Bollywood or the Indian film industry and entertainment are synonymous with each other. Bollywood takes the viewer into a surreal world of illusion, an exhilarating experience of drama, emotions, passion and hope. Hindi cinema in more ways than one has mirrored the rapid changes in the social fabric of India. One genre of filmmaker takes a realistic look at art while the other presents an escapist view. 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.

Jamsetji Framji Madan: Jamshetji /framji Madan started his career with Cooverji Nazir`s Theatrical Company as an actor. After, which, he proceeded and acquired a company and started an entire set of business activity as in to import of food items to liquor, real estate, insurance, films and film equipment, and two theatrical companies in Calcutta - Alfred and Corinthian. These companies boasted of competent actors and actresses including the noted Urdu playwright Agha Hashr Kashmiri. In 1902, J.F. Madan organized `bioscope shows` in Calcutta. These were held in tents and were extremely popular.

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.

Baburao Painter: He was called Baburao Painter, though his actual name was Baburao Mistry, since he was a master at sculpting, painting and woodwork. Baburao and his cousin Anandarao bought a movie projector from the Bombay flea market and proceeded to exhibit films, studying the art of movies all the while. Anandarao was busy with assembling a camera for their maiden venture, and his untimely death at this juncture compelled Baburao to go it alone.

Ardeshir Irani: Ardeshir Irani is the man who made the first Indian talkie and the first Indian colour film! Irani began his career as an exhibitor, after that he started to co-own Alexandra Theatre with Abdulally Esoofally in 1914. He was also the Bombay 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.


Harishchandra S. Bhatvadekar: Also known as Save Dada, Bhatvadekar was a portrait photographer and a rapt audience-member at the Lumiere shows. He is credited with being the first Indian to import a motion picture camera. In 1897 he filmed a wrestling match at the Hanging Gardens, Bombay. He also filmed a short of the playfulness of monkeys. He held his film shows in tents.In 1901 Bhatvadekar filmed the return of Ragunath P. Paranjpye, who had secured a distinction in mathematics from Cambridge University. Save Dada exhibited this as a newsreel. In 1903 he filmed the durbar organized on the occasion of the coronation of Edward VII.

6. Raghupati Venkiah: In 1913, Venkiah built Gaeity theatre in Madras, the first permanent theatre in South India. Venkiah travelled across India and further than Burma and Ceylon. After 1917, he ventured into film production. Star of East Film Company was set up by Venkiah with an impressive Board of Directors - Maharaja of Pithapuram, Sir R.K. Shanmukham Chettiar, Dewan Bahadur Govindas Chaturbhuj Doss. His son R. Prakash returned from his stint in London and Paris with knowledge and equipment for the studio. He established a modern outfit complete with glass roof and an in-house laboratory.

1921 - Bhishma Pratigna: The film was directed by Prakash and proved a major success.
1923 - Gajendra Moksham.
1924 - Usha Swapna.
1929 - Kovalan.
1930 - Nandanar
The films were shown with subtitles in Hindi, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, and English.