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The early 1920s saw the beginning to several new production companies, and most films made in this era were either mythological and historical in nature. In 1931 the first talkie film was released, which paved the way for the future of Indian Cinema. The number of production companies skyrocketed, colour films began to appear, movie palaces were built and there was a significant increase in the number of working class attending the cinema.
In 1947 the industry went through a lot of changes, with historical and mythological films being replaced by social-reformist films which often turned a critical eye on issues such as the dowry system, polygamy and prostitution. The 1950s saw film makers like Bimal Roy and Satayjit Ray focussing on the lives of the lower classes, who had previously been ignored in film. The 1960s saw a birth of film, driven by a desire to offer a greater sense of realism and understanding of the common man.
It was in the 1970s that the Masala film was born - the type of Bollywood film that is most famous and still used as a template today. Monmahon Desai is knows as the farther of the Masala film and the most famous director of the 1970s he says -'I want people to forget their misery. I want to take them into a dream world where there is no poverty, where there are no beggars, where fate is kind and god is busy looking after his flock' The Masala film follows the the basic practice of action, romance, melodrama and comedy with around six musical numbers in. This model still stands today although greater attention is paid to plot, character development and dramatic tension. It is in most cases, sheer star power that accounts for the films success.
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| 25 - Prianka Chopra |
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| 23 - Katrina Kaif |
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| 24 - Deepika Padokune |
Bollywood actresses are mostly cast on their beauty and they can charge huge amounts (up to 20 million) to be the female lead in a big Bollywood movie.
