Editing Hindi cinema (section)

== History ==
=== Early history (1890s–1930s) ===
In 1897, a film presentation by Professor Stevenson featured a stage show at [[Calcutta]]'s Star Theatre. With Stevenson's encouragement and camera, [[Hiralal Sen]], an Indian photographer, made a film of scenes from that show, ''The Flower of Persia'' (1898).<ref name="Hiralal2">{{cite web |last = McKernan |first = Luke|date = 31 December 1996|url = https://www.victorian-cinema.net/sen.htm|title = Hiralal Sen (copyright British Film Institute)|access-date =1 November 2006}}</ref> ''The Wrestlers'' (1899) by [[H. S. Bhatavdekar]] showed a [[wrestling]] match at the Hanging Gardens in [[Bombay]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hutchinson |first1=Pamela |title=The birth of India's film industry: how the movies came to Mumbai |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jul/25/birth-indias-film-industry-movies-mumbai |access-date=20 September 2019 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=25 July 2013}}</ref>

[[File:Phalke.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Dadasaheb Phalke, examining a strip of film|Dadasaheb Phalke is considered the father of Indian cinema, including Hindi cinema.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zTZnAAAAMAAJ |title= Dadasaheb Phalke, the father of Indian cinema|access-date=17 November 2012|isbn=9788123743196 |last1=Vāṭave |first1=Bāpū |last2=Trust |first2=National Book |year=2004 |publisher= National Book Trust}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Sachin|last=Sharma|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vadodara/Godhra-forgets-its-days-spent-with-Dadasaheb-Phalke/articleshow/14444404.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130419032237/https://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-28/vadodara/32456429_1_godhra-dadasaheb-phalke-father-of-indian-cinema |url-status=live |archive-date=19 April 2013 |title=Godhra forgets its days spent with Dadasaheb Phalke |date=28 June 2012 |work=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=17 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Vilanilam|first=J. V.|title=Mass Communication in India: A Sociological Perspective|year=2005|publisher=Sage Publications|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-81-7829-515-2|page=128|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XBU6pN7toHsC&q=dadasaheb%20phalke%20father%20indian%20cinema&pg=PA128}}</ref>]]

[[Dadasaheb Phalke]]'s [[silent film]] ''[[Raja Harishchandra]]'' (1913) is the first [[Feature film|feature-length film]] made in India.<ref>{{Britannica|1912794|title=Dadasaheb Phalk}}</ref> The film, being silent, had [[English language|English]], [[Marathi language|Marathi]], and [[Hindi]]-language [[Intertitle|intertitles]]. By the 1930s, the Indian film industry as a whole was producing over 200 films per year.{{sfn|Gulzar|Nihalani|Chatterjee|2003|p=136-137}} The first Indian sound film, [[Ardeshir Irani]]'s ''[[Alam Ara]]'' (1931), made in [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] language, was commercially successful.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060326/spectrum/main1.htm |title=Talking Images, 75 Years of Cinema |work=The Tribune |access-date=9 March 2013 |archive-date=23 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060423202148/https://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060326/spectrum/main1.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> With a great demand for talkies and musicals, Hindustani cinema (as Hindi cinema was then known as){{sfn|Gulzar|Nihalani|Chatterjee|2003|p=146}} and the other language film industries quickly switched to sound films.

=== Challenges and market expansion (1930s–1940s) ===
The 1930s and 1940s were tumultuous times; India was buffeted by the [[Great Depression]], [[World War II]], the [[Indian independence movement]], and the violence of the [[Partition of India|Partition]]. Although most early Bombay films were unabashedly [[escapism|escapist]], a number of filmmakers tackled tough social issues or used the struggle for Indian independence as a backdrop for their films.<ref name="britannica2">{{cite book|author1=Gulzar |author2=Nihalani, Govind |author3=Chatterji, Saibal |title=Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema|year=2003|publisher= Encyclopædia Britannica (India) Pvt Ltd.|isbn=978-81-7991-066-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8y8vN9A14nkC|pages=136–137}}</ref> Irani made the first [[Hindi]] colour film, ''[[Kisan Kanya]]'', in 1937. The following year, he made a colour version of ''[[Mother India (book)|Mother India]]''. However, colour did not become a popular feature until the late 1950s. At this time, lavish romantic musicals and melodramas were cinematic staples.

[[File:Hindi movie production trend.pdf|thumb|upright=1.5|left|Number of Hindi movies released since 1930. A rapid expansion was seen from the mid-1940s.]]

