View source for Hindi cinema

{{Merge from|Hindutva boycott of Hindi cinema |discuss=Talk:Hindi cinema#Merge proposal|date=December 2025}}
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{{about|the Hindi film industry based in Mumbai|the entire film industry of India|Cinema of India}}
{{redirect|Bollywood|other uses}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox cinema market
| name                 = Hindi cinema
| image                = File:Indiafilm.svg
| image_size           = 100px
| alt                  =
| caption              = 
| screens              =
| screens_per_capita   =
| distributors         = {{ublist
  | [[AA Films]]
  | [[Dharma Productions]]
  | [[Eros International]]
  | [[Excel Entertainment]]
  | [[Maddock Films]]
  | [[Star Studios18]]
  | [[Red Chillies Entertainment]]
  | [[Reliance Entertainment]]
  | [[Tips Industries]]
  | [[UTV Motion Pictures]]
  | [[Yash Raj Films]]
  | [[Zee Studios]]<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Bollywood Distributors|url=https://variety.com/2009/film/global/bollywood-distributors-1118008359/|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=13 August 2018|date=10 September 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Leading Distributors 1995–2018|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/market/distributors|publisher=The Numbers|access-date=13 August 2018}}</ref>
  }}
| produced_year        = 2017
| produced_ref         = <ref name="filmfed" />
| produced_total       = 364
| produced_fictional   =
| produced_animated    =
| produced_documentary =
| admissions_year      =
| admissions_ref       =
| admissions_total     =
| admissions_per_capita =
| admissions_national  =
| box_office_year      = 2019
| box_office_ref       = 
| box_office_total     = 
| box_office_national  = 
}}
{{Contains special characters|Indic}}
{{Indian cinema}}
'''Hindi cinema''', popularly known as '''Bollywood''' and formerly as '''Bombay cinema''',{{sfn|Gulzar|Nihalani|Chatterjee|2003|p=}} refers to India's Hindi-language film industry, based in [[Mumbai]]. The popular term Bollywood is a [[portmanteau]] of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "[[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]]". The industry, producing films in the [[Hindi]] language, is a part of the larger [[Indian cinema]] industry, which also includes [[Cinema of South India|South Indian cinema]] and other smaller [[Cinema of India#Cinema by language|film industries]].<ref name="filmfed" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://expressindia.indianexpress.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=88966|title='The word B'wood is derogatory'|work=The Indian Express|access-date=11 November 2016|archive-date=11 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161111101607/http://expressindia.indianexpress.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=88966|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985129,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070119022300/https://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985129,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 January 2007|title=Hooray for Bollywood!|author=[[Richard Corliss]]|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=16 September 1996}}</ref> The term 'Bollywood', often mistakenly used to refer to Indian cinema as a whole, only refers to Hindi-language films, with ''Indian cinema'' being an umbrella term that includes all the [[Cinema of India#Cinema by language|film industries]] in the country, each offering films in diverse languages and styles.

In 2017, Indian cinema produced 1,986 feature films, of which the largest number, 364, have been in Hindi.<ref name="filmfed">{{cite web |title=Indian Feature Films Certified During The Year 2017 |url=https://www.filmfed.org/IFF2017.html |website=[[Film Federation of India]] |date=31 March 2017 |access-date=25 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124213649/https://filmfed.org/IFF2017.HTML |archive-date=24 November 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2022, Hindi cinema represented 33% of box office revenue, followed by [[Telugu cinema|Telugu]] and [[Tamil cinema|Tamil]] representing 20% and 16% respectively.<ref name="Statista_2022">{{Cite web |title=Distribution of the Indian box office in 2022, by language |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/948615/india-box-office-share-by-language/ |access-date=4 October 2023 |website=Statista}}</ref> Mumbai is one of the largest centres for film production in the world.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Pippa |last1=de Bruyn|first2=Niloufer |last2=Venkatraman|first3=Keith |last3=Bain|title=Frommer's India|year=2006|publisher=Frommer's|isbn=978-0-471-79434-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/frommersindia0000debr/page/579 579]|url=https://archive.org/details/frommersindia0000debr/page/579}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Wasko |first=Janet|title=How Hollywood works|year=2003|publisher=Sage|isbn=978-0-7619-6814-6|page=185|url=https://archive.org/details/howhollywoodwork0000wask/page/185/mode/2up}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Jha|first=Subhash K.|title=The Essential Guide to Bollywood|year=2005|publisher=Roli Books|isbn=978-81-7436-378-7|page=[https://archive.org/details/essentialguideto00jhas/page/1970 1970]|url=https://archive.org/details/essentialguideto00jhas/page/1970}}</ref> Hindi films sold an estimated 341 million tickets in India in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jha |first=Lata |date=2023-01-31 |title=Footfalls for Hindi films slump up to 50% |url=https://www.livemint.com/industry/media/footfallsforhindifilmsslumpupto50-11675188279041.html |access-date=2023-02-14 |website=[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]] |language=en |quote=Footfalls for Hindi cinema fell to 189 million in 2022 from 341 million in 2019, 316 million in 2018 and 301 million in 2017, according to media consulting firm Ormax.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Despite slowdown, theatres see 8.9% jump in footfalls in 2019 |url=https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/entertainment/despite-slowdown-theatres-see-8-9-jump-in-footfalls-in-2019-4953151.html |access-date=2023-02-14 |website=Moneycontrol |date=17 February 2020 |language=en}}</ref> Earlier Hindi films tended to use vernacular [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]], mutually intelligible by speakers of either Hindi or [[Urdu]], while modern Hindi productions increasingly incorporate elements of [[Hinglish]].<ref name="lang">
*{{cite book |last1=Saxena |first1=Akshya |title=Vernacular English: Reading the Anglophone in Postcolonial India |date=March 2022 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-22313-1 |pages=170–171 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z3xIEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA171 |language=en|quote=Scholars of Hindi-Urdu film noted a gradual replacement of Urdu with English in these films&nbsp;... the 'ideological work' of Urdu— its evocation of a pre-Partition composite culture and business practices—'has now been challenged by English, which provides the ideological coordinates of the new world of the Hindi film.'}}
*{{cite book |last1=Varia |first1=Kush |title=Bollywood: Gods, Glamour, and Gossip |date=31 January 2013 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-50260-3 |page=33 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DAtnAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA33 |language=en |quote=The specific use of Hindi/Urdu has shifted through time with the films produced in the pre-independence era having a leaning towards Urdu and those of the post independence era leaning towards Hindi&nbsp;... The use of Urdu has gradually declined since independence&nbsp;...}}
*{{cite book |last1=M Madhava |first1=Prasad |editor1-last=Kavoori |editor1-first=Anandam P. |editor2-last=Punathambekar |editor2-first=Aswin|title=Global Bollywood |date=1 August 2008 |publisher=NYU Press |isbn=978-0-8147-2944-1 |page=45 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2CqERCzWn5gC&pg=PA45 |language=en |chapter=Surviving Bollywood}}
*{{cite book |last1=Ganti |first1=Tejaswini |author1-link=Tejaswini Ganti |title=Bollywood: A Guidebook to Popular Hindi Cinema |date=2004 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-0-415-28854-5 |page=69 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GTEa93azj9EC&pg=PA69 |language=en}}
*{{cite book |last1=Virdi |first1=Jyotika |title=The Cinematic ImagiNation [sic]: Indian Popular Films as Social History |date=2003 |publisher=Rutgers University Press |isbn=978-0-8135-3191-5 |pages=20–21 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u8PKObcYMDIC&pg=PA20 |language=en |quote=...&nbsp;the extent of Urdu used in commercial Hindi cinema has not been stable&nbsp;... Although the shift was gradual and two generations communicated with each other through a blend of Urdu and Hindi, known as Hindustani, the ultimate victory of Hindi in the official sphere has been more or less complete.&nbsp;.. The decline of Urdu is mirrored in Hindi films&nbsp;... It is true that many Urdu words have survived and have become part of Hindi cinema's popular vocabulary. But that is as far as it goes.}}</ref>

