Pyaasa - A Guru Dutt Masterpiece: History of Indian Cinema: Bollywood

History of Indian Cinema: Bollywood
Tuesday, 18 March 2008

The birth of Cinema in India can be attributed to the Lumiere brother`s. Only a few months after the Lumiere brothers introduced the art of cinematography in Paris in 1895, cinema made it`s presence felt in India. The Lumiere brothers` held their first public showing at Mumbai`s Watson`s Hotel on July 7, 1896 and the Times of India glowingly referred to it as the `miracle of the century`. Westerners, who were quick to realize the value of India as a site of filmmaking both because of its natural beauty and its `exotic` culture, were inspired to make films that used Indian scenery and culture. However, this phenomenon did not create much of a ripple. The Indian viewer took the new experience as something already familiar to him, thanks to the art of shadow play and the tradition of story-telling with hand-drawn images accompanied by live sound. The Lumiere brothers thus pioneered the art of film-making in India with the astonishing invention of CINEMA.
The Lumiere brothers` Cinematographe first show was a silent movie for 10 minutes. Six items, each of 17 meters, were included - Entry of Cinematographe, The Sea Bath, Arrival of a Train, A Demolition, Ladies & Soldiers on Wheels, and Leaving the Factory played at the Watson Hotel. On July 14, the shows shifted venue - to the Novelty Theatre, Bombay. Twenty-four items were on, including A Stormy Sea and The Thames at Waterloo Bridge. The shows concluded on August 15, 1896.
Given the `magic` quality normally associated with films and the potential mass appeal of cinema, it came as no surprise that Indians soon entered the domain of filmmaking. The first Indian to make a film was Harischandra S. Bhatvadekhar, popularly known as Save Dada. He was a still photographer, a dealer in equipment and an exhibitor of films. His interests led him naturally to the art of cinema.The public reception accorded to Wrangler Paranjpye at Chowapatty on his return from England with the coveted distinction he got at Cambridge was covered by Bhatwadekar. He was the first Indian to produce a film. All he had with him was a projector, but he didn`t have a camera, so he got one from London and shot only 2 scenes of 3 minutes each, which were titled Do Pahalwanon Ki Kushti and Bandar Ko Nachata Hua Madaari. It was released in December 1989... the birth of the first Indian topical or actuality film!

Next was F.B. Thanawala, who made his debut in 1900. Two of his films, Splendid New View of Bombay (1900) and Taboot Procession (1900) generated great interest. The first film explored some outstanding landmarks in the city of Bombay, and the second an annual Muslim procession.
In 1901, Hiralal Sen made his mark as a film producer with a deep interest in Indian history and mythology.In Calcutta, Hiralal Sen photographed scenes from some of the plays at the Classic Theatre. Such films were shown as added attractions after the stage performances or taken to distant venues where the stage performers could not reach. The possibility of reaching a large audience through recorded images which could be projected several times through mechanical gadgets caught the fancy of people in the performing arts, stage and entertainment business.
In 1905 film production was linked with exhibition. J.F. Madan, who had gained a wide reputation in the theatre world of Calcutta, went on to establish the Elphinstone Bioscope Company. In the years that followed, the Madan Theatre began to exercise great influence both inside India and outside. Madan was the first businessman to foresee the imminent business possibilities of filmmaking in India. Not only did he build a vast production empire on the lines of Hollywood but he also imported foreign actresses (Ermline, Patience Cooper and others) "to act in Indian mythological and folk tales, as Indian females were hesitant to expose themselves to the gaze of the film camera. For a time, the Elphinstone Company dominated film production in India.

The first decade of the 20th century saw live and recorded performances being clubbed together in the same program. The strong influence of traditional arts, music, dance and popular theatre on the cinema movement in India in its early days is probably responsible for its characteristic enthusiasm for inserting song and dance sequences in Indian cinema, even today. Film shows became popular thereafter, and on 1st January 1900, another silent movie was released at Novelty Cinema, Mumbai. Tivoli Theatre was the venue for a show of 25 pictures that included such titles as Japanese Dance by the Beauties and Fatima, an Indian Dance. The city of Calcutta held its first film exhibition at Star Theatre on October 2 1898.
By now, Indian audiences were increasingly being exposed to Western films. Hence, the fascination with longer narratives and the desire to see Indian experiences and characters on screen resulted in the first ever mythological film produced in India by R.G. Tomey`s, which was "Pundalik". It was shown in 1912 and based on the legend associated with a well-known Maharashtrian saint. It was hugely popular among movie-going audiences. Mr. N.G. Chitre, of Bombay & a cinematographer Mr. Stevenson had jointly produced this film, which was released on 18th May 1912 at Coronation Theatre, Sandhurst Road. Although Pundalik was the first feature film to be made by an Indian, it was shot by an Englishman and never shown as an independent film. The trend of silent era continued from 1897 to 1930 and during this period of 34 years, around 1200 films were released, of which very few film prints are available now.