The decade of the 1940s saw an expansion of Bombay cinema's commercial market and its presence in the national consciousness. The year 1943 saw the arrival of Indian cinema's first 'blockbuster' offering, the movie ''[[Kismet (1943 film)|Kismet]]'', which grossed in excess of the important barrier of one [[crore]] (10 million) rupees, made on a budget of only two [[lakh]] (200,000) rupees.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.mid-day.com/articles/b-town-rewind-the-tale-of-the-first-bollywood-crore/15162064 | title = B-Town rewind: The tale of the first Bollywood crore | last = Unny | first = Divya | date = 19 March 2014 | website = mid-day.com | publisher = Jagran Group | access-date = 7 November 2020 | quote="However, it was in 1943, that ''Kismet'', directed by Gyan Mukherjee, became the first film to reach the coveted box office milestone of Rs 1 crore. Who would have thought that the journey of the crore in Indian films would begin with a movie made for under Rs 2 lakh? It was a time when India was in the throes of patriotic fervour. The Quit India movement had just been launched. Kismet, a crime thriller with patriotic sentiments, tapped into this feeling. "}}</ref> The film tackled contemporary issues, especially those arising from the Indian Independence movement, and went on to become "the longest running hit of Indian cinema", a title it held till the 1970s.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Mishra | first = Vijay | title = Decentering History: Some Versions of Bombay Cinema| journal = East-West Film Journal| volume = 6| issue = 1| publisher = East-West Center| location = Honolulu, HI, US| date = January 1992|quote="The next canonical text was Luck (Kismet, 1943), which, in 1970 at any rate, held the "record as the longest running hit of Indian cinema" (Star and Style, February 6, 1970,19). [Luck] owes its amazing, unexpected success to the time in which it was made." Achut Kanya and Kismet heralded a move away from what Shyam Benegal called alienating and orientalist cinema to movies that could "deal with reality""}}</ref> Film personalities like Bimal Roy, Sahir Ludhianvi and Prithviraj Kapoor participated in the creation of a national movement against colonial rule in India, while simultaneously leveraging the popular political movement to increase their own visibility and popularity.<ref>{{cite journal | last =  Agarwal | first = Bhumika | title = IPTA's Contribution in Awakening Nationalism.| journal = The Criterion| volume = 4| issue = 4| publisher = Rajaram College | location = Kolhapur, MH, India| date = August 2013| quote="Indian People’s Theatre Association, popularly known by its acronym IPTA, was formed in 1942 when India was struggling to free herself from the shackles of colonial rule. The established artists of the tmmes Prithviraj Kapoor, Bijon Bhattacharya, Ritwik Ghatak, Utpal Dutt, Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, Mulk Raj Anand, Salil Chowdhury, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Jyotirindra Moitra, Niranjan Singh Maan, S. Tera Singh Chan, Jagdish Faryadi, Khalili Faryadi, Rajendra Raghuvanshi, Safdar Mir and many others came forward and formed Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) in 1942."}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/prithviraj-kapoor-birthday-349871-2016-11-03 | title = Remembering Prithviraj Kapoor | date = 3 November 2016 | website = indiatoday.in | publisher = Living Media India Limited | access-date = 7 November 2020 | quote="In 1946, Prithviraj Kapoor founded Prithvi Theatres, a theatre group that became a legend over decades. The house would stage influential patriotic plays and inspire the generation to join the Indian freedom movement and Mahatma Gandhi's Quit India movement"}}</ref> Themes from the Independence Movement deeply influenced Bombay film directors, screen-play writers, and lyricists, who saw their films in the context of social reform and the problems of the common people.<ref>{{cite book | last = Bandidiwekar| first = Anjali| title = Bollywood and Social Issues: Dichotomy or Symbiosis?| place = Hyderabad, India| publisher = ICFAI books| pages = 43| date = 2008 |quote="Indian cinema grew up in the days of the National Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi. The Gandhian philosophy of social reform deeply influenced Bollywood directors, screen-play writers, and lyricists. Their films became vehicles of social reform, taking up the cause of the common people."}}</ref>

Before the Partition, the Bombay film industry was closely linked to the [[Lollywood|Lahore film industry]] (known as "Lollywood"; now part of the [[Pakistani film industry]]); both produced films in [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] (also known as Hindi-Urdu), the ''[[lingua franca]]'' of northern and central India.<ref name="Ghosh"/> Another centre of Hindustani-language film production was the [[Cinema of West Bengal|Bengal film industry]] in [[Calcutta]], [[Bengal Presidency]] (now Kolkata, [[West Bengal]]), which produced Hindustani-language films and local [[Bengali language]] films.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bose |first1=Mihir |title=From Midnight to Glorious Morning? India Since Independence |date=2017 |publisher=[[Haus Publishing]] |isbn=9781910376706 |page=182 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j9ssDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT182}}</ref><ref name="Routledge"/> Many actors, filmmakers and musicians from the Lahore industry migrated to the Bombay industry during the 1940s, including actors [[K. L. Saigal]], [[Prithviraj Kapoor]], [[Dilip Kumar]] and [[Dev Anand]] as well as playback singers [[Mohammed Rafi]], [[Noorjahan]] and [[Shamshad Begum]]. Around the same time, filmmakers and actors from the Calcutta film industry began migrating to Bombay; as a result, Bombay became the center of Hindustani-language film production.<ref name="Routledge"/>

The 1947 partition of India divided the country into the [[Republic of India]] and [[Pakistan]], which precipitated the migration of filmmaking talent from film production centres like [[Lahore]] and [[Calcutta]], which bore the brunt of the partition violence.<ref name="Ghosh">{{cite book|last1=Ghosh|first1=Partha S.|title=Migrants, Refugees and the Stateless in South Asia|date=2016|publisher=[[SAGE Publishing|SAGE Publications]]|isbn=9789351508557|page=263|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X242DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA263}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Bose |first1=Mihir |title=From Midnight to Glorious Morning?: India Since Independence |date=2017 |publisher=[[Haus Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-910376-70-6 |page=182 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j9ssDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT182}}</ref><ref name="Routledge">{{cite book |last1=Raju |first1=Zakir Hossain |title=Bangladesh Cinema and National Identity: In Search of the Modern? |date=2014 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-317-60181-4 |page=131 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XXDfBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA131}}</ref> This included actors, filmmakers and musicians from [[Bengal]], [[Punjab]] (particularly the present-day [[Pakistani Punjab]]),<ref name="Ghosh"/> and the [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–2010)|North-West Frontier Province]] (present-day [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-20440607|title=Bollywood's Shah Rukh Khan, Dilip Kumar and the Peshawar club|work=BBC News|date=29 November 2012|access-date=22 June 2019|first=M. Ilyas|last=Khan}}</ref> These events further consolidated the Bombay film industry's position as the preeminent center for film production in India.