The most popular commercial genre in Hindi cinema since the 1970s has been the [[masala film]], which freely mixes different genres including [[Action film|action]], [[Comedy film|comedy]], [[Romance film|romance]], [[Drama film|drama]] and [[melodrama]] along with [[Music of Bollywood|musical numbers]].<ref name="Ganti2004" /><ref>Nelmes, Jill. [https://books.google.com/books?id=jcCADouuE_UC ''An introduction to film studies'']. p. 367.</ref> Masala films generally fall under the [[musical film]] genre, of which Indian cinema has been the largest producer since the 1960s when it exceeded the American film industry's total musical output after musical films declined in the West. The first Indian [[Sound film|talkie]], ''[[Alam Ara]]'' (1931), was produced in the [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] language, four years after Hollywood's first sound film, ''[[The Jazz Singer]]'' (1927).

Alongside commercial masala films, a distinctive genre of [[art film]]s known as [[parallel cinema]] has also existed, presenting realistic content and avoidance of musical numbers. In more recent years, the distinction between commercial masala and parallel cinema has been gradually blurring, with an increasing number of mainstream films adopting the conventions which were once strictly associated with parallel cinema.

== Etymology ==
{{See also|List of Hollywood-inspired nicknames}}
"Bollywood" is a portmanteau derived from Bombay (the former name of [[Mumbai]]) and "Hollywood", a [[Metonymy|shorthand reference]] for the [[Cinema of the United States|American film industry]] which is based in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], [[California]].<ref name="portmanteau">{{cite news|author=Rajghatta, Chidanand|title=Bollywood in Hollywood|date=6 July 2008|access-date=20 February 2009|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Columnists/C_Rajghatta_Bollywood_in_Hollywood/articleshow/3201937.cms|work=[[The Times of India]]}}</ref>

The term "Tollywood", for the [[Tollygunge]]-based [[cinema of West Bengal]], predated "Bollywood".<ref name="Sarkar">{{Cite journal|last=Sarkar|first=Bhaskar|year=2008|title=The Melodramas of Globalization|journal=Cultural Dynamics|volume=20|pages=31–51 [34]|doi=10.1177/0921374007088054|quote=Madhava Prasad traces the origin of the term to a 1932 article in the ''[[American Cinematographer]]'' by Wilford E. Deming, an American engineer who apparently helped produce the first Indian sound picture. At this point, the Calcutta suburb of Tollygunge was the main center of film production in India. Deming refers to the area as Tollywood, since it already boasted two studios with 'several more projected' (Prasad, 2003) 'Tolly', rhyming with 'Holly', got hinged to 'wood' in the Anglophone Indian imagination, and came to denote the Calcutta studios and, by extension, the local film industry. Prasad surmises: 'Once Tollywood was made possible by the fortuitous availability of a half-rhyme, it was easy to clone new Hollywood babies by simply replacing the first letter' (Prasad, 2003).|s2cid=143977618| issn = 0921-3740}}</ref> It was used in a 1932 ''[[American Cinematographer]]'' article by Wilford E. Deming, an American engineer who helped produce the first Indian sound picture.<ref name="Sarkar" />

"Bollywood" was probably invented in Bombay-based film trade journals in the 1960s or 1970s, though the exact inventor varies by account.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rajadhyaksha|first=Ashish|date=1 January 2003|title=The 'Bollywoodization' of the Indian Cinema: Cultural Nationalism in a Global Arena|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/1464937032000060195|journal=Inter-Asia Cultural Studies|volume=4|issue=1|pages=25–39|doi=10.1080/1464937032000060195|s2cid=144764499|issn=1464-9373|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="khanna">{{cite web|author=Subhash K Jha|date=8 April 2005|title=Amit Khanna: The Man who saw 'Bollywood'|url=https://sify.com/movies/bollywood/fullstory.php?id=13713296|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050409171523/https://sify.com/movies/bollywood/fullstory.php?id=13713296|archive-date=9 April 2005|access-date=31 May 2009|work=[[Sify]]}}</ref> Film journalist Bevinda Collaco claims she coined the term for the title of her column in ''[[Screen (magazine)|Screen]]'' magazine.<ref name="collaco" /> Her column entitled "On the Bollywood Beat" covered studio news and celebrity gossip.<ref name="collaco">{{cite news|title=On the Bollywood beat|author=Anand|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=7 March 2004|url=https://www.hindu.com/lr/2004/03/07/stories/2004030700390600.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040403234115/https://www.hindu.com/lr/2004/03/07/stories/2004030700390600.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 April 2004|access-date=31 May 2009|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> Other sources state that lyricist, filmmaker and scholar [[Amit Khanna]] was its creator.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Bollywood Man|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/the-bollywood-man/cid/969174|last=Jha|first=Subhash K|newspaper=[[The Telegraph (Calcutta)]]|date=1 April 2005|access-date=10 March 2019}}</ref> It is unknown if it was derived from "Hollywood" through "Tollywood", or was inspired directly by "Hollywood".

The term has been criticised by some film journalists and critics, who believe it implies that the industry is a poor cousin of Hollywood.<ref name="portmanteau" /><ref>{{cite book|author1=Crusie, Jennifer|url=https://archive.org/details/flirtingwithprid00jenn|title=Flirting with Pride & Prejudice|author2=Yeffeth, Glenn|publisher=BenBella Books, Inc.|year=2005|isbn=978-1-932100-72-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/flirtingwithprid00jenn/page/92 92]|url-access=registration}}</ref>

== History ==
=== Early history (1890s–1930s) ===
In 1897, a film presentation by Professor Stevenson featured a stage show at [[Calcutta]]'s Star Theatre. With Stevenson's encouragement and camera, [[Hiralal Sen]], an Indian photographer, made a film of scenes from that show, ''The Flower of Persia'' (1898).<ref name="Hiralal2">{{cite web |last = McKernan |first = Luke|date = 31 December 1996|url = https://www.victorian-cinema.net/sen.htm|title = Hiralal Sen (copyright British Film Institute)|access-date =1 November 2006}}</ref> ''The Wrestlers'' (1899) by [[H. S. Bhatavdekar]] showed a [[wrestling]] match at the Hanging Gardens in [[Bombay]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hutchinson |first1=Pamela |title=The birth of India's film industry: how the movies came to Mumbai |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jul/25/birth-indias-film-industry-movies-mumbai |access-date=20 September 2019 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=25 July 2013}}</ref>

