Down Melody Lane..::..Article on Films, Personalities, Music Reviews and More..

The purpose of this article is to introduce the newcomer to most facets of the world of Hindi films. To the already initiated, this article may resemble a time-capsule. Spanning 70 years plus, through a very chequered, but always-colourful history, Bollywood (as the Hollywood of India is popularly known as, being primarily based at Bombay) is a very important lifeline for most Indians. Socially, politically, economically always in the limelight, Bollywood has awed and fascinated (also repelled a few) through most of the last century. But, all said and done, few Indians can do without Bollywood. In many instances, Bollywood affects the lives of Indians more than religion or politics.

Could it be mere coincidence that the generation of the 30s and 40s were caring and responsible, albeit unnaturally headstrong over trivialities? The generation of the 50s and 60s were rebellious, but practical. And the 70s and 80s saw a rather arrogant and highly materialistic generation. The 90s and beyond saw flippancy call all the shots in all facets of life. Think about this in light of the films that were made by these respective generations.

A decade-wise (roughly) treatise on the history and the stars (the real reason for this article) of Bollywood would be the most systematic route to take, in my opinion. But, before that it must be known that little else shapes the minds of the general Indian more than Hindi films. When viewed against this backdrop, a lot of the history of the Indian family, society and politic will become easier to evaluate. Quite unlike Hollywood or the Thames, Bombay fare is rather typical, and broadly dividable into a few niche categories. Viz. family dramas (most Hindi movie stories have strong familial bonds), comedies (few in number), social (an Indian is a moralist by birth, hence every film tries to give a message), musical (no Hindi movie can do without it, barring the few experiments), historical (usually wild distortions), love stories (the omnipresent angle in virtually every movie), thrillers/ action (yawn!), and off-beat movies (the ones which seek to make news rather than movies, on a shoestring budget). Needless to add, most Hindi movies are thoroughly unrealistic, ridiculous, and haphazard in story, choreography, dialogue, and content. But, the acting within the (unbelievable) boundaries set by directors, often surpasses everything else. And the music until the 1980s largely carried a stamp of undisputed class.

The 1930s and 1940s

Hindi films in their infancy. Nonetheless, famous movie companies released some excellent films. Starring very woody actors and actors dressed as actresses, the earliest movies were just about stage productions, with drawling dialogue delivery and animated acting. No one knows how songs became indispensable in Hindi movies, but even in the silent era, music was played in the background, ostensibly to alleviate any boredom. However, movies was such a novel concept at the time, I fail to understand how anyone could get bored watching giant moving images. Socially, I understand that the performing arts were looked down upon, maybe because the actors were required to perform love scenes with persons other than their lawfully wedded spouses. In any case, there is little archive material available on the silent era, hence my ignorance about them.

So, I'll just skip forward to the advent of sound movies, which began in 1931 with Alam Ara. And the towering presence of stars like KL Saigal, Ramola, Suraiya, Noor Jehan, Sohrab Modi, to name a few. They were icons in their day, and quite unlike the hip-swinging generation of post 1980, they commanded respect. Come Ashok Kumar with Achuut Kanya, Bandhan, Kangan, and later, Mahal. Historical and mythological masterpieces abounded, many of which cannot be equalled even today with all our gimmickry-gadgetry. Musicals and social films ruled the roost with unforgettables like KL Saigal, Arun Kumar and Surendra dominating the song scene. Most of the songs were recorded live on the sets along with the action, which is a feat in itself. Lyrics were rudimentary as were the musical arrangements, but very much in tune with the simplicity of the times. The camera too would have been unable to do justice to anything more elaborate. Given the fact that most artistes were from the theatre, it is quite clear why the voices were thrown the way they were. The then magnum opus Sikander cast a legend in the lead - Prithviraj Kapoor, the founder of the first family of Bollywood opposite another legend - Sohrab Modi. I know little about the film production companies like New Theatre and Bombay Talkies, except that they hired artistes on contract very akin to their counterparts in the United States. The fare they produced was comparable with the best films made in the world. India being rich in tradition, literature and the arts, very little was lacking in the way of cinematic perfection. Songs made in these early days are sung at the most prestigious of venues even today with a large dose of nostalgia, and public adulation. Dialogues are largely forgotten, mainly because of the lack of availability of archive material, as also owing to the completely opposing trends in Hindi cinema.

During the late forties, a distinct shift was evident from the theatrical performances of the 30s. Legends like Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, and Dilip Kumar were launched. Closer to life acting evolved, lighting and camera techniques underwent a sea-change, story lines became more defined and editing became a major contender for honours in film excellence. Background music still jarred, but the songs made now were hard-hitting, sentimental, lucidly poetic and hummable to the extreme. Playback singing was here to stay and the never-repeatable voices of Talat Mahmood, Rafi, Mukesh, Hemant Kumar, Manna Dey, Asha Bhonsle, Geeta Dutt, Shamshad Begum and Lata Mangeshkar were born. These voices endured till the demise of their owners well into the seventies and eighties, (with the fortunate exception of Manna Dey, Mahendra Kapoor, Ashatai and Latadidi who still grace the air we breathe). Hindi movies were of age. Yet again, they compared admirably with the best films produced anywhere in the world in all aspects.

The 1950s

Easily dubbed the golden era of Hindi cinema. Dominated by the stars that made their debuts in the late forties, and joined by a host of prolific comedians and character artistes. The films produced were all black and white, but the versatility of the stars were every shade under the sun. Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Mehmood, IS Johar, Bhagwan, Agha, Johnny Walker, Iftikhar, Pran, Mumtaz, Meena Kumari, Nargis, Madhubala, were just the tip of the iceberg. Films were still meaningful and entertaining, with glorious productions like Awara, Shree 420, Barsaat by Raj Kapoor. Basant Bahar, Baiju Bawra, Anarkali, Mughal-e-azam, as epics. Daag, Anokhi Ada, Mela as love stories. Sociological films, however, abounded - in fact, most movies of the time were deeply rooted in traditional Indian culture, with only a handful of experts daring to breach limits. Even love stories like Patita and Hum Dono had deep sociological messages. Thrillers, action films, and suspense movies were more or less inspired from across the seas, as were stunt movies. Horror movies, however, were elementarily, but exquisitely crafted, with little or no gore. Out and out comedy was still a poor cousin to main-stream films, but generated legends like Mukri, Bhagwan, Mehmood, Agha, Chaplin, Radheshyam, Kanhaiyyalal, Johnny Walker, Gope and Om Prakash.

Cinematography came of age, as did a new facet of editing and clean cuts. Story telling was never to be the same, and chiselled masterfully into a fine art. Musically, the true epitome and acme of perfection was achieved in lyrics, composition and rendering, with a whole host of new instruments added to the repertoire of the geniuses that were. Costumes started being influenced by the West in a big way, as did the co-ordination of sets. Dances that were hitherto mainly Indian now saw Western influences. Indian classical dancing found new expression in the movements of Vyjayantimala, and choreographers like Birju Maharaj and Gopi Krishan. Curiously, the vamp entered the scene in the early fifties and stayed on well into the eighties. The acting also witnessed a drastic movement from theatrical performances to attitudes better suited to the cinematic medium as we now know it.