Bollywood Home » About Bollywood » Bollywood History Bollywood History goes back to the year 1913, when the first silent feature film Raja Harishchandra was made in India by Dadasaheb Phalke. Till the mid 1960s it was the black and white era in history of Bollywood films. In the 1931 the first Indian sound film named Alam Ara was made by Ardeshir Irani and was a huge hit. By that time Bollywood was producing more than 200 films a year and there was a huge market in India for talkies and musicals. Bollywood History saw a quick change over to sound filming as a result of the huge acceptance from the mass audience.

The 1930s and 1940s were chaotic times in the history of India as the country went through periods of the Great Depression, the Indian independence movement, World War II, and the Partition. However, very little of what was happening in the country was actually portrayed in the Bollywood films.

Most films were escapist with the exception of a few which tackled social issues, or had the Indian independence struggle movement as a backdrop. The first color films in Bollywood History were made in the late 1950s even though most of the films continued to be made in black-and-white prints till the mid-1960s.

In Bollywood History the late 1960s and early 1970s was the era of romantic and action films starring actors like Dharmendra and Rajesh Khanna. The 70s was the era of violent films about gangsters and conmen. It was also the era when our all time superstar Amitabh Bachchan made his debut with the image of the angry young man. Other successful actors were Mithun Chakraborty, Anil Kapoor, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan and Rekha among others. There is a lot about Bollywood that has captured the imagination of many over several generations.

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