There are a number of genres and styles of Hindi cinema that a viewer encounters, such as, romantic comedies, slapstick comedies, gangster films, horror films, thrillers, sports movies, westerns, melodramas, musicals and historical epics. While some of these genres are present in Indian cinema, often as a consequence of the impact of the western films, the Bollywood filmmakers have also created some styles of their own that are acknowledged as their own. This is clearly discernible in the popular tradition of filmmaking in India.Right from the early years, Hindi cinema has played an important role in the Indian film industry. In the last 77 years the Hindi film industry has grown in leaps and bounds. The first talkie film in India was released in 1931, Alam Ara. It starred Prithviraj Kapoor, Master Vithal, Zubeida, Jagdish Sethi and others. The film was based on a play written by Joseph David and directed by Ardeshir Irani. Raja Harishchandra was the first one though a silent one. Alam Ara was followed by Indra Sabha directed by J.J Madan..
After Alam Ara it was Devdas directed by Pramatesh Chandra Barua that had set a cult in the Hindi film industry. The film had an impressive star cast that included KL Saigal in the lead role. Devdas epitomized the agony of love and in a way introduced the first anti-hero of the Indian cinema. The film was remade twice in Hindi; once by Bimal Roy and the latest was made by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Love for the first time was treated aesthetically. Sanjay Leela Bhansali said in an interview that the love of Paro and Chandramukhi resemble that of Radha and Meera respectively. And truly enough every time Devdas was made love was redefined.
Mehboob Khan's Mother India dealt with several social issues. But it was also one of those earliest films that were women centric. The superb performances by Nargis, Sunil Dutt and Rajendra Kumar made the flick a landmark in the Hindi film industry. Andaaz by the same director was also an unforgettable movie with huge sets in Hollywood style, a casting coup (Nargis, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor) that no other film could ever possibly repeat and their outstanding performances.
Bimal Roy's Do Bigha Zameen once again dealt with common man and exploitation. It was this film that bagged the first Filmfare Award for best film in 1953. Madhumati by Bimal Roy was probably the first film dealing with reincarnation. It set a trend that was followed by several later films. Some of them include Bees Saal Baad, Karz, Karan Arjun, Om Shanti Om and several others.For more, visit the link below:
