From the Lumière brothers to Satyajit Ray
The first cinema screening in India dates back to 1896, when six films by the Lumière brothers were shown in Mumbai, then Bombay, to the delight of the colonial and local elites. The beginning of a long history of cinema, which the curious can discover in detail at the National Film Archive of India, based in Pune, south of Mumbai. A few years later, photographer H. S. Bhatavdekar made The Wrestler (1899), a shot of a wrestling match in Bombay's Hanging Gardens, the very first Indian film and the first documentary to depict the country. It wasn't until 1913 that the first Indian feature film, Raja Harishchandra, was released. The brainchild of filmmaker Dadasaheb Phalke, considered by some to be the father of the nation's seventh art, the film takes its narrative from the Mahābhārata, and more specifically from the sacrifices of King Harishchandra, ready to do anything to honor his oath to sage Vishwamitra. From the outset, the film met with great popular success, confirming the Indian people's infatuation with cinema. In the early 1930s, Indian cinema became talking pictures, with Ardeshir Irani's Alam Ara (1931). But in such a vast country, language was a major issue. A real obstacle to the distribution of films in this multilingual territory. Most of the production of what was soon to become Bollywood was in Hindi. Other studios and small producers, meanwhile, focused on regional markets, releasing films in Tamil, Marathi, Malayalam and Telugu. The result was the gradual emergence of Tollywood and Mollywood, which are now at least as active as Bollywood. To overcome these comprehension problems, producers introduced dance and song as universal means of communication, establishing what would become the norm for Indian films aimed at the general public. Splendid films from this period include Himansu Rai's Karma(1933), Homi Wadia's Diamond Queen (1940) and Vanakudre Shantaram's Kunku (1937). These works were part of the Bollywood dynamic of major studios such as Bombay Talkies, Prabhat and Wadia Movietone, companies that dominated the Indian audiovisual landscape until the early 1950s.
From the 1950s to today
Before Hollywood, India was to experience the fall of the major studios, under pressure from new producers who broke the system of actors under contract, offering fees on a film-by-film basis. A perilous but highly profitable technique that continues to this day, given the importance of headliners in the marketing of an Indian film. Parallel to this revolution, a number of filmmakers left the studios of their own accord to gain creative freedom, bringing new individualities to the national audiovisual landscape. In the East, Bengali cinema saw the emergence of figures such as Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak, well known to international cinephiles. In Bombay, the creative effervescence was exported internationally for the first time, and films such as Chetan Anand's La Ville basse (1946) won acclaim at major festivals. On the Mollywood side, Malayalam cinema began to focus on social themes in the second half of the 20th century, distinguishing itself from other Indian cinemas by a relative absence of song, and a growing influence of the French New Wave in the 1970s. In 1994, the film Destinée was in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and five years later, filmmaker Murali Nair won the Caméra d'Or with Le Trône de la mort (1999). Proof of the diversity of Indian cinema.
With a wide variety of films and an increase in production comes a growing need for talent. Certain actors, who sometimes star in several feature films at the same time, gain tremendous popularity, such as Rajesh Khanna (1942-2012), who appeared in over 160 films between 1966 and the end of the 1990s. Bollywood's first superstar, he was followed by many others whose names may already be familiar to you.
Famous Indian actors and actresses
Shah Rukh Khan (1965-), or King Khan as some call him, is surely one of the biggest stars of Indian cinema in the early 2000s. Born in Delhi, this versatile actor made his debut in Deewana (1992), for which he received the Best New Male Actor award at the Filmfare Awards, one of the highest honors in Indian cinema. His career took off, and he went on to star in such cult films as Devdas (2002), Don (2006) and Jusqu'à mon dernier souffle (2012), which won him the hearts of his fans. Comfortable in all genres, he has appeared in romantic films, dramas, thrillers and comedies, and is often appreciated for the quality and emotion he infuses into his characters.
Star of RRR (2022) and Brahmastra Part 1: Shiva (2022), actress Alia Bhatt has become an international star with phenomenal success to her credit. Involved and committed, the actress (born in 1993) has won over a whole generation of young Indians looking for stars who share their values and energy. Alia Bhatt has also become a fashion icon, thanks to her bold and innovative choices.
The son of Telugu film star Chiranjeevi, Ram Charan is also one of the great actors of contemporary India. Revealed by filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli in 2009's Magadheera, he is now adored by Indians and films with the greatest directors from Bollywood, Tollywood and elsewhere.
Last but not least, we can't talk about the great stars of Indian cinema without mentioning Deepika Padukone. Discovered by Farah Khan in Om Shanti Om (2007), she won the FilmFare Award for Best Emerging Actress and was nominated for a FilmFare Award for Best Actress. She made a number of films in the 2010s, regularly accompanied by Shah Rukh Khan, with whom she made her debut in Om Shanti Om. In 2022, she was a member of the jury at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, under the presidency of Vincent Lindon. Most recently, she made a stunning return to the screen in Pathaan , in a legendary new duet with Shah Rukh Khan. A grandiose film in the purest Bollywood tradition, which broke the Indian box-office record in 2023.
Of course, it's impossible to list all the great stars of Indian cinema, past and present. But this little panorama will give you plenty to talk about with the film buffs you'll come across on a terrace or at a meeting. And while you're at it, ask them to show you one of the locations where these legendary films were shot. India has many splendid landscapes, and international filmmakers have been invited here more than once.
When Hollywood turns to Bollywood
Like some of the world's other great heritage monuments, the Taj Mahal has regularly been used as a backdrop or outlet by Hollywood. Epic scenes and cataclysmic events have struck this magnificent tomb. These include the great prayer scene in Michael Bay's 1995 film Armageddon, which also features Delhi's Lal Qila (Red Fort) and the nearby city of Agra. A decade earlier, the monument appeared in Octopussy (1983), during a brief helicopter trip by James Bond, then played by Roger Moore. You can also follow in the footsteps of Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and Adrian Brody, filmed by Wes Anderson in Aboard the Darjeeling Limited (2007). The journey of three brothers in mourning for their father stops in Osian, Udaipur and Jodhpur. A touching odyssey, which earned its award-winning director honors at the Venice Film Festival. Another atmosphere, another star: Julia Roberts strolls the streets of Delhi and the Pataudi Palace in Mange, prie, aime (2010). A film in which she makes a more than sympathetic duet with Javier Bardem. But Hollywood isn't the only industry to benefit from India's impressive scenery - quite the contrary. Indian filmmakers like S.S. Rajamouli are great fans of their own landscapes, shooting in splendid locations such as Athirappilly Falls, not far from Chalakudy on the river of the same name. Here, the hero and adventurer Baahubali faces his destiny with superhuman strength and unfailing charm. And what about the impressive backdrops of Mehboob Khan's epic Mother India (1957) or Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas (2002)? These are works that have left their mark on the history of Indian and world cinema, and are still unmissable today.
Seeing cinema in India today
In a country with over 9,000 cinemas and, in most major cities, several hundred screens, you'll have no trouble finding something to quench your cinematic thirst. For red-carpet fans, head to Mumbai for the Filmfare Awards, the equivalent of the French Césars and American Oscars, which reward the best Indian films every year. And in Goa, you can discover the latest masterpieces from around the world at the prestigious International Film Festival of India, the country's biggest film event. Whether you're a fan of dance films, romantic comedies, action thrillers or arthouse films, you'll be spoilt for choice in India, a cinema country in its own right. There's something for everyone to discover, from the grand spectacle of RRR to the nuggets of Mani Kaul, the emblematic figure of Indian auteur cinema.
