Bollywood & Its Pioneers
 

Bollywood & Its Pioneers


Bollywood is a term which was coined as an Indian counterpart of world famous film making center known as Hollywood. In its initial period of its existence the term Bollywood was used to give it a comic undertone. But soon it became a serious business which attracted people of unmatched intellectual and artistic qualities. These people ensured that the films produced here were at par in quality with the best in the world without giving up the cultural and social moorings of the Indian society and the ambitions of its people.


We will try to present glimpses of these great and charismatic personalities who made Bollywood what it is today.

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Bollywood & Its Pioneers > Dada Saheb Phalke


Dadasaheb Phalke: It is because of him that we are celebrating the centenary of Indian cinema. On May 3, 1913, India's first full-length feature film 'Raja Harishchandra' was produced, directed and written by him. He went on make 'Mohini Bhasmasur' (1913), 'Satyavan Savitri' (1914), 'Lanka Dahan. (1917), 'Shri Krishna Janma' (1918) and 'Kaliya Mardan' (1919), and is aptly referred to as the father of Indian cinema. The prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award was initiated in his honour in 1969.

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Bollywood & Its Pioneers > Bimal Roy


Bimal Roy: One of the greatest filmmakers of Indian cinema, Roy made realistic and socialistic masterpieces like 'Do Bigha Zamin' (1953), 'Parineeta' (1953), 'Madhumati' (1958), 'Sujata' (1959), and Bandini (1963). His films have gone on to become cult classics.

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Bollywood & Its Pioneers > V. Shantaram



V. Shantaram: Credited with making some of the most critically-acclaimed films of Hindi cinema, Shantaram's best works include 'Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani' (1946), 'Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje' (1955), 'Do Aankhen Barah Haath' (1957) and 'Navrang' (1959). Following his death in 1990, the V. Shantaram Award was instituted in his honour.

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Bollywood & Its Pioneers > Mehboob khan

Mehboob Khan: Best remembered for his Oscar-nominated classic 'Mother India' (1957), Khan also directed other memorable films like 'Andaz' (1949), 'Aan' (1951) and Amar (1954). The famous Mehboob Studio in Bandra was founded by him.

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Bollywood & Its Pioneers > Guru Dutt

Guru Dutt: He died aged 39, but had done enough by then to be recognised as a Bollywood icon. The actor-director-producer gave us classics like 'Pyaasa' (1957), 'Kaagaz Ke Phool' (1959), 'Chaudhvin Ka Chand' (1960) and 'Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam' (1962), which are regarded amongst the greatest films of Hindi cinema

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Bollywood & Its Pioneers > Chetan Anand / चेतन आनंद

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Bollywood & Its Pioneers > Ashok Kumar / अशोक कुमार




Ashok Kumar: Dadamoni, as he was fondly called, lived a lifetime on screen. He began by playing the lead role in movies like 'Achhut Kanya' (1936), 'Jhoola' (1941) and 'Mahal' (1949), was India's first anti- hero in 'Kismet' (1943), portrayed the suave criminal or police officer in the 50s, before shifting focus to memorable character roles in movies like 'Khatta Meetha' (1978), 'Khoobsurat' (1980) and 'Mr. India' (1987) among many others.

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Bollywood & Its Pioneers > Dev Anand / देव आनंद



Dev Anand: A man of many talents, Anand acted in some of the most memorable films of his time -- 'Baazi' (1951), 'Taxi Driver' (1954), 'C.I.D' (1956), 'Kala Pani' (1958), 'Hum Dono' (1961) and 'Guide' (1965) -- the list is endless. As a director, he is credited with giving new actresses their big ticket to fame. 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna' (1971) made Zeenat Aman a star, while 'Des Pardes' (1978) proved to be the perfect launch vehicle for Tina Munim

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Bollywood & Its Pioneers > Prithviraj Kapoor / पृथ्वीराज कपूर

Prithviraj Kapoor: With him began the legacy of the Kapoor family. Prithviraj was part of India's first film talkie, 'Alam Ara' (1931). He went on to play Alexander the Great in Sohrab Modi's 'Sikandar' (1941), but, above all, he is remembered for portraying Mughal emperor Akbar in Mughal-e-Azam. Kapoor's deep, baritone voice was his USP. Prithvi Theatre was established by son Shashi Kapoor in memory of Prithviraj.