=== Golden age (late 1940s–1960s) ===
The period from the late 1940s to the early 1960s, after [[Indian independence movement|India's independence]], is regarded by film historians as the Golden Age of Hindi cinema.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change|last=K. Moti Gokulsing|first=K. Gokulsing, Wimal Dissanayake|publisher=Trentham Books|year=2004|isbn=978-1-85856-329-9|page=17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|title=Gender, Nation, and Globalization in Monsoon Wedding and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge|first=Jenny|last=Sharpe|journal=Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism|volume=6|issue=1|year=2005|pages=58–81 [60 & 75]|doi=10.1353/mer.2005.0032|s2cid=201783566}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|first=Sharmistha|last=Gooptu|title=Reviewed work(s): ''The Cinemas of India'' (1896–2000) by Yves Thoraval|journal=[[Economic and Political Weekly]]|volume=37|issue=29|date=July 2002|pages=3023–4}}</ref> Some of the most critically acclaimed Hindi films of all time were produced during this time. Examples include ''[[Pyaasa]]'' (1957) and ''[[Kaagaz Ke Phool]]'' (1959), directed by [[Guru Dutt]] and written by [[Abrar Alvi]]; ''[[Awaara]]'' (1951) and ''[[Shree 420]]'' (1955), directed by [[Raj Kapoor]] and written by [[Khwaja Ahmad Abbas]], and ''[[Aan]]'' (1952), directed by [[Mehboob Khan]] and starring [[Dilip Kumar]]. The films explored social themes, primarily dealing with working-class life in India (particularly urban life) in the first two examples. ''Awaara'' presented the city as both nightmare and dream, and ''Pyaasa'' critiqued the unreality of urban life.<ref name=Gokulsing-18>{{Cite book|title=Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change|last=K. Moti Gokulsing|first=K. Gokulsing, Wimal Dissanayake|publisher=Trentham Books|year=2004|isbn=978-1-85856-329-9|page=18}}</ref>

[[Mehboob Khan]]'s ''[[Mother India]]'' (1957), a remake of his earlier ''[[Aurat (1940 film)|Aurat]]'' (1940), was the first Indian film nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]]; it lost by a single vote.<ref name="Thaindian 1">{{cite web|first=Priyanka |last=Khanna |title=For Bollywood, Oscar is a big yawn again |work=Thaindian News |date=24 February 2008 |url=https://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/for-bollywood-oscar-is-a-big-yawn-again_10020729.html |access-date=29 July 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930012303/https://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/for-bollywood-oscar-is-a-big-yawn-again_10020729.html |archive-date=30 September 2012 }}</ref> ''Mother India'' defined conventional Hindi cinema for decades.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sridharan |first=Tarini |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/mother-india-not-woman-india/article4131747.ece |title=Mother India, not Woman India |date=25 November 2012 |access-date=5 March 2012 |newspaper=The Hindu |location=Chennai, India |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130106095550/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/mother-india-not-woman-india/article4131747.ece |archive-date= 6 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wChe8xWDwbo |title=Bollywood Blockbusters: ''Mother India'' (Part 1) |publisher=[[CNN-IBN]] |year=2009 |medium=Documentary |ref={{sfnRef|Bollywood Blockbusters Part 1|2009}} |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715143942/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wChe8xWDwbo |archive-date=15 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Kehr|first=Dave|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C03E5DE153CF930A1575BC0A9649C8B63|title=Mother India (1957). Film in review; 'Mother India'|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=23 August 2002|access-date=7 June 2012}}</ref> It spawned a genre of [[dacoit film]]s, in turn defined by ''[[Gunga Jumna]]'' (1961).<ref name="Teo">{{cite book|last=Teo|first=Stephen|title=Eastern Westerns: Film and Genre Outside and Inside Hollywood|date=2017|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]]|isbn=978-1-317-59226-6|page=122|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pi8lDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA122}}</ref> Written and produced by Dilip Kumar, ''Gunga Jumna'' was a dacoit [[crime drama]] about two brothers on opposite sides of the law (a theme which became common in Indian films during the 1970s).<ref name="Ganti">Tejaswini Ganti, [https://books.google.com/books?id=GTEa93azj9EC&pg=PA153 ''Bollywood: A Guidebook to Popular Hindi Cinema'', page 153]</ref> Some of the best-known [[epic film]]s of Hindi cinema were also produced at this time, such as [[K. Asif]]'s ''[[Mughal-e-Azam]]'' (1960).<ref>{{cite web|title=Film Festival – Bombay Melody |publisher=[[University of California, Los Angeles]] |date=17 March 2004 |url=https://www.international.ucla.edu/calendar/showevent.asp?eventid=1618 |access-date=20 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620171328/https://www.international.ucla.edu/calendar/showevent.asp?eventid=1618 |archive-date=20 June 2009 }}</ref> Other acclaimed mainstream Hindi filmmakers during this period included [[Kamal Amrohi]] and [[Vijay Bhatt]].

