Partition movement. A large number of Bollywood filmmakers utilized the Indian struggle for independence as the major subject matter of their plots.

In the year 1937, Ardeshir Irani, of the Alam Ara fame, produced the first colour Hindi film, Kisan Kanya and the following year another colour film was made by him called, Mother India. Even if colour film did not receive much popularity at that time, the same became famous in the later parts of 1950. After the independence of India, the period between the later parts of 1940 to the 1960s are considered by the film historians as the Hindi cinema`s Golden Age. Among the best critically-acclaimed Indian Hindi films were made at this period. Some of the films are Pyaasa in the year 1957 and Kaagaz Ke Phool in the year 1959 by Guru Dutt and Awaara in the year 1951 and Shree 420 in the year 1955 by Raj Kapoor. However all of this could not have been possible without the contributions made by the Bollywood Personalities. We acknowledge and pay our tribute to these great Bollywood Personalities whose vision has been instrumental in shaping the future of the Indian film industry. Some of the major Bollywood personalities are Jamsetji Framji Madan, Baburao Painter, Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, Ardeshir Irani, Harishchandra S. Bhatvadekar, Raghupati Venkiah, Shailendra, Mukesh, Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Usha Mangeshkar, Ashok Kumar, Saira Banu, Dilip Kumar, Dharmendra, Nargis, Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, Mumtaz, Randhir Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Sammi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Hema Malini, Majroo Sultan Puri, Gulzar, Naushad, Kaifi Azmi, Manna Dey, Mahendra Kapoor, B.R. Chopra, etc.