Bollywood is one of the few Third World film industries to have remained dominant in its national market in the face of Hollywood globalism. The reason for this is perhaps because Bollywood merges some of Hollywood’s practices into their films. They are the largest film producing country in the world, producing 800 feature films a year. While Bollywood is affected largely by the film industry of the United States, the impact is not unidirectional; they also have a significant impact on the other film industries as well, particularly in the United States. The interesting thing about Bollywood is that although it is impacted by other film industries and even though others have tried to imitate it, it still maintains its unique culture that not one else has been able to replicate.

Although Bollywood is the largest branch of India’s film industry, it does not include all of Indian cinema. Based in Bombay, it is the Indian cinema that uses Hindi language. Since India is the country that produces the most films in the world, and since Bollywood is its largest branch, Bollywood has become a global phenomenon, attracting audiences from just about every country. It is for this reason that it is important to learn more about this influential industry.

In 1913, the first major Indian film was made. Dadasaheb Phalke created Raja Harishchandra, which wasa silent film. His studio ended up making almost one hundred silent films before movies with sound put them out of business. In 1931, Ardershir Irani directed the first Indian film, Alam Ara with sound, just a few years after movies with sound began in America with The Jazz Singer in 1927.Alam Ara was a huge milestone for Indian film, as it paved the way for Bollywood style movies since it included seven songs.In the 1930’s, India’s first film star Kundan Lal Saigal rose in stardom. He appeared in nearly 40 films before passing away in 1947. It was around this time that film became the most popular entertainment medium in India. As a result, the soundtracks from these films became popular as well - becoming the most popular music in India. Perhaps the most influential Indian film director was Satyajut Ray, who began directing in the 1950’s. He directed the classic 1955 film, Pather Panchali, and won an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1992. As Indian filmmakers continued to create new films, they began to see the need for more stories and characters that the audience would fall in love with. They realized that the audience likes seeing their favorite actors on screen, which is why today we see actors like Aamir Khan in so many Bollywood films. The filmmakers worked hard at targeting all audiences, and we now have Bollywood sub-genres as a result.

Even with these sub-genres, many films are difficult to classify under one genre, since Bollywood films tend to mix different genres into their films such as musical, drama, comedy, action and romance. Because they are so well known for mixing genres, they are commonly referred to as masala movies. Masala is a spice mix that combines lots of different ingredients, which is where the name comes from. Bollywood is largely known for its incorporation of music into their films. Most Bollywood films have about six songs, which can be as short as two minutes, or up to ten minutes long. Typically there is some type of dancing during these songs. Aside from their music, these films also differ from films of other countries in that the Indian culture is clearly portrayed through the locations, the clothes that the characters wear, and the food that they eat. The costumes and sets are elaborate, and the plots usually are not predictable. India does not have a national language so most of these films combine both English and Hindi into their dialogue.

Not all Bollywood movies contain all of these characteristics specific to Indian culture. When they reach out beyond their culture, they can often times become even more popular. An example of this is the film Sholay, which is a Bollywood Western. It was predicted that this film would fail due to the differences it contained from the typical Bollywood film, but the film ended up selling out for over two years, and set records in the amount of profit it made.

The market for all of these films and genres has been changing dramatically. India has faced tremendous population growth in the past few centuries. They have also been increasingly urbanized and are faced with a growing a middle class. As a result, there is more effort to aim their films at satisfying the large numbers of urbanized, middle-class consumers. Similar to the film industry in the United States, the film industry in India had been highly centralized with only a few companies able to produce movies. Even though there are only a few major producers and distributers, technology for creating films is becoming more accessible and there is room for independent filmmakers to create films now as well. It appears that the large companies are still doing the best work at satisfying the needs of the consumer population at large, but whether or not independent filmmakers will be able to rise up to be just as successful with their films is still unknown.

American media is extremely influential in the media of India. They often times will be exposed to American sources of news and entertainment. India has actually allowed CNN, a news network based in the United States, to serve as a primary news outlet for Indians, setting an example of American media influencing the media of India on a very large scale. With globalization, the media sources and content between India and other countries have become more and more intertwined. There is no question that Hollywood has been able to affect Bollywood.

The word “Bollywood” actually comes from a combination of the words “Bombay,” where the Bollywood films are made, and “Hollywood.” This is a perhaps the clearest demonstration that Bollywood films are affected largely by the film industry of the United States. An example of the United States’ effects on Bollywood is portrayed through American James Ivory, who has partnered with Indian director Ismail Merchant to adapt English novels into Bollywood films, introducing many new cultural ideas into Indian culture. Many of India’s television shows are imitations of shows from America. This was very influential in the creation of Bollywood film Slumdog Millionaire, which isbased on American television series, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Slumdog Millionaire went on to gross over 377 million dollars worldwide, and is considered to be one of the most successful Bollywood films ever made. Sometimes other movies are actually just “rip-offs” of Hollywood films. India has produced their own versions of Bruce Almighty, The Parent Trap, Hitch, When Harry Met Sally, and many more. Some of these films become very successful, while others, perhaps due to cultural differences, do not experience the same success.

