"Film as dream, film as music. No form of art goes beyond ordinary consciousness as film does, straight to our emotions, deep into the twilight room of the soul." (Ingmar Bergman)
In India and the world over cinema is the only visual medium that can actually reach out to every single individual. To term Indian cinema or for that matter cinema of any country merely as a source for entertainment will be an injustice. Indian cinema makes a strong statement about the country`s diaspora. It is a way of reaching out to the masses to entertain them as well as educate them. While the Prehistoric Era in Indian Cinema shows the influence of the European films it is in the Silent Era in Indian Cinema that for the first time Indian cinema establishes its own identity with Raja Harishchandra. This was 1912s.
Mythology plays a considerable part in the cultural and religious history of India. Indian cinema mirrored the tales from the myths of India. Several Indian folktales and legends from the pages of mythology were translated onscreen. These Indian films in the then contemporary society were loved by the audience to the extent that the actors in these movies were worshipped. In 1931 Alam Ara broke the silence in Indian cinema.
With the End of the Silent Era in Indian Cinema the Era of Talkies in India (1930) ushered in and in came some of the best films in the history of Indian cinema. These films for the first time mirrored the prolific talent that India possessed in the form of directors, actors, musicians, cameramen, lyricists, choreographers, writers and other technicians. However there was a time when cinema was heavily influenced by Indian literature. Whether it was the Tamil films, Bollywood, Telugu films or Kannada literature clearly called the shots as far as the story was concerned in Indian cinema.
With time this trend faded out and the Golden Era of Indian Cinema introduced completely new genre of films. Gradually original scripts were written for the Indian cinema. Both the Indian directors and the audience were ready for experiments. Once again culture and tradition played an important part. Onscreen the rich Indian heritage of classical dances and music were employed to create a world of romance and music. The audience adored these kinds of films as well. Slowly the costume dramas arrived. This was the era when outstanding films like Do Bigha Zamin (Hindi), Balayogini (Tamil), Thyagabhoomi (Tamil), Mathrubhoomi (Tamil), Devdas (Bengali, Hindi) and several others.
Hindi being the national language the Hindi film industry is often seen as mainstream in Indian cinema. But it is only a myth as far as Indian cinema is considered. The proper picture would depict the so called the Indian Regional Films as trend setters. Till date it is the Malayalam films, the Bengali films, the Oriya films that provide inspiration to Indian cinema. However it is also true that Bollywood did give rise to filmmakers who were movie czars. They changed the way the world cinema looked at Indian cinema. It is due to a talented lot of Indian movie makers that Indian cinema was reckoned globally. Satyajit Ray, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Shaji N Karun, Jahnu Barua and others like them made films that are still considered masterpieces. No matter how many times one watches these movies they never grow old. Probably this is the magic spell that Indian cinema can create on its audiences.
Amongst such maestros there were several of masters who made films for their own sake. They were not making films so that people like them. They made films because they loved the medium. People like Ritwik Ghatak never compromised with their ideologies. They presented onscreen what they felt about man, society, cultures and customs. Today Indian cinema bows down to them and looks up at them with reverence.
Talent in India is ubiquitous. The Indian cinema is thus well supported by Indian actors who put their heart and soul to films. Once again they were rewarded by the audiences. From Prithviraj Kapoor to Mohanlal and Smita Patil, from Rajnikath to Siddharth and Rani Mukheree, both the masses and classes appreciate their works. The star system in Indian cinema has made the actors role models in the society.
Wherever in the world there is even 10% Indians Indian cinema is a rage. And in order to take Indian cinema even higher the contemporary film personalities are making films that belong to different genres. While some of these films make the audiences break into peels of laughter, the others moisten their eyes. A different set of Indian movies will compel the audiences to sit up and think about their surroundings and the present situations.
Indian cinema is changing faces with passing time. At one point of time multi-starrer films were in vogue. The contemporary socio political scenario has always found an important place in Indian movies and it is the same even today. Besides these animation films and comic films are hit with the cine goers too. It is impossible to describe Indian cinema in a nutshell.
However the following links will be helpful in providing an insight into this massive film industry.
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