Bollywood

The Indian movie industry, Bollywood, is the largest film industry in the world. It produces over 800 movies a year, almost twice as many as Hollywood.

Bollywood only refers to Indian films made in Hindi—there's also Tollywood and Kollywood, which make films in the Telugu and Tamil language. 

Bollywood was born 11 years before Hollywood. Bollywood’s first production was an 1899 short film, whereas Hollywood’s first film came out in 1910.

Raja Harishchandra, the first full-length Indian feature film, was released on May 3, 1913. With a storyline based on the legend of Raja Harishchandra, it marked the beginning of the Indian film industry.

As the film negatives used for Raja Harishchandra were of limited spectral sensitivity, the color red was avoided in sets, costumes, and make-up.

The naming scheme for "Bollywood" was inspired by "Tollywood", the name that was used to refer to the cinema of West Bengal dating back to 1932.

Alam Ara, the first Indian film with sound, was released on March 14, 1931. The story was based on a very successful Parsi play of the same name. 

Prior to the release of Alam Ara, Indian films were silent, and the actors would perform to live music played by a musician in the theater. With the introduction of synchronized sound, Indian cinema was able to create a more immersive experience for the audience.

Alam Ara was a commercial success and helped to establish the Indian film industry as a major player in the world of cinema. 

Indra Sabha (1932)  has a total of 72 songs, which is more than any other Bollywood film. The film is a musical about the court of Indra, the king of the gods in Hindu mythology.

India was not too quick in catching up to the colored film trend and seemed content with black and white movies. Kisan Kany, a 1937 film directed by Moti Gidwani was the first colored film in Bollywood.

The longest Bollywood song ever to be featured in a film is "Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo" from the the 2004 movie of the same name. It has a running time of 19 minutes and 53 seconds. The song is a patriotic anthem that pays tribute to the Indian soldiers who fought in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. It was composed by Anu Malik and sung by Sonu Nigam, Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, and Kailash Kher,

"Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo" is divided into three parts. The first part is a slow, somber melody that sets the tone for the song. The second part is a more upbeat tempo that builds up the excitement. The third part is a rousing finale that leaves the audience feeling inspired.

3 Idiots is a 2009 comedy-drama film, which follows the lives of three friends at an Indian engineering college and is a satire about the social pressures under the Indian education system. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing over ₹2.4 billion (US$30 million) worldwide. It was the highest-grossing Indian film of 2009 and one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time (at the time of release).

Dangal is a biographical sports film about Mahavir Singh Phogat, a former wrestler who trains his daughters Geeta and Babita to become wrestlers. Dangal was released in India on December 23, 2016. It was a critical and commercial success, grossing over ₹973 crores (US$151 million) worldwide. It set several records at the box office. It is the highest-grossing Indian film of all time, both domestically and overseas. It also became the highest-grossing non-English film in China, and the highest-grossing Indian film in the United States.

Pathaan is a spy thriller film that follows the story of Pathaan, a RAW agent who is on a mission to stop a terrorist attack. The film was released on January 25, 2023, and it was a critical and commercial success. It set several box office records for a Hindi film, including the highest opening day, highest single day, highest opening weekend and highest opening week for a Hindi film in India. Pathaan grossed over ₹1350 crores (US$180 million) worldwide, including ₹57 crores (US$8 million) in the United States. As of August 20, 2023, Pathaan is the third highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time in India.

Source Guylife