[[File:Phalke.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Dadasaheb Phalke, examining a strip of film|Dadasaheb Phalke is considered the father of Indian cinema, including Hindi cinema.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zTZnAAAAMAAJ |title= Dadasaheb Phalke, the father of Indian cinema|access-date=17 November 2012|isbn=9788123743196 |last1=Vāṭave |first1=Bāpū |last2=Trust |first2=National Book |year=2004 |publisher= National Book Trust}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Sachin|last=Sharma|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vadodara/Godhra-forgets-its-days-spent-with-Dadasaheb-Phalke/articleshow/14444404.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130419032237/https://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-28/vadodara/32456429_1_godhra-dadasaheb-phalke-father-of-indian-cinema |url-status=live |archive-date=19 April 2013 |title=Godhra forgets its days spent with Dadasaheb Phalke |date=28 June 2012 |work=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=17 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Vilanilam|first=J. V.|title=Mass Communication in India: A Sociological Perspective|year=2005|publisher=Sage Publications|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-81-7829-515-2|page=128|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XBU6pN7toHsC&q=dadasaheb%20phalke%20father%20indian%20cinema&pg=PA128}}</ref>]]

[[Dadasaheb Phalke]]'s [[silent film]] ''[[Raja Harishchandra]]'' (1913) is the first [[Feature film|feature-length film]] made in India.<ref>{{Britannica|1912794|title=Dadasaheb Phalk}}</ref> The film, being silent, had [[English language|English]], [[Marathi language|Marathi]], and [[Hindi]]-language [[intertitle]]s. By the 1930s, the Indian film industry as a whole was producing over 200 films per year.{{sfn|Gulzar|Nihalani|Chatterjee|2003|p=136-137}} The first Indian sound film, [[Ardeshir Irani]]'s ''[[Alam Ara]]'' (1931), made in [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] language, was commercially successful.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060326/spectrum/main1.htm |title=Talking Images, 75 Years of Cinema |work=The Tribune |access-date=9 March 2013 |archive-date=23 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060423202148/https://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060326/spectrum/main1.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> With a great demand for talkies and musicals, Hindustani cinema (as Hindi cinema was then known as){{sfn|Gulzar|Nihalani|Chatterjee|2003|p=146}} and the other language film industries quickly switched to sound films.

=== Challenges and market expansion (1930s–1940s) ===
The 1930s and 1940s were tumultuous times; India was buffeted by the [[Great Depression]], [[World War II]], the [[Indian independence movement]], and the violence of the [[Partition of India|Partition]]. Although most early Bombay films were unabashedly [[escapism|escapist]], a number of filmmakers tackled tough social issues or used the struggle for Indian independence as a backdrop for their films.<ref name="britannica2">{{cite book|author1=Gulzar |author2=Nihalani, Govind |author3=Chatterji, Saibal |title=Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema|year=2003|publisher= Encyclopædia Britannica (India) Pvt Ltd.|isbn=978-81-7991-066-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8y8vN9A14nkC|pages=136–137}}</ref> Irani made the first [[Hindi]] colour film, ''[[Kisan Kanya]]'', in 1937. The following year, he made a colour version of ''[[Mother India (book)|Mother India]]''. However, colour did not become a popular feature until the late 1950s. At this time, lavish romantic musicals and melodramas were cinematic staples.

[[File:Hindi movie production trend.pdf|thumb|upright=1.5|left|Number of Hindi movies released since 1930. A rapid expansion was seen from the mid-1940s.]]

The decade of the 1940s saw an expansion of Bombay cinema's commercial market and its presence in the national consciousness. The year 1943 saw the arrival of Indian cinema's first 'blockbuster' offering, the movie ''[[Kismet (1943 film)|Kismet]]'', which grossed in excess of the important barrier of one [[crore]] (10 million) rupees, made on a budget of only two [[lakh]] (200,000) rupees.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.mid-day.com/articles/b-town-rewind-the-tale-of-the-first-bollywood-crore/15162064 | title = B-Town rewind: The tale of the first Bollywood crore | last = Unny | first = Divya | date = 19 March 2014 | website = mid-day.com | publisher = Jagran Group | access-date = 7 November 2020 | quote="However, it was in 1943, that ''Kismet'', directed by Gyan Mukherjee, became the first film to reach the coveted box office milestone of Rs 1 crore. Who would have thought that the journey of the crore in Indian films would begin with a movie made for under Rs 2 lakh? It was a time when India was in the throes of patriotic fervour. The Quit India movement had just been launched. Kismet, a crime thriller with patriotic sentiments, tapped into this feeling. "}}</ref> The film tackled contemporary issues, especially those arising from the Indian Independence movement, and went on to become "the longest running hit of Indian cinema", a title it held till the 1970s.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Mishra | first = Vijay | title = Decentering History: Some Versions of Bombay Cinema| journal = East-West Film Journal| volume = 6| issue = 1| publisher = East-West Center| location = Honolulu, HI, US| date = January 1992|quote="The next canonical text was Luck (Kismet, 1943), which, in 1970 at any rate, held the "record as the longest running hit of Indian cinema" (Star and Style, February 6, 1970,19). [Luck] owes its amazing, unexpected success to the time in which it was made." Achut Kanya and Kismet heralded a move away from what Shyam Benegal called alienating and orientalist cinema to movies that could "deal with reality""}}</ref> Film personalities like Bimal Roy, Sahir Ludhianvi and Prithviraj Kapoor participated in the creation of a national movement against colonial rule in India, while simultaneously leveraging the popular political movement to increase their own visibility and popularity.<ref>{{cite journal | last =  Agarwal | first = Bhumika | title = IPTA's Contribution in Awakening Nationalism.| journal = The Criterion| volume = 4| issue = 4| publisher = Rajaram College | location = Kolhapur, MH, India| date = August 2013| quote="Indian People’s Theatre Association, popularly known by its acronym IPTA, was formed in 1942 when India was struggling to free herself from the shackles of colonial rule. The established artists of the tmmes Prithviraj Kapoor, Bijon Bhattacharya, Ritwik Ghatak, Utpal Dutt, Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, Mulk Raj Anand, Salil Chowdhury, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Jyotirindra Moitra, Niranjan Singh Maan, S. Tera Singh Chan, Jagdish Faryadi, Khalili Faryadi, Rajendra Raghuvanshi, Safdar Mir and many others came forward and formed Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) in 1942."}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/prithviraj-kapoor-birthday-349871-2016-11-03 | title = Remembering Prithviraj Kapoor | date = 3 November 2016 | website = indiatoday.in | publisher = Living Media India Limited | access-date = 7 November 2020 | quote="In 1946, Prithviraj Kapoor founded Prithvi Theatres, a theatre group that became a legend over decades. The house would stage influential patriotic plays and inspire the generation to join the Indian freedom movement and Mahatma Gandhi's Quit India movement"}}</ref> Themes from the Independence Movement deeply influenced Bombay film directors, screen-play writers, and lyricists, who saw their films in the context of social reform and the problems of the common people.<ref>{{cite book | last = Bandidiwekar| first = Anjali| title = Bollywood and Social Issues: Dichotomy or Symbiosis?| place = Hyderabad, India| publisher = ICFAI books| pages = 43| date = 2008 |quote="Indian cinema grew up in the days of the National Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi. The Gandhian philosophy of social reform deeply influenced Bollywood directors, screen-play writers, and lyricists. Their films became vehicles of social reform, taking up the cause of the common people."}}</ref>