The three most popular male Indian actors of the 1950s and 1960s were [[Dilip Kumar]], [[Raj Kapoor]], and [[Dev Anand]], each with a unique acting style. Kapoor adopted [[Charlie Chaplin]]'s [[The Tramp|tramp]] persona; Anand modeled himself on suave Hollywood stars like [[Gregory Peck]] and [[Cary Grant]], and Kumar pioneered a form of [[method acting]] which predated Hollywood method actors such as [[Marlon Brando]]. Kumar, who was described as "the ultimate method actor" by [[Satyajit Ray]], inspired future generations of Indian actors. Much like Brando's influence on [[Robert De Niro]] and [[Al Pacino]], Kumar had a similar influence on [[Amitabh Bachchan]], [[Naseeruddin Shah]], [[Shah Rukh Khan]] and [[Nawazuddin Siddiqui]].<ref name="quint">[https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/2015/12/11/before-brando-there-was-dilip-kumar Before Brando, There Was Dilip Kumar], The Quint, 11 December 2015</ref><ref name="hindu-kumar">{{cite news|title=Unmatched innings|url=https://www.thehindu.com/arts/magazine/article597902.ece|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=24 January 2012|access-date=9 January 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208164035/https://www.thehindu.com/arts/magazine/article597902.ece|archive-date=8 February 2012}}</ref> Veteran actresses such as [[Suraiya]], [[Nargis]], [[Sumitra Devi (actress)|Sumitra Devi]], [[Vyjayanthimala]], [[Madhubala]], [[Meena Kumari]], [[Waheeda Rehman]], [[Nutan]], [[Sadhana Shivdasani|Sadhana]] and [[Mala Sinha]] have had their share of influence on Hindi cinema.<ref name="actorsuntil90" />

While commercial Hindi cinema was thriving, the 1950s also saw the emergence of a [[parallel cinema]] movement.<ref name=Gokulsing-18 /> Although the movement (emphasising [[social realism]]) was led by [[Cinema of West Bengal|Bengali cinema]], it also began gaining prominence in Hindi cinema. Early examples of parallel cinema include {{Lang|hi-latn|[[Dharti Ke Lal]]}} (1946), directed by [[Khwaja Ahmad Abbas]] and based on the [[Bengal famine of 1943]],<ref name="Rajadhyaksha">{{cite book|last=Rajadhyaksha|first=Ashish|title=Indian Cinema: A Very Short Introduction|date=2016|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-103477-0|page=61|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QUq1DAAAQBAJ&pg=PT61}}</ref> {{Lang|hi-latn|[[Neecha Nagar]]}} (1946) directed by [[Chetan Anand (director)|Chetan Anand]] and written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas,<ref name="Hindu2007">[https://web.archive.org/web/20081016143853/https://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/06/15/stories/2007061551020100.htm Maker of innovative, meaningful movies]. ''[[The Hindu]]'', 15 June 2007</ref> and Bimal Roy's ''[[Do Bigha Zamin]]'' (1953). Their critical acclaim and the latter's commercial success paved the way for Indian [[Neorealism (art)|neorealism]] and the Indian New Wave (synonymous with parallel cinema).<ref>{{cite web|title=Do Bigha Zamin: Seeds of the Indian New Wave |author=Srikanth Srinivasan |publisher=Dear Cinema |date=4 August 2008 |url=https://dearcinema.com/review-do-bigha-zamin-bimal-roy |access-date=3 August 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129033621/https://dearcinema.com/review/do-bigha-zamin-seeds-of-the-indian-new-wave/3614 |archive-date=29 November 2014 }}</ref> Internationally acclaimed Hindi filmmakers involved in the movement included [[Mani Kaul]], [[Kumar Shahani]], [[Ketan Mehta]], [[Govind Nihalani]], [[Shyam Benegal]], and [[Vijaya Mehta]].<ref name=Gokulsing-18 />

[[File:RajeshKhanna.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|alt=A smiling Rajesh Khanna|[[Rajesh Khanna]] in 2010. The first Indian actor to be called a "[[superstar]]", he starred in 15 consecutive hit films from 1969 to 1971.]]
After the social-realist film {{Lang|hi-latn|Neecha Nagar}} received the [[Palme d'Or]] at the inaugural [[1946 Cannes Film Festival]],<ref name="Hindu2007" /> Hindi films were frequently in competition for Cannes' top prize during the 1950s and early 1960s and some won major prizes at the festival.<ref name=passionforcinema>{{cite web|title=India and Cannes: A Reluctant Courtship |publisher=Passion For Cinema |year=2008 |url=https://passionforcinema.com/india-and-cannes-a-reluctant-courtship |access-date=20 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620032814/https://passionforcinema.com/india-and-cannes-a-reluctant-courtship/ |archive-date=20 June 2009}}</ref> [[Guru Dutt]], overlooked during his lifetime, received belated international recognition during the 1980s.<ref name=passionforcinema /><ref>{{Cite book|title=Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change|first1=K. Moti|last1=Gokulsing|first2=Wimal|last2=Dissanayake|publisher=Trentham Books|year=2004|isbn=978-1-85856-329-9|pages=18–9}}</ref> Film critics polled by the British magazine ''[[Sight & Sound]]'' included several of Dutt's films in a 2002 list of [[List of films considered the best|greatest films]],<ref name=Cinemacom>{{cite web|title=2002 Sight & Sound Top Films Survey of 253 International Critics & Film Directors|publisher=Cinemacom|year=2002|url=https://www.cinemacom.com/2002-sight-sound.html|access-date=19 April 2009}}</ref> and [[Time's All-Time 100 Movies]] lists ''[[Pyaasa]]'' as one of the greatest films of all time.<ref name=Time>{{cite news|url=https://www.time.com/time/2005/100movies/the_complete_list.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050523235033/https://www.time.com/time/2005/100movies/the_complete_list.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 May 2005|title=All-Time 100 Best Movies|access-date=19 May 2008|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=12 February 2005}}</ref>