One interesting factor in the connection between Bollywood and globalization is that sixty percent of the Bollywood’s profit is from overseas. This results in movies that are more diverse to cater to the audiences of other countries. Many of their films now have settings in other countries. A well-known example of this is Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, which takes place in America, with a theme of divorce. Divorce is not as common in India, and this was included to improve viewership in America where divorce is more common.

With all of these effects on Bollywood, it is important to note that Bollywood does not only get affected by Hollywood, but in return, as the largest film-producing country in the world, Bollywood affects the United States and other countries as well, becoming a dominant power in the entertainment industry.

With the spread of globalization, Bollywood’s popularity has led to imitations from all over the world. It has helped revive the musical genre in other countries, and has influenced musicians’ work tremendously. It is no challenge to find Bollywood music in America. With the spread of globalization, it is easy to download a “Bollywood Hits” playlist on Pandora from an American home, or to watch a Bollywood film on Netflix. Turner Classic Movies has a month-long festival of Bollywood films on its cable channel in the United States. There have been an increasing number of Bollywood companies in the United States, notably BODVOD (Bollywood on Demand, Video on Demand) on a cable network, and Adlabs Films, a producer of twenty Bollywood films a year. These companies have benefited the economies of both the United States and India as they bring much more viewership to Bollywood and more capital through advertisements in America.

There are many specific examples of Bollywood’s effects on American pop culture. Aishwarya Rai, a Bollywood actress, was on the cover of Time magazine, and was a guest on Oprah. The film Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. Disney Channel made a Bollywood spin-off entitled Cheetah Girls: One World, and Bollywood has been a theme dance on the popular television series Dancing With the Stars. There continues to be many more examples of Bollywood integrating into American entertainment and this trend is not one that is predicted to end.

A large part of this phenomenon can be seen in the increasing amount of Indians living in America. Indian-Americans tend to be more successful than the average American, and they tend to maintain many of their cultural values. With these Indian-Americans in the United States, America seeks to create films that adhere to the beliefs and values of these viewers. This is especially common when Indian-Americans work directly on films produced in the United States.

Hindi filmmakers are opening distribution offices in the United States to create a wider audience. They also have had screenings in the United States in places as large as Times Square. They will often subtitle their films in English so that American viewers can understand them better. Things like this will enable them to be more successful and to make more of a profit. Some of their films have in fact been more successful in the United States than in India. This affects the content of the films as the filmmakers decide which elements should be included to appeal to the larger audience. India’s culture is stereotypically more concerned with spirituality, whereas the culture of the United States is more materialized, leading to a change of plot and themes. Some of these films actually take place in America or in England, while still maintaining the characteristics of an Indian culture. This way, people in either the country can feel more connected. They also have changed their marketing strategies to have more of a global appeal.

Sometimes there can be a blend of cultures in the Bollywood films. An example of this is demonstrated well through Gurinder Chadha, a British director of Indian descent. She directed Bend it Like Beckam, which is a movie produced in Britain with an Indian, Jesminder “Jess” Bhamra, as the protagonist. It includes aspects of Indian culture as well as some Hindi language. The theme emphasizes the role of women in India. Jess wants to play soccer, but her parents will not allow it because she is a girl. She breaks these cultural norms and faces prejudice for her race and her gender. This film was able to become successful in both India and the United States. With the increase of blending between Bollywood and Hollywood, sometimes it can actually be difficult to distinguish a Bollywood film as a non-Hollywood film. One clear example of this is Kaante.

A “near” hit in recent Hindi-Urdu cinema, one that translated Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs into a Bombay idiom: Kaante is the all-male multistar film… shot entirely in Hollywood, with “largely American” technicians. Given the American production background, what makes the film Bollywood? Aside from the Hindi language and Indian actors, films like this are nearly identical to Hollywood productions. And with the increasing spread of globalization, the real question is if they will continue to be distinguishable at all.

There is no question that Bollywood will continue to be prevalent for a long time, but there are now questions due to globalization (Hollywood’s effects especially) on whether it will merge with other cultures more and more or become more independent of other cultures due to nationalism in an attempt to promote their cultural values. Many people would say that they will stay as independent as they can to distinguish themselves from the other countries. The more common view, however, is that they will continue to influence and be influenced even more by other cultures, becoming even more similar to the films of the United States. With that in mind, the question arises as to how far together would they blend? They have clearly merged together significantly already as we can see more and more similarities between them. This is not necessarily a bad thing, since it can provide opportunities to learn from other nations’ cinema and to become more knowledgeable about the world that we live in.