Before the Partition, the Bombay film industry was closely linked to the [[Lollywood|Lahore film industry]] (known as "Lollywood"; now part of the [[Pakistani film industry]]); both produced films in [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] (also known as Hindi-Urdu), the ''[[lingua franca]]'' of northern and central India.<ref name="Ghosh">{{cite book|last1=Ghosh|first1=Partha S.|title=Migrants, Refugees and the Stateless in South Asia|date=2016|publisher=[[SAGE Publishing|SAGE Publications]]|isbn=9789351508557|page=263|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X242DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA263}}</ref> Another centre of Hindustani-language film production was the [[Cinema of West Bengal|Bengal film industry]] in [[Calcutta]], [[Bengal Presidency]] (now Kolkata, [[West Bengal]]), which produced Hindustani-language films and local [[Bengali language]] films.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bose |first1=Mihir |title=From Midnight to Glorious Morning? India Since Independence |date=2017 |publisher=[[Haus Publishing]] |isbn=9781910376706 |page=182 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j9ssDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT182}}</ref><ref name="Routledge">{{cite book |last1=Raju |first1=Zakir Hossain |title=Bangladesh Cinema and National Identity: In Search of the Modern? |date=2014 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-317-60181-4 |page=131 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XXDfBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA131}}</ref> Around the same time, filmmakers and actors from the Calcutta film industry began migrating to Bombay; as a result, Bombay became the center of Hindustani-language film production.<ref name="Routledge"/>

=== Golden age (late 1940s–1960s) ===
The period from the late 1940s to the early 1960s, after [[Indian independence movement|India's independence]], is regarded by film historians as the Golden Age of Hindi cinema.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change|last=K. Moti Gokulsing|first=K. Gokulsing, Wimal Dissanayake|publisher=Trentham Books|year=2004|isbn=978-1-85856-329-9|page=17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|title=Gender, Nation, and Globalization in Monsoon Wedding and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge|first=Jenny|last=Sharpe|journal=Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism|volume=6|issue=1|year=2005|pages=58–81 [60 & 75]|doi=10.1353/mer.2005.0032|s2cid=201783566}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|first=Sharmistha|last=Gooptu|title=Reviewed work(s): ''The Cinemas of India'' (1896–2000) by Yves Thoraval|journal=[[Economic and Political Weekly]]|volume=37|issue=29|date=July 2002|pages=3023–4}}</ref> Some of the most critically acclaimed Hindi films of all time were produced during this time. Examples include ''[[Pyaasa]]'' (1957) and ''[[Kaagaz Ke Phool]]'' (1959), directed by [[Guru Dutt]]; ''[[Awaara]]'' (1951) and ''[[Shree 420]]'' (1955), directed by [[Raj Kapoor]], and ''[[Aan]]'' (1952), directed by [[Mehboob Khan]] and starring [[Dilip Kumar]]. The films explored social themes, primarily dealing with working-class life in India (particularly urban life) in the first two examples. ''Awaara'' presented the city as both nightmare and dream, and ''Pyaasa'' critiqued the unreality of urban life.<ref name=Gokulsing-18>{{Cite book|title=Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change|last=K. Moti Gokulsing|first=K. Gokulsing, Wimal Dissanayake|publisher=Trentham Books|year=2004|isbn=978-1-85856-329-9|page=18}}</ref>

[[Guru Dutt]] was lauded for his artistry, notably his usage of [[Close up shot|close-up shots]], lighting, and depictions of [[melancholia]].<ref name=":42">{{Cite web|title=Women were ready to do anything for Guru Dutt- Devi Dutt|url=https://www.filmfare.com/features/women-were-ready-to-do-anything-for-guru-dutt-devi-dutt-28634.html|access-date=6 May 2021|website=filmfare.com|language=en|archive-date=6 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506042832/https://www.filmfare.com/features/women-were-ready-to-do-anything-for-guru-dutt-devi-dutt-28634.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He directed a total of Hindi films, several of which have gained a [[cult following]] internationally.<ref name=":3">{{cite web|year=2001|title=Asian Film Series No.9 GURU DUTT Retorospective|url=http://www.jpf.go.jp/e/culture/new/old/0101/01_03.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620144748/http://www.jpf.go.jp/e/culture/new/old/0101/01_03.html|archive-date=20 June 2009|access-date=13 May 2009|publisher=[[Japan Foundation]]}}</ref> This includes ''[[Pyaasa]]'' (1957), which made its way onto [[Time's All-Time 100 Movies|''Time'' magazine's 100 Greatest Movies]] list,<ref name="Time" /> as well as ''[[Kaagaz Ke Phool]]'' (1959), all of which are frequently listed among the greatest films in Hindi cinema.<ref name="Cinemacom">{{cite web|year=2002|title=2002 Sight & Sound Top Films Survey of 253 International Critics & Film Directors|url=http://www.cinemacom.com/2002-sight-sound.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604162906/http://www.cinemacom.com/2002-sight-sound.html|archive-date=4 June 2012|access-date=19 April 2009|publisher=Cinemacom}}</ref><ref name="Time" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=4. Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam - 1962|url=https://magazine.outlookindia.com/story/4-sahib-bibi-aur-ghulam-1962/220094|access-date=3 April 2021|website=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]]|archive-date=12 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412165022/https://magazine.outlookindia.com/story/4-sahib-bibi-aur-ghulam-1962/220094|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="movies.indiatimes.com">{{Cite web|date=15 October 2007|title=25 Must See Bollywood Movies - Special Features-Indiatimes - Movies|url=http://movies.indiatimes.com/Special_Features/25_Must_See_Bollywood_Movies/articleshow/msid-1250837,curpg-18.cms|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015034229/http://movies.indiatimes.com/Special_Features/25_Must_See_Bollywood_Movies/articleshow/msid-1250837,curpg-18.cms|archive-date=15 October 2007|access-date=3 April 2021}}</ref> He was included among [[CNN]]'s "Top 25 Asian Actors" in 2012.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |date=5 March 2010 |title=Big B in CNN's top 25 Asian actors list |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Big-B-in-CNN-s-top-25-Asian-actors-list/H1-Article1-515456.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101080219/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Big-B-in-CNN-s-top-25-Asian-actors-list/H1-Article1-515456.aspx |archive-date=1 November 2011 |access-date=15 April 2013 |work=Press Trust of India |place=New York}}</ref>