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the industry was dominated by musical [[romance film]]s with romantic-hero leads.<ref name="indianexpress2">{{cite news|title=Revisiting Prakash Mehra's Zanjeer: The film that made Amitabh Bachchan|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/revisiting-prakash-mehra-zanjeer-the-film-that-made-amitabh-bachchan-4714064/|work=[[The Indian Express]]|date=20 June 2017}}</ref>

=== Classic Hindi cinema (1970s–1980s) ===
{{Multiple image|image1=SalimKhan.jpg|width1=120|alt1=A bespectacled Salim Khan|image2=Akhtar for Talaash.jpg|width2=160|alt2=A serious-looking Javed Akhtar|footer=The [[Salim–Javed]] screenwriting duo, consisting of [[Salim Khan]] ''(left)'' and [[Javed Akhtar]], revolutionized Indian cinema in the 1970s<ref name="Pandolin">{{cite web|title=Salim-Javed: Writing Duo that Revolutionized Indian Cinema|url=https://pandolin.com/salim-javed-writing-duo-that-revolutionized-indian-cinema/|website=Pandolin|date=25 April 2013|access-date=29 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035749/https://pandolin.com/salim-javed-writing-duo-that-revolutionized-indian-cinema/|archive-date=1 December 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> and are considered Hindi cinema's greatest [[screenwriter]]s.<ref name="Chaudhuri">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ|title=Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters|last=Chaudhuri|first=Diptakirti|date=1 October 2015|publisher=[[Penguin Books|Penguin UK]]|isbn=9789352140084}}</ref>}}

By 1970, Hindi cinema was thematically stagnant<ref name="raj">{{cite book|last=Raj|first=Ashok|title=Hero Vol.2|date=2009|publisher=[[Hay House]]|isbn=9789381398036|page=21|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2wo9BAAAQBAJ&pg=PT21}}</ref> and dominated by musical [[romance film]]s.<ref name="indianexpress2" /> The arrival of screenwriting duo [[Salim–Javed]] ([[Salim Khan]] and [[Javed Akhtar]]) was a paradigm shift, revitalising the industry.<ref name="raj" /> They began the genre of gritty, violent, [[Mumbai underworld films|Bombay underworld crime films]] early in the decade with films such as ''[[Zanjeer (1973 film)|Zanjeer]]'' (1973) and ''[[Deewaar]]'' (1975).<ref name="ganti">{{cite book|last=Ganti|first=Tejaswini|title=Bollywood: A Guidebook to Popular Hindi Cinema|date=2004|publisher=[[Psychology Press]]|isbn=978-0-415-28854-5|page=153|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GTEa93azj9EC&pg=PA153}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Chaudhuri|first=Diptakirti|title=Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters|date=2015|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|isbn=9789352140084|page=72|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT72}}</ref> Salim-Javed reinterpreted the rural themes of [[Mehboob Khan]]'s ''[[Mother India]]'' (1957) and [[Dilip Kumar]]'s ''[[Gunga Jumna]]'' (1961) in a contemporary urban context, reflecting the [[socio-economic]] and [[socio-political]] climate of 1970s India<ref name="raj" /><ref name="legends">{{cite book|last=Kumar|first=Surendra|title=Legends of Indian cinema: pen portraits|date=2003|publisher=Har-Anand Publications|page=51|isbn=9788124108727|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AfJkAAAAMAAJ}}</ref> and channeling mass discontent, disillusionment<ref name="raj" /> and the unprecedented growth of [[slum]]s<ref name="Mazumdar" /> with [[anti-establishment]] themes and those involving urban poverty, corruption and crime.<ref name="Penguin Group">{{cite book|last1=Chaudhuri|first1=Diptakirti|title=Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters|date=2015|publisher=[[Penguin Group]]|isbn=9789352140084|page=74|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT74}}</ref><ref name="hindustantimes">{{cite news|title=Deewaar was the perfect script: Amitabh Bachchan on 42 years of the cult film|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/deewaar-was-the-perfect-script-amitabh-bachchan-on-42-years-of-the-cult-film/story-x2hy87zQ0ebVlsVMV59U2I.html|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|date=29 January 2017}}</ref> Their "angry young man", personified by [[Amitabh Bachchan]],<ref name="hindustantimes" /> reinterpreted Dilip Kumar's performance in ''Gunga Jumna'' in a contemporary urban context<ref name="raj" /><ref name="legends" /> and anguished urban poor.<ref name="Mazumdar">{{cite book|last=Mazumdar|first=Ranjani|title=Bombay Cinema: An Archive of the City|year=2007 |publisher=[[University of Minnesota Press]]|isbn=978-1-4529-1302-5|page=14|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xenNBrRKOGoC&pg=PA14}}</ref>

