change in trend of Indian cinema

Bollywood, or the Hindi film industry of India which produces almost 1000 films every year is the world’s largest film industry.This industry has a remarkably rich history of producing a variety of movies, showcasing different spheres of Indian life, in myriad themes, be it comedy, romance, thriller, horror or drama.

Indian cinema is a platform that has high amount of audience attached with it. in the earlier period i.e the Initial period of cinema it was the only entertainment source for the people at that time, as per today technology has increased in a vast manner that the medium to communicate and entertainment has increased.

The Indian film industry can be broken down widely into four sub-categories.The first phase would consist of the movies made from the 1940s till the early 1960s. This phase is called the “Golden Era of the India cinema” where critically acclaimed movies like Awaara(1951), Shree 420(1955) and Mother India(1957) to name a few were made. These movies revolved around the common man, who faced various struggles in life, which the audience could relate to and would finally come out as a man with the right morals. These stories showed the protagonist to be poor who even though wavered from his path (mainly due to greed and success) would finally realize his mistakes and be a better person in the end and overcome his troubles in a just manner.

The second phase is the phase from late 1960s to the early 1980s. This phase saw a distinctive shift in the general storyline of the movies. Movies like Aradhana( 1969) , Anand (1970) , Bobby(1973) and Sholay (1975) mark this period.  These movies were more action based and romantic in nature. Violence became an integral part of the movies, and a lot of emphasis was given on villains, who were basically underworld mafias. The image of the “angry young man” was introduced here, a brooding hero who was very good at delivering his punches and kicks, would destroy the villains and win the lady’s heart in the end. A lot of films during this time revolved around this basic theme.

The third phase is from the late 1980s till early 2000s. This phase saw the most diverse shifts in the movie-making procedure in India. Advanced technology was introduced in the country. The first Indian sci-fi movie Mr. India was released in 1987 which was a runaway hit. Romance was still the main theme. Comedy movies were also a hit in this phase. A lot of movies were shot abroad in this phase.

The last and the ongoing phase started in late 2000s. This phase introduced a lot of technical advancements in the ways movies are made. From Koi Mil Gaya(2003) till Ra.One(2011), movies put a greater emphasis on the visual effects rather than the story. A lot of movies have been shot abroad, with only the mention of India.

Though what matter and missing is the spark in the movies that was seen before, the movies made before were more realistic, relatable and sometimes based on live events. The chnage in media is good but they should also bring some new and relevant content in films which is important today because the youth and the upcoming generation are technology wise and they easily get influenced by movies so the movies should show all the good and bad by keeping in mind that how it can impact on the sensitive mind of todays youth!!