[[Mehboob Khan]]'s ''[[Mother India]]'' (1957), a remake of his earlier ''[[Aurat (1940 film)|Aurat]]'' (1940), was the first Indian film nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]]; it lost by a single vote.<ref name="Thaindian 1">{{cite web|first=Priyanka |last=Khanna |title=For Bollywood, Oscar is a big yawn again |work=Thaindian News |date=24 February 2008 |url=https://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/for-bollywood-oscar-is-a-big-yawn-again_10020729.html |access-date=29 July 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930012303/https://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/for-bollywood-oscar-is-a-big-yawn-again_10020729.html |archive-date=30 September 2012 }}</ref> ''Mother India'' defined conventional Hindi cinema for decades.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sridharan |first=Tarini |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/mother-india-not-woman-india/article4131747.ece |title=Mother India, not Woman India |date=25 November 2012 |access-date=5 March 2012 |newspaper=The Hindu |location=Chennai, India |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130106095550/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/mother-india-not-woman-india/article4131747.ece |archive-date= 6 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wChe8xWDwbo |title=Bollywood Blockbusters: ''Mother India'' (Part 1) |publisher=[[CNN-IBN]] |year=2009 |medium=Documentary |ref={{sfnRef|Bollywood Blockbusters Part 1|2009}} |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715143942/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wChe8xWDwbo |archive-date=15 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Kehr|first=Dave|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C03E5DE153CF930A1575BC0A9649C8B63|title=Mother India (1957). Film in review; 'Mother India'|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=23 August 2002|access-date=7 June 2012}}</ref> It spawned a genre of [[dacoit film]]s, in turn defined by ''[[Gunga Jumna]]'' (1961).<ref name="Teo">{{cite book|last=Teo|first=Stephen|title=Eastern Westerns: Film and Genre Outside and Inside Hollywood|date=2017|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]]|isbn=978-1-317-59226-6|page=122|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pi8lDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA122}}</ref> Written and produced by Dilip Kumar, ''Gunga Jumna'' was a dacoit [[crime drama]] about two brothers on opposite sides of the law (a theme which became common in Indian films during the 1970s).<ref name="Ganti">Tejaswini Ganti, [https://books.google.com/books?id=GTEa93azj9EC&pg=PA153 ''Bollywood: A Guidebook to Popular Hindi Cinema'', page 153]</ref> Some of the best-known [[epic film]]s of Hindi cinema were also produced at this time, such as [[K. Asif]]'s ''[[Mughal-e-Azam]]'' (1960).<ref>{{cite web|title=Film Festival – Bombay Melody |publisher=[[University of California, Los Angeles]] |date=17 March 2004 |url=https://www.international.ucla.edu/calendar/showevent.asp?eventid=1618 |access-date=20 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620171328/https://www.international.ucla.edu/calendar/showevent.asp?eventid=1618 |archive-date=20 June 2009 }}</ref> Other acclaimed mainstream Hindi filmmakers during this period included [[Kamal Amrohi]] and [[Vijay Bhatt]].

The three most popular male Indian actors of the 1950s and 1960s were [[Dilip Kumar]], [[Raj Kapoor]], and [[Dev Anand]], each with a unique acting style. Kapoor adopted [[Charlie Chaplin]]'s [[The Tramp|tramp]] persona; Anand modeled himself on suave Hollywood stars like [[Gregory Peck]] and [[Cary Grant]], and Kumar pioneered a form of [[method acting]] which predated Hollywood method actors such as [[Marlon Brando]]. Kumar, who was described as "the ultimate method actor" by [[Satyajit Ray]], inspired future generations of Indian actors. Much like Brando's influence on [[Robert De Niro]] and [[Al Pacino]], Kumar had a similar influence on [[Amitabh Bachchan]], [[Naseeruddin Shah]], [[Shah Rukh Khan]] and [[Nawazuddin Siddiqui]].<ref name="quint">[https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/2015/12/11/before-brando-there-was-dilip-kumar Before Brando, There Was Dilip Kumar], The Quint, 11 December 2015</ref><ref name="hindu-kumar">{{cite news|title=Unmatched innings|url=https://www.thehindu.com/arts/magazine/article597902.ece|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=24 January 2012|access-date=9 January 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208164035/https://www.thehindu.com/arts/magazine/article597902.ece|archive-date=8 February 2012}}</ref> Veteran actresses such as [[Suraiya]], [[Nargis]], [[Sumitra Devi (actress)|Sumitra Devi]], [[Vyjayanthimala]], [[Madhubala]], [[Meena Kumari]], [[Waheeda Rehman]], [[Nutan]], [[Sadhana Shivdasani|Sadhana]] and [[Mala Sinha]] have had their share of influence on Hindi cinema.<ref name="actorsuntil90" />

While commercial Hindi cinema was thriving, the 1950s also saw the emergence of a [[parallel cinema]] movement.<ref name=Gokulsing-18 /> Although the movement (emphasising [[social realism]]) was led by [[Cinema of West Bengal|Bengali cinema]], it also began gaining prominence in Hindi cinema. Early examples of parallel cinema include {{Lang|hi-latn|[[Dharti Ke Lal]]}} (1946), directed by [[Khwaja Ahmad Abbas]] and based on the [[Bengal famine of 1943]],<ref name="Rajadhyaksha">{{cite book|last=Rajadhyaksha|first=Ashish|title=Indian Cinema: A Very Short Introduction|date=2016|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-103477-0|page=61|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QUq1DAAAQBAJ&pg=PT61}}</ref> {{Lang|hi-latn|[[Neecha Nagar]]}} (1946) directed by [[Chetan Anand (director)|Chetan Anand]] and written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas,<ref name="Hindu2007">[https://web.archive.org/web/20081016143853/https://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/06/15/stories/2007061551020100.htm Maker of innovative, meaningful movies]. ''[[The Hindu]]'', 15 June 2007</ref> and Bimal Roy's ''[[Do Bigha Zamin]]'' (1953). Their critical acclaim and the latter's commercial success paved the way for Indian [[Neorealism (art)|neorealism]] and the Indian New Wave (synonymous with parallel cinema).<ref>{{cite web|title=Do Bigha Zamin: Seeds of the Indian New Wave |author=Srikanth Srinivasan |publisher=Dear Cinema |date=4 August 2008 |url=https://dearcinema.com/review-do-bigha-zamin-bimal-roy |access-date=3 August 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129033621/https://dearcinema.com/review/do-bigha-zamin-seeds-of-the-indian-new-wave/3614 |archive-date=29 November 2014 }}</ref> Internationally acclaimed Hindi filmmakers involved in the movement included [[Mani Kaul]], [[Kumar Shahani]], [[Ketan Mehta]], [[Govind Nihalani]], [[Shyam Benegal]], and [[Vijaya Mehta]].<ref name=Gokulsing-18 />