By the mid-1970s, romantic confections had given way to gritty, violent crime films and [[action film]]s about gangsters (the [[Bombay underworld]]) and bandits ([[dacoits]]). Salim-Javed's writing and Amitabh Bachchan's acting popularised the trend with films such as ''Zanjeer'' and (particularly) ''Deewaar'', a crime film inspired by ''Gunga Jumna''<ref name="Ganti" /> which pitted "a policeman against his brother, a gang leader based on real-life smuggler [[Haji Mastan]]" (Bachchan); according to [[Danny Boyle]], ''Deewaar'' was "absolutely key to Indian cinema".<ref name=Kumar /> In addition to Bachchan, several other actors followed by riding the crest of the trend (which lasted into the early 1990s).<ref name="funky">{{cite book|last1=Stadtman|first1=Todd|title=Funky Bollywood: The Wild World of 1970s Indian Action Cinema|date=2015|publisher=FAB Press|isbn=978-1-903254-77-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T0DXoQEACAAJ}}</ref> Actresses from the era include [[Hema Malini]], [[Jaya Bachchan]], [[Rakhee Gulzar|Raakhee]], [[Shabana Azmi]], [[Zeenat Aman]], [[Parveen Babi]], [[Rekha]], [[Dimple Kapadia]], [[Smita Patil]], [[Jaya Prada]] and [[Padmini Kolhapure]].<ref name="actorsuntil90">{{cite web|title=The Present |author=Ahmed, Rauf |work=[[Rediff.com]] |url=https://www.rediff.com/millenni/rauf2.htm |access-date=30 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080529044434/https://www.rediff.com/millenni/rauf2.htm |archive-date=29 May 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Amitabh.jpg|upright|thumb|left|alt=A smiling, bearded Amitabh Bachchan|[[Amitabh Bachchan]] in 2014]]
The name "Bollywood" was coined during the 1970s,<ref name="khanna" /><ref name="collaco" /> when the conventions of commercial Hindi films were defined.<ref name="Chaudhuri58">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT58|title=Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters|last=Chaudhuri|first=Diptakirti|date=1 October 2015|publisher=[[Penguin Books|Penguin UK]]|isbn=9789352140084|page=58}}</ref> Key to this was the [[masala film]], which combines a number of genres ([[Action film|action]], [[Comedy film|comedy]], [[Romance film|romance]], [[Drama film|drama]], [[melodrama]], and [[Musical film|musical]]). The masala film was pioneered early in the decade by filmmaker [[Nasir Hussain]],<ref name="Hussain">{{cite news|title=How film-maker Nasir Husain started the trend for Bollywood masala films|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/how-film-maker-nasir-husain-created-the-prototype-for-bollywood-masala-films/story-ckL6zPLHJFDYoupjFBtbfN.html|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|date=30 March 2017}}</ref> and the Salim-Javed screenwriting duo,<ref name="Chaudhuri58" /> pioneering the Bollywood-[[Blockbuster (entertainment)|blockbuster]] format.<ref name="Chaudhuri58" /> ''[[Yaadon Ki Baarat]]'' (1973), directed by Hussain and written by Salim-Javed, has been identified as the first masala film and the first quintessentially "Bollywood" film.<ref name="Chaudhuri58" /><ref name="bhaumik">Kaushik Bhaumik, [https://thewire.in/24564/an-insightful-reading-of-our-many-indian-identities/ An Insightful Reading of Our Many Indian Identities], [[The Wire (Indian web publication)|The Wire]], 12 March 2016</ref> Salim-Javed wrote more successful masala films during the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="Chaudhuri58" /> Masala films made Amitabh Bachchan the biggest star of the period. A landmark of the genre was ''[[Amar Akbar Anthony]]'' (1977),<ref name="bhaumik" /><ref name="Dwyer2005">{{cite book|author=Rachel Dwyer|title=100 Bollywood films|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4EBNAQAAIAAJ|access-date=6 August 2013|year=2005|page=14|publisher=Lotus Collection, Roli Books|isbn=978-81-7436-433-3}}</ref> directed by [[Manmohan Desai]] and written by [[Kader Khan]], and Desai continued successfully exploiting the genre.
[[File:Dharmendra 2012.jpg|upright|thumb|right|[[Dharmendra]] in 2012]]

Both genres (masala and violent-crime films) are represented by the blockbuster ''[[Sholay]]'' (1975), written by Salim-Javed and starring [[Dharmendra]] and [[Amitabh Bachchan]]. It combined the [[dacoit film]] conventions of ''Mother India'' and ''Gunga Jumna'' with [[spaghetti Western]]s, spawning the [[Dacoit Western]] (also known as the [[curry Western]]) which was popular during the 1970s.<ref name="Teo" />

Some Hindi filmmakers, such as [[Shyam Benegal]], [[Mani Kaul]], [[Kumar Shahani]], [[Ketan Mehta]], [[Govind Nihalani]] and [[Vijaya Mehta]], continued to produce realistic [[parallel cinema]] throughout the 1970s.<ref name=Gokulsing-18 /><ref name=Rajadhyaksa96-685>Rajadhyaksa, 685</ref> Although the [[art film]] bent of the Film Finance Corporation was criticised during a 1976 [[Committee on Public Undertakings (India)|Committee on Public Undertakings]] investigation which accused the corporation of not doing enough to encourage commercial cinema, the decade saw the rise of commercial cinema with films such as ''[[Sholay]]'' (1975) which consolidated [[Amitabh Bachchan]]'s position as a star. The devotional classic ''[[Jai Santoshi Ma]]'' was also released that year.<ref name=Rajadhyaksa96-688>Rajadhyaksa, 688</ref>