The honour of making the first Indian feature film by an Indian goes to Dhundiraj Govind Phalke. His Raja Harischandra released on 3rd May 1913, was totally Indian in terms of production, and was shown as an independent and self-contained work in its own right. His 50-minute film Raja Harischandra, which was instantly successful, due to the splendid special effects he created. It laid the foundation for a thriving film industry in India and for a vastly popular genre of mythological films. This genre is informed by a powerful moral imagination in which good triumphs over evil, so reinforcing the moral order. This mythological genre still maintains its mass appeal. The successes of Phalke and Madan served to fortify the foundations of the film industry in India. Mass entertainment and moral education were amalgamated in a way that assured mass appeal. Once film achieved firm footing as a popular mode of entertainment, filmmakers began to make their presence felt in other parts of the country. In 1917 the first feature film was made in the south: Keechaka Vadham was based on the Mahabharata.
By 1920, that is seven years after the first Indian feature film was produced, Indian cinema appeared to be established on secure foundations - 18 feature films were produced in 1920,40 films in 1921, and 80 in 1925. As cinema began to grow more and more popular among the masses and a lucrative industry was established, a number of indubitably gifted film directors made their debut; among them Suchat Singh, Dhiren Ganguli, Himansu Rai and V.Shantaram. Many good films made during this initial period were greatly inspired by the two celebrated epics - the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Many of the directors sought to invest their mythological narratives with a clear social message relevant to contemporary society. The filmmakers associated with this phase in the growth of Indian cinema were Janus-faced. They looked back to the past lovingly and sought to reconnect with tradition; at the same time, they sought to draw on the resources and innovations of Hollywood.
Until now all films were silent. At the beginning of the 4th decade, the film viewers were bestowed with a surprising gift, the silent era had ended, and films now had sound, so we could hear actors and actresses talking. In 1931 came the first Indian talkie: Alam Ara. It was a costume drama full of fantasy and with many melodious songs to intensify the audience`s emotions and it was a stunning success. It was produced by Imperial Movie tone, Bombay. The film was released on 14th March 1931 at Majestic Cinema, Girgaon, Bombay. The film starred Prithviraj Kapoor (father of late Raj Kapoor), Zubeida, Master Vithal, Zillo and Wazir Mohd. Khan. The film had 7 songs and the music director was Firozeshah M. Mistri.
The second talkie film released in India was Shirin Farhaad, on 30th May 1931. It was produced by Madan Theatres, Calcutta and directed by its owner Mr. J.J. Madan. It had 18 songs. Indra Sabha which was released in 1932 had as much as 69 songs in it! It was produced by Madan Theatre, Calcutta and directed by J.J. Madan. The film starred Master Nissar, Jahan Aara, Kazzam, Miss Silvasia and others. The dialogues for the first Hindustani film were written by Joseph David. The first ever color film made in India was Kissan Kanhaiya produced by Imperial Film Co. This film was released in 1973. Moti B. Gidwani directed it, and its music was composed by Ram Gopal Pandey. The film had 10 songs, which were released by Gramophone Records. The first ever female role depicted by a male artiste was played by Salunke for the film Raja Harishchandra released in 1913. D.D. Dhabke played the title role.
In that year, 27 films were made in four languages - Hindi, Bengali, Tamil and Telugu. The introduction of sound generated ever-increasing emphasis on music and song. The phenomenal success of Alam Ara inspired many other directors to follow in its footsteps. Music and fantasy came to be seen as vital elements of the filmi experience. At times, the emphasis on music was overdone. Film historians record that, for example, the film Indrasabha (1932) contained 70 songs. But what is significant is that music came to be regarded as a defining element in Indian cinema. Even to this day, some moviegoers repeatedly go to the same film because of its music.
With the spreading popularity of this new medium of mass entertainment, film directors became more audacious and explored new areas. The 1930s saw the emergence of a fascination with social themes that affected day to day living. V. Shantaram, for example, in his film Amritmantha (1934), held up for scrutiny the theological absolutisms and ritualistic excesses that were gathering momentum at the time, while the landmark Devdas (1935) sought to explore the self-defeating nature of social conventionalist. The character of Devdas has been reincarnated many times in Indian cinema. Jeevana Nataka (1942), another significant film of this period, had as its theme the injurious effects of modernization - a love triangle in which Mohan, driven to alcoholism by his infatuation with the main actress, drives his wife to suicide.
The interplay between tradition and modernity in its various guises began to interest Indian filmmakers more and more, as evident in films like Maya (1936) and Manzil (1936). At the same time, they were toying with the diverse formulae that would readily appeal to the masses and a film such as Manmohan (1936) by Mehboob Khan succeeded in its broad-based appeal largely because Khan was able to fashion a formula. At the same time Indian filmmakers were paying great attention to stylistic and technical innovation. Their increasing exploitation of the potentiality of the medium and its imaginative reach was to be seen in movies like Duniya Na Mane (The Unexpected, 1937) by V. shantaram and Jagirdar (Landlord, 1937) by Mehboob Khan. In Duniya Na Mane, for example, V. Shantaram made effective and highly imaginative use of sound, controlling it in much the same way as his visuals. Throughout the film, he used no background music, only atmospheric sounds and voices; even the few songs in the film had no musical accompaniment.
Western influences, however, still loomed large in at least one dimension of the Indian popular cinema in the late 1930s. India`s most exciting daredevil from the 1930s to the 1950s was Nadia, daughter of a British father and Greek mother. Billed as fearless, Nadia, her story has recently been told by her grand nephew, Rijad Vinci Wadia (1993) in Fearless: The Hunterwali Story, a 75-minute film documentary.
By the 1940s, however, a winning formula for success at the box office had been forged, consisting of song, dance, spectacle, rhetoric and fantasy. A close and significant relationship between the epic consciousness and the art of cinema had been established. Moreover, film was increasingly being recognized as a vital instrument of social criticism. It was against this background that film directors like V. Shantaram, Raj Kapoor, Mehboob Khan, Bimal Roy had chosen to make their films, films that were to generate not only national but also international interest.
The foundations of the Indian popular cinema as both entertainment and industry were laid in the 1940s during a period of great social change and trauma for the country. Even as India was moving rapidly towards capitalism and modernization, it was also coping with issues of nationalism, independence and ethnic and religious divisions. The popular films produced during this period offer an interesting perspective on these changes. This era of films was thus named as the Golden Era of Indian Cinema.
Raj Kapoor became a celebrity not only in India but also in other parts of South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Africa, the Middle East and the Soviet Union. Gifted film directors such as Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt and Raj Kapoor won increasing recognition for Indian popular cinema in many parts of the world. Film historians regard the 1950s as the Golden Age of Indian popular cinema. By now cinema was firmly established as art, entertainment and industry. However, cinema is basically an urban art the world over and during this time urbanisation of Indian consciousness was taking place as never before. This facilitated the development of Indian cinema. Interestingly, some of the most well-known films of the time like Awaara (The Vagabond,1951), Pyaasa (Thirst, 1957), Kaagaz Ke Phool (Paper Flower, 1959), Shree 420 (Mr 420, 1955) dealt with city life one way or another. In Awaara, for example, the city was both a nightmare and a dream and in Pyaasa the unreality of city life is rejected.
While the popular tradition of Indian filmmaking was developing with undiminished vigour, by the mid 1950s, a distinctly `artistic` cinema took shape, thanks to the pioneering efforts of the Bengali filmmaker Satyajit Ray. His Pather Panchali (Song of the Road) of 1955 won for Indian cinema great international recognition and critical acclaim. It was given the `best human document` award at the 1956 Cannes film festival and went on to win awards at film festivals in San Francisco, Vancouver, Ontario and elsewhere. Pather Panchali, based on a well-known Bengali novel, realistically and sensitively chronicles the privations and hardships encountered by a Brahmin family at the beginning of the present century. If Indian popular filmmakers looked towards Hollywood musicals for inspiration, Satyajit Ray`s cinematic imagination was stirred by the work of French director Renoir and the Italian neo-realists.
Pather Panchali along with Aparajito (The Unvanquished, 1956) and Apur Sansar (The World of Apu, 1959) - generally referred to as the Apu Trilogy - are regarded as masterpieces of world cinema. After making the trilogy, Satyajit Ray went on to create such outstanding works of cinema as Charulata (The Lonely Wife, 1964), Devi (Goddess, 1960) and lalsaghar (Music Room, 1958). Ray`s cinema with its emphasis on realism, psychological probing, visual poetry, outdoor rather than studio shooting, and the use of non-professional actors was in sharp contrast to the practices of Indian popular cinema. Before his death, Ray was awarded the Lifetime Award by Hollywood and was the only Indian director to be singularly honoured by President Mitterand of France, who flew to Calcutta to bestow on him the Legion of Honour. Satyajit Ray was largely responsible for the creation of an internationally recognised artistic cinema in India.
Very quickly, a number of highly talented directors, including Mrinal Sen, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, G. Aravindan, Mani Kaul, Kumar Shahani, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Gautam Ghose, Ketan Mehta, Aparna Sen, Govind Nihalani, Shyam Benegal, Vijaya Mehta, Shaji Karon emerged as able expositors of artistic cinema. Their body of work is normally referred to as New Cinema, as characterised by the qualities established by Ray. Another filmmaker and contemporary of Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, has belatedly won national and international recognition for his audacious exploration of political themes, using the strengths of Art Cinema and Commercial Cinema.