After the social-realist film {{Lang|hi-latn|Neecha Nagar}} received the [[Palme d'Or]] at the inaugural [[1946 Cannes Film Festival]],<ref name="Hindu2007" /> Hindi films were frequently in competition for Cannes' top prize during the 1950s and early 1960s and some won major prizes at the festival.<ref name=passionforcinema>{{cite web|title=India and Cannes: A Reluctant Courtship |publisher=Passion For Cinema |year=2008 |url=https://passionforcinema.com/india-and-cannes-a-reluctant-courtship |access-date=20 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620032814/https://passionforcinema.com/india-and-cannes-a-reluctant-courtship/ |archive-date=20 June 2009}}</ref> [[Guru Dutt]], overlooked during his lifetime, received belated international recognition during the 1980s.<ref name=passionforcinema /><ref>{{Cite book|title=Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change|first1=K. Moti|last1=Gokulsing|first2=Wimal|last2=Dissanayake|publisher=Trentham Books|year=2004|isbn=978-1-85856-329-9|pages=18–9}}</ref> Film critics polled by the British magazine ''[[Sight & Sound]]'' included several of Dutt's films in a 2002 list of [[List of films considered the best|greatest films]],<ref name=Cinemacom/> and [[Time's All-Time 100 Movies]] lists ''[[Pyaasa]]'' as one of the greatest films of all time.<ref name=Time>{{cite news|url=https://www.time.com/time/2005/100movies/the_complete_list.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050523235033/https://www.time.com/time/2005/100movies/the_complete_list.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 May 2005|title=All-Time 100 Best Movies|access-date=19 May 2008|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=12 February 2005}}</ref>

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the industry was dominated by musical [[romance film]]s with romantic-hero leads.<ref name="indianexpress2">{{cite news|title=Revisiting Prakash Mehra's Zanjeer: The film that made Amitabh Bachchan|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/revisiting-prakash-mehra-zanjeer-the-film-that-made-amitabh-bachchan-4714064/|work=[[The Indian Express]]|date=20 June 2017}}</ref>

=== Classic Hindi cinema (1970s–1980s) ===

By 1970, Hindi cinema was thematically stagnant<ref name="raj">{{cite book|last=Raj|first=Ashok|title=Hero Vol.2|date=2009|publisher=[[Hay House]]|isbn=9789381398036|page=21|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2wo9BAAAQBAJ&pg=PT21}}</ref> and dominated by musical [[romance film]]s.<ref name="indianexpress2" /> The arrival of screenwriting duo [[Salim–Javed]] ([[Salim Khan]] and [[Javed Akhtar]]) was a paradigm shift, revitalising the industry.<ref name="raj" /> They began the genre of gritty, violent, [[Mumbai underworld films|Bombay underworld crime films]] early in the decade with films such as ''[[Zanjeer (1973 film)|Zanjeer]]'' (1973) and ''[[Deewaar]]'' (1975).<ref name="ganti">{{cite book|last=Ganti|first=Tejaswini|title=Bollywood: A Guidebook to Popular Hindi Cinema|date=2004|publisher=[[Psychology Press]]|isbn=978-0-415-28854-5|page=153|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GTEa93azj9EC&pg=PA153}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Chaudhuri|first=Diptakirti|title=Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters|date=2015|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|isbn=9789352140084|page=72|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT72}}</ref> Salim-Javed reinterpreted the rural themes of [[Mehboob Khan]]'s ''[[Mother India]]'' (1957) and [[Dilip Kumar]]'s ''[[Gunga Jumna]]'' (1961) in a contemporary urban context, reflecting the [[socio-economic]] and [[socio-political]] climate of 1970s India<ref name="raj" /><ref name="legends">{{cite book|last=Kumar|first=Surendra|title=Legends of Indian cinema: pen portraits|date=2003|publisher=Har-Anand Publications|page=51|isbn=9788124108727|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AfJkAAAAMAAJ}}</ref> and channeling mass discontent, disillusionment<ref name="raj" /> and the unprecedented growth of [[slum]]s<ref name="Mazumdar" /> with [[anti-establishment]] themes and those involving urban poverty, corruption and crime.<ref name="Penguin Group">{{cite book|last1=Chaudhuri|first1=Diptakirti|title=Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters|date=2015|publisher=[[Penguin Group]]|isbn=9789352140084|page=74|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT74}}</ref><ref name="hindustantimes">{{cite news|title=Deewaar was the perfect script: Amitabh Bachchan on 42 years of the cult film|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/deewaar-was-the-perfect-script-amitabh-bachchan-on-42-years-of-the-cult-film/story-x2hy87zQ0ebVlsVMV59U2I.html|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|date=29 January 2017}}</ref> Their "angry young man", personified by [[Amitabh Bachchan]],<ref name="hindustantimes" /> reinterpreted Dilip Kumar's performance in ''Gunga Jumna'' in a contemporary urban context<ref name="raj" /><ref name="legends" /> and anguished urban poor.<ref name="Mazumdar">{{cite book|last=Mazumdar|first=Ranjani|title=Bombay Cinema: An Archive of the City|year=2007 |publisher=[[University of Minnesota Press]]|isbn=978-1-4529-1302-5|page=14|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xenNBrRKOGoC&pg=PA14}}</ref>

By the mid-1970s, romantic confections had given way to gritty, violent crime films and [[action film]]s about gangsters (the [[Bombay underworld]]) and bandits ([[dacoits]]). Salim-Javed's writing and Amitabh Bachchan's acting popularised the trend with films such as ''Zanjeer'' and (particularly) ''Deewaar'', a crime film inspired by ''Gunga Jumna''<ref name="Ganti" /> which pitted "a policeman against his brother, a gang leader based on real-life smuggler [[Haji Mastan]]" (Bachchan); according to [[Danny Boyle]], ''Deewaar'' was "absolutely key to Indian cinema".<ref name=Kumar /> In addition to Bachchan, several other actors followed by riding the crest of the trend (which lasted into the early 1990s).<ref name="funky">{{cite book|last1=Stadtman|first1=Todd|title=Funky Bollywood: The Wild World of 1970s Indian Action Cinema|date=2015|publisher=FAB Press|isbn=978-1-903254-77-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T0DXoQEACAAJ}}</ref> Actresses from the era include [[Hema Malini]], [[Jaya Bachchan]], [[Rakhee Gulzar|Raakhee]], [[Shabana Azmi]], [[Zeenat Aman]], [[Parveen Babi]], [[Rekha]], [[Dimple Kapadia]], [[Smita Patil]], [[Jaya Prada]] and [[Padmini Kolhapure]].<ref name="actorsuntil90">{{cite web|title=The Present |author=Ahmed, Rauf |work=[[Rediff.com]] |url=https://www.rediff.com/millenni/rauf2.htm |access-date=30 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080529044434/https://www.rediff.com/millenni/rauf2.htm |archive-date=29 May 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The name "Bollywood" was coined during the 1970s,<ref name="khanna" /><ref name="collaco" /> when the conventions of commercial Hindi films were defined.<ref name="Chaudhuri58">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT58|title=Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters|last=Chaudhuri|first=Diptakirti|date=1 October 2015|publisher=[[Penguin Books|Penguin UK]]|isbn=9789352140084|page=58}}</ref> Key to this was the [[masala film]], which combines a number of genres ([[Action film|action]], [[Comedy film|comedy]], [[Romance film|romance]], [[Drama film|drama]], [[melodrama]], and [[Musical film|musical]]). The masala film was pioneered early in the decade by filmmaker [[Manmohan Desai]], [[Prakash Mehra]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://theprint.in/theprint-profile/the-champion-of-masala-films-manmohan-desai-made-bollywood-what-it-is-today/370726/ | title=The champion of masala films, Manmohan Desai made Bollywood what it is today | website=[[ThePrint]] | date=26 February 2020 }}</ref> and [[Nasir Hussain]],<ref name="Hussain">{{cite news|title=How film-maker Nasir Husain started the trend for Bollywood masala films|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/how-film-maker-nasir-husain-created-the-prototype-for-bollywood-masala-films/story-ckL6zPLHJFDYoupjFBtbfN.html|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|date=30 March 2017}}</ref> and the Salim-Javed screenwriting duo,<ref name="Chaudhuri58" /> pioneering the Bollywood-[[Blockbuster (entertainment)|blockbuster]] format.<ref name="Chaudhuri58" /> ''[[Yaadon Ki Baarat]]'' (1973), directed by Hussain and written by Salim-Javed, has been identified as the first masala film and the first quintessentially "Bollywood" film.<ref name="Chaudhuri58" /><ref name="bhaumik">Kaushik Bhaumik, [https://thewire.in/24564/an-insightful-reading-of-our-many-indian-identities/ An Insightful Reading of Our Many Indian Identities], [[The Wire (Indian web publication)|The Wire]], 12 March 2016</ref> Salim-Javed wrote more successful masala films during the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="Chaudhuri58" /> Masala films made Amitabh Bachchan the biggest star of the period. A landmark of the genre was ''[[Amar Akbar Anthony]]'' (1977),<ref name="bhaumik" /><ref name="Dwyer2005">{{cite book|author=Rachel Dwyer|title=100 Bollywood films|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4EBNAQAAIAAJ|access-date=6 August 2013|year=2005|page=14|publisher=Lotus Collection, Roli Books|isbn=978-81-7436-433-3}}</ref> directed by [[Manmohan Desai]] and written by [[Kader Khan]]. Desai was considered the pioneer of making [[Masala film]]s in the 1970s.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://theprint.in/theprint-profile/the-champion-of-masala-films-manmohan-desai-made-bollywood-what-it-is-today/370726/ | title=The champion of masala films, Manmohan Desai made Bollywood what it is today | website=[[ThePrint]] | date=26 February 2020 }}</ref>