By 1983, the Bombay film industry was generating an estimated annual revenue of {{INR|700 [[crore]]}} ({{INR}} 7 billion,<ref>{{cite news |title=Amitabh Bachchan Hindi film industry's most expensive star, Hema Malini tops among women |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/economy/story/19830215-amitabh-bachchan-hindi-film-industrys-most-expensive-star-hema-malini-tops-among-women-770465-2013-07-31 |work=[[India Today]] |date=15 February 1983}}</ref> {{US$|{{#expr:7000/10.099 round 2}} million|long=no}}),<ref>{{cite web |title=Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/PA.NUS.FCRF?end=1983&locations=IN&start=1982 |publisher=[[World Bank]] |year=1983 |access-date=15 December 2018}}</ref> equivalent to {{US$|{{Inflation|US|0.69314|1983|r=2}} billion|long=no}} ({{INR|{{#expr:171*(1000/{{To USD|1000|IND}}) round 0}} crore}}, {{INR}} 111.33 billion) when adjusted for inflation. By 1986, India's annual film output had increased from 741 films produced annually to 833 films annually, making India the world's largest film producer.<ref>{{cite book |title=Films in Review |date=1986 |publisher=Then and There Media, LCC. |page=368 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ah1CAQAAIAAJ |quote=And then I had forgotten that lndia leads the world in film production, with 833 motion pictures (up from 741 the previous year).}}</ref> The most internationally acclaimed Hindi film of the 1980s was [[Mira Nair]]'s ''[[Salaam Bombay!]]'' (1988), which won the [[Camera d'Or]] at the [[1988 Cannes Film Festival]] and was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]].

=== New Hindi cinema (1990s–2020s) ===
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Hindi cinema experienced another period of box-office decline during the late 1980s with due to concerns by audiences over increasing violence and a decline in musical quality, and a rise in video piracy. One of the turning points came with such films as ''[[Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak]]'' (1988), presenting a blend of youthfulness, family entertainment, [[emotional intelligence]] and strong melodies, all of which lured audiences back to the big screen.<ref name="Chintamani">{{cite book|last=Chintamani|first=Gautam|title=Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak: The Film That Revived Hindi Cinema|date=2016|publisher=[[HarperCollins]]|isbn=9789352640980|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BZYOvgAACAAJ}}</ref><ref name="Ray">{{cite news|last=Ray|first=Kunal|title=Romancing the 1980s|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/Romancing-the-1980s/article16898867.ece|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=18 December 2016|language=en-IN}}</ref> It brought back the template for Bollywood musical romance films which went on to define 1990s Hindi cinema.<ref name="Ray" />

Known since the 1990s as "New Bollywood",<ref>{{cite book|last=Sen|first=Meheli|title=Haunting Bollywood: Gender, Genre, and the Supernatural in Hindi Commercial Cinema|date=2017|publisher=[[University of Texas Press]]|isbn=978-1-4773-1158-5|page=189|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZA7BDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA189}}</ref> contemporary Bollywood is linked to [[economic liberalisation in India|economic liberalization in India]] during the early 1990s.<ref>{{cite book|last=Joshi|first=Priya|title=Bollywood's India: A Public Fantasy|date=2015|publisher=[[Columbia University Press]]|isbn=978-0-231-53907-4|page=171|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C3wyBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA171}}</ref> Early in the decade, the pendulum swung back toward family-centered romantic musicals. ''Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak'' (1988) was followed by blockbusters such as ''[[Maine Pyar Kiya]]'' (1989), ''[[Hum Aapke Hain Kaun]]'' (1994), ''[[Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge]]'' (1995), ''[[Raja Hindustani]]'' (1996), ''[[Dil To Pagal Hai]]'' (1997) and ''[[Kuch Kuch Hota Hai]]'' (1998), introducing a new generation of popular actors, including the [[Khans of Bollywood|three Khans]]: [[Aamir Khan]], [[Shah Rukh Khan]], and [[Salman Khan]],<ref name="desiblitz" /><ref name="forbes">{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robcain/2016/03/20/are-bollywoods-three-khans-the-last-of-the-movie-kings/|title=Are Bollywood's Three Khans The Last of the Movie Kings?|first=Rob|last=Cain|website=[[Forbes]]}}</ref> who have starred in most of the top ten [[List of highest-grossing Bollywood films|highest-grossing Bollywood films]]. [[Khans of Bollywood|The Khans]] and have had successful careers since the late 1980s and early 1990s,<ref name="desiblitz" /> and have dominated the Indian box office for three decades.<ref>[https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/after-aamir-srk-salman-why-bollywoods-next-male-superstar-may-need-a-decade-to-rise-3049864.html After Aamir, SRK, Salman, why Bollywood's next male superstar may need a decade to rise], Firstpost, 16 October 2016</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/aamir-khan-is-the-king-of-the-king-khans-moved-ahead-of-shah-rukh-salman-1723117|title=Why Aamir Khan Is The King of Khans: Foreign Media|website=NDTV.com}}</ref> Shah Rukh Khan was the most successful Indian actor for most of the 1990s and 2000s, and [[Aamir Khan]] has been the most successful Indian actor since the mid 2000s.<ref name="actorsuntil90" /><ref name="forbes-2017-1-23">{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/suparnadutt/2017/01/23/why-dangal-star-aamir-khan-is-the-new-king-of-bollywood/|title=Why 'Dangal' Star Aamir Khan Is The New King of Bollywood|first=Suparna Dutt|last=D'Cunha|website=[[Forbes]]}}</ref> Action and comedy films, starring such actors as [[Akshay Kumar]] and [[Govinda (actor)|Govinda]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Akshay Kumar meets Jackie Chan in Hong Kong |date=20 May 2004 |work=[[Bollywood Hungama]] |url=https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/box-office-business-talk/2004-starts-on-a-grim-note/ |access-date=11 April 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110323110849/https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2004/05/20/1112/index.html |archive-date=23 March 2011 }}</ref>