Both genres (masala and violent-crime films) are represented by the blockbuster ''[[Sholay]]'' (1975), written by Salim-Javed and starring [[Dharmendra]] and [[Amitabh Bachchan]]. It combined the [[dacoit film]] conventions of ''Mother India'' and ''Gunga Jumna'' with [[spaghetti Western]]s, spawning the [[Dacoit Western]] (also known as the [[curry Western]]) which was popular during the 1970s.<ref name="Teo" />

Some Hindi filmmakers, such as [[Shyam Benegal]], [[Mani Kaul]], [[Kumar Shahani]], [[Ketan Mehta]], [[Govind Nihalani]] and [[Vijaya Mehta]], continued to produce realistic [[parallel cinema]] throughout the 1970s.<ref name=Gokulsing-18 /><ref name=Rajadhyaksa96-685>Rajadhyaksa, 685</ref> Although the [[art film]] bent of the Film Finance Corporation was criticised during a 1976 [[Committee on Public Undertakings (India)|Committee on Public Undertakings]] investigation which accused the corporation of not doing enough to encourage commercial cinema, the decade saw the rise of commercial cinema with films such as ''[[Sholay]]'' (1975) which consolidated [[Amitabh Bachchan]]'s position as a star. The devotional classic ''[[Jai Santoshi Ma]]'' was also released that year.<ref name=Rajadhyaksa96-688>Rajadhyaksa, 688</ref>

By 1983, the Bombay film industry was generating an estimated annual revenue of {{INR|700 [[crore]]}} ({{INR}} 7 billion,<ref>{{cite news |title=Amitabh Bachchan Hindi film industry's most expensive star, Hema Malini tops among women |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/economy/story/19830215-amitabh-bachchan-hindi-film-industrys-most-expensive-star-hema-malini-tops-among-women-770465-2013-07-31 |work=[[India Today]] |date=15 February 1983}}</ref> {{US$|{{#expr:7000/10.099 round 2}} million|long=no}}),<ref>{{cite web |title=Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/PA.NUS.FCRF?end=1983&locations=IN&start=1982 |publisher=[[World Bank]] |year=1983 |access-date=15 December 2018}}</ref> equivalent to {{US$|{{Inflation|US|0.69314|1983|r=2}} billion|long=no}} ({{INR|{{#expr:171*(1000/{{To USD|1000|IND}}) round 0}} crore}}, {{INR}} 111.33 billion) when adjusted for inflation. By 1986, India's annual film output had increased from 741 films produced annually to 833 films annually, making India the world's largest film producer.<ref>{{cite book |title=Films in Review |date=1986 |publisher=Then and There Media, LCC. |page=368 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ah1CAQAAIAAJ |quote=And then I had forgotten that lndia leads the world in film production, with 833 motion pictures (up from 741 the previous year).}}</ref> The most internationally acclaimed Hindi film of the 1980s was [[Mira Nair]]'s ''[[Salaam Bombay!]]'' (1988), which won the [[Camera d'Or]] at the [[1988 Cannes Film Festival]] and was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]].

=== New Hindi cinema (1990s onwards) ===
Hindi cinema experienced another period of box-office decline during the late 1980s with due to concerns by audiences over increasing violence and a decline in musical quality, and a rise in video piracy. One of the turning points came with such films as ''[[Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak]]'' (1988), presenting a blend of youthfulness, family entertainment, [[emotional intelligence]] and strong melodies, all of which lured audiences back to the big screen.<ref name="Chintamani">{{cite book|last=Chintamani|first=Gautam|title=Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak: The Film That Revived Hindi Cinema|date=2016|publisher=[[HarperCollins]]|isbn=9789352640980|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BZYOvgAACAAJ}}</ref><ref name="Ray">{{cite news|last=Ray|first=Kunal|title=Romancing the 1980s|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/Romancing-the-1980s/article16898867.ece|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=18 December 2016|language=en-IN}}</ref> It brought back the template for Bollywood musical romance films which went on to define 1990s Hindi cinema.<ref name="Ray" />