The decade marked the entrance of new performers in [[Art film|art]] and independent films, some of which were commercially successful. The most influential example was ''[[Satya (1998 film)|Satya]]'' (1998), directed by [[Ram Gopal Varma]] and written by [[Anurag Kashyap]]. Its critical and commercial success led to the emergence of a genre known as [[Mumbai]] noir:<ref name=Nayar>{{cite news| title = Bollywood on the table| author = Aruti Nayar| work = The Tribune| date = 16 December 2007| access-date = 19 June 2008| url = https://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20071216/spectrum/main11.htm}}</ref> urban films reflecting the city's social problems.<ref name=Jungen>{{cite web|title=Urban Movies: The Diversity of Indian Cinema |author=Christian Jungen |publisher=[[FIPRESCI]] |date=4 April 2009 |url=https://www.fipresci.org/festivals/archive/2009/fribourg/indian_cinema_chjungen.htm |access-date=11 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617225942/https://www.fipresci.org/festivals/archive/2009/fribourg/indian_cinema_chjungen.htm |archive-date=17 June 2009}}</ref> This led to a resurgence of [[parallel cinema]] by the end of the decade.<ref name=Nayar /> The films featured actors whose performances were often praised by critics.

[[File:Salman's Being Human show at HDIL India Couture Week 2010 (1).jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5|alt=Salman Khan walking hand-in-hand with a group of colourfully-dressed actresses|[[Salman Khan]], one of the Three Khans, with Bollywood actresses ''(from left)'' [[Kareena Kapoor]], [[Rani Mukerji]], [[Preity Zinta]], [[Katrina Kaif]], [[Karisma Kapoor]] and [[Priyanka Chopra]] in Mumbai (2010).]]

The 2000s saw increased Bollywood recognition worldwide due to growing (and prospering) [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|NRI]] and [[South Asian diaspora]] communities overseas. The growth of the Indian economy and a demand for quality entertainment in this era led the country's film industry to new heights in production values, cinematography and screenwriting as well as technical advances in areas such as special effects and animation.<ref name="Us popularity">Anita N. Wadhwani. [https://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2006/August/20060809124617nainawhdaw0.8614466.html "Bollywood Mania" Rising in United States] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020195105/https://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2006/August/20060809124617nainawhdaw0.8614466.html |date=20 October 2012 }}. US State Department. (9 August 2006). Retrieved 29 July 2010.</ref> Some of the largest production houses, among them [[Yash Raj Films]] and [[Dharma Productions]] were the producers of new modern films.<ref name="Us popularity" /> Some popular films of the decade were ''[[Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai]]'' (2000), ''[[Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...]]'' (2001), ''[[Gadar: Ek Prem Katha]]'' (2001), ''[[Lagaan]]'' (2001), ''[[Koi... Mil Gaya]]'' (2003), ''[[Kal Ho Naa Ho]]'' (2003), ''[[Veer-Zaara]]'' (2004), ''[[Rang De Basanti]]'' (2006), ''[[Lage Raho Munna Bhai]]'' (2006), ''[[Dhoom 2]]'' (2006), ''[[Krrish]]'' (2006), and ''[[Jab We Met]]'' (2007), among others, showing the rise of new movie stars.

During the 2010s, the industry saw established stars such as making big-budget [[masala film]]s like ''[[Dabangg]]'' (2010), ''[[Singham]]'' (2011)'','' ''[[Ek Tha Tiger]]'' (2012), ''[[Son of Sardaar]]'' (2012), ''[[Rowdy Rathore]]'' (2012), ''[[Chennai Express]]'' (2013), ''[[Kick (2014 film)|Kick]]'' (2014) and ''[[Happy New Year (2014 film)|Happy New Year]]'' (2014) with much-younger actresses. Although the films were often not praised by critics, they were commercially successful. Some of the films starring Aamir Khan, from {{Lang|hi-latn|[[Taare Zameen Par]]}} (2007) and ''[[3 Idiots]]'' (2009) to ''[[Dangal (2016 film)|Dangal]]'' (2016) and ''[[Secret Superstar]]'' (2018), have been credited with redefining and modernising the masala film with a distinct brand of socially conscious cinema.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rangan|first=Baradwaj|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/Masala-redux/article17007881.ece|title=Masala redux|date=8 January 2017|newspaper=The Hindu|access-date=8 January 2017|language=en-IN}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.asianage.com/entertainment/bollywood/021117/secret-superstar-a-moving-slice-of-life.html|title=Secret Superstar: A moving slice of life|date=2 November 2017|work=[[The Asian Age]]}}</ref>

Most stars from the 2000s continued successful careers into the next decade,{{CN|date=August 2023}} and the 2010s saw a new generation of popular actors in different films. Among new conventions, female-centred films such as ''[[The Dirty Picture]]'' (2011), ''[[Kahaani]]'' (2012), and ''[[Queen (2014 film)|Queen]]'' (2014), ''[[Pink (2016 film)|Pink]]'' (2016), ''[[Raazi]]'' (2018), ''[[Gangubai Kathiawadi]]'' (2022) and ''Crew'' started gaining wide financial success.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/bollywood/story/kareena-kapoor-proud-to-be-part-of-two-successful-women-centric-films-exclusive-2524033-2024-04-06|title=Kareena Kapoor: Proud to be part of two successful women-centric films |date=6 April 2024 |publisher=India Today}}</ref>