Known since the 1990s as "New Bollywood",<ref>{{cite book|last=Sen|first=Meheli|title=Haunting Bollywood: Gender, Genre, and the Supernatural in Hindi Commercial Cinema|date=2017|publisher=[[University of Texas Press]]|isbn=978-1-4773-1158-5|page=189|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZA7BDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA189}}</ref> contemporary Bollywood is linked to [[economic liberalisation in India|economic liberalization in India]] during the early 1990s.<ref>{{cite book|last=Joshi|first=Priya|title=Bollywood's India: A Public Fantasy|date=2015|publisher=[[Columbia University Press]]|isbn=978-0-231-53907-4|page=171|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C3wyBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA171}}</ref> Early in the decade, the pendulum swung back toward family-centered romantic musicals, introducing a new generation of popular actors, including [[Aamir Khan]], [[Ajay Devgan]], [[Akshay Kumar]], [[Hrithik Roshan]], [[Shah Rukh Khan]], and [[Salman Khan]],<ref name="desiblitz" /><ref name="forbes">{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robcain/2016/03/20/are-bollywoods-three-khans-the-last-of-the-movie-kings/|title=Are Bollywood's Three Khans The Last of the Movie Kings?|first=Rob|last=Cain|website=[[Forbes]]}}</ref> who have starred in some of the most of the [[List of highest-grossing Bollywood films|highest-grossing Bollywood films]] between 1990's and 2010's.
The 1990's also marked the entrance of new performers in [[Art film|art]] and independent films, some of which were commercially successful. The most influential example was ''[[Satya (1998 film)|Satya]]'' (1998), directed by [[Ram Gopal Varma]] and written by [[Anurag Kashyap]]. Its critical and commercial success led to the emergence of a genre known as [[Mumbai]] noir:<ref name=Nayar>{{cite news| title = Bollywood on the table| author = Aruti Nayar| work = The Tribune| date = 16 December 2007| access-date = 19 June 2008| url = https://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20071216/spectrum/main11.htm}}</ref> urban films reflecting the city's social problems.<ref name=Jungen>{{cite web|title=Urban Movies: The Diversity of Indian Cinema |author=Christian Jungen |publisher=[[FIPRESCI]] |date=4 April 2009 |url=https://www.fipresci.org/festivals/archive/2009/fribourg/indian_cinema_chjungen.htm |access-date=11 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617225942/https://www.fipresci.org/festivals/archive/2009/fribourg/indian_cinema_chjungen.htm |archive-date=17 June 2009}}</ref> This led to a resurgence of [[parallel cinema]] by the end of the decade.<ref name=Nayar /> The films featured actors whose performances were often praised by critics.

The 2000s saw increased Bollywood recognition worldwide due to growing (and prospering) [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|NRI]] and [[South Asian diaspora]] communities overseas. [[Aditya Chopra]] and [[Karan Johar]] are considered to have started the "NRI phase" in Hindi cinema, which catered to the overseas population of Indians.<ref>.https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/sooraj-r-barjatya-hum-aapke-hain-koun-brought-in-family-culture-aditya-chopra-and-karan-johar-brought-in-the-nri-phase-biginterview/articleshow/95320611.cms</ref> The growth of the Indian economy and a demand for quality entertainment in this era led the country's film industry to new heights in production values, cinematography and screenwriting as well as technical advances in areas such as special effects and animation.<ref name="Us popularity">Anita N. Wadhwani. [https://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2006/August/20060809124617nainawhdaw0.8614466.html "Bollywood Mania" Rising in United States] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020195105/https://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2006/August/20060809124617nainawhdaw0.8614466.html |date=20 October 2012 }}. US State Department. (9 August 2006). Retrieved 29 July 2010.</ref> Some of the largest production houses, among them [[Yash Raj Films]] and [[Dharma Productions]] were the producers of new modern films.<ref name="Us popularity" /> Some popular films of the decade were ''[[Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai]]'' (2000), ''[[Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham]]'' (2001), ''[[Gadar: Ek Prem Katha]]'' (2001), ''[[Lagaan]]'' (2001), ''[[Koi... Mil Gaya]]'' (2003), ''[[Kal Ho Naa Ho]]'' (2003), ''[[Munnabhai M.B.B.S.]]'' (2003), ''[[Veer-Zaara]]'' (2004), ''[[Rang De Basanti]]'' (2006), ''[[Lage Raho Munna Bhai]]'' (2006), ''[[Dhoom 2]]'' (2006), ''[[Krrish]]'' (2006), and ''[[Jab We Met]]'' (2007), among others, showing the rise of new movie stars.

During the 2010s, the industry saw established stars such as making big-budget [[masala film]]s like ''[[Dabangg]]'' (2010), ''[[Singham]]'' (2011)'','' ''[[Ek Tha Tiger]]'' (2012), ''[[Son of Sardaar]]'' (2012), ''[[Rowdy Rathore]]'' (2012), ''[[Chennai Express]]'' (2013), ''[[Kick (2014 film)|Kick]]'' (2014) and ''[[Happy New Year (2014 film)|Happy New Year]]'' (2014) with much-younger actresses. Although the films were often not praised by critics, they were commercially successful.

Most stars from the 2000s continued successful careers into the next decade,{{CN|date=August 2023}} and the 2000s-2010s saw a new generation of popular actors in different films, including [[Ranbir Kapoor]], [[Ranveer Singh]], [[Kartik Aaryan]] and [[Vicky Kaushal]] among others. Among new conventions, female-centred films such as ''[[The Dirty Picture]]'' (2011), ''[[Kahaani]]'' (2012), and ''[[Queen (2014 film)|Queen]]'' (2014), ''[[Pink (2016 film)|Pink]]'' (2016), ''[[Raazi]]'' (2018), ''[[Gangubai Kathiawadi]]'' (2022) and ''Crew'' started gaining wide financial success.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/bollywood/story/kareena-kapoor-proud-to-be-part-of-two-successful-women-centric-films-exclusive-2524033-2024-04-06|title=Kareena Kapoor: Proud to be part of two successful women-centric films |date=6 April 2024 |publisher=India Today}}</ref>

== {{anchor|Influences for Hindi cinema}}Influences on Hindi cinema ==
Moti Gokulsing and [[Wimal Dissanayake]] identify six major influences which have shaped Indian popular cinema:<ref name=Gokulsing>{{Cite book|title=Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change|last=Gokulsing|first=K. Moti|author2=Dissanayake, Wimal|publisher=Trentham Books|year=2004|isbn=978-1-85856-329-9|pages=98–99}}</ref>
* The branching structures of ancient [[Indian epic poetry|Indian epics]], like the ''[[Mahabharata]]'' and ''[[Ramayana]]''. Indian popular films often have plots which branch off into sub-plots.
* Ancient [[Sanskrit drama]], with its stylised nature and emphasis on spectacle in which [[Classical Indian music|music]], [[Classical Indian dance|dance]] and gesture combine "to create a vibrant artistic unit with dance and mime being central to the dramatic experience." Matthew Jones of [[De Montfort University]] also identifies the Sanskrit concept of ''[[Rasa (aesthetics)|rasa]]'', or "the emotions felt by the audience as a result of the actor's presentation", as crucial to Bollywood films.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Bollywood, Rasa and Indian Cinema: Misconceptions, Meanings and Millionaire|author=Matthew Jones|journal=Visual Anthropology|volume=23|issue=1|date=January 2010|pages=33–43|doi=10.1080/08949460903368895|s2cid=144974842}}</ref>
* Traditional [[Theatre of India|folk theatre]], which became popular around the 10th century with the decline of Sanskrit theater. Its regional traditions include the [[Jatra (theatre)|Jatra]] of [[Bengal]], the [[Ramlila]] of [[Uttar Pradesh]], and the [[Terukkuttu]] of [[Tamil Nadu]].
* [[Parsi theatre]], which "blended realism and fantasy, music and dance, narrative and spectacle, earthy dialogue and ingenuity of stage presentation, integrating them into a dramatic discourse of [[melodrama]]. The Parsi plays contained crude humour, melodious songs and music, sensationalism and dazzling stagecraft."
* [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]], where musicals were popular from the 1920s to the 1950s.
* Western musical television (particularly [[MTV]]), which has had an increasing influence since the 1990s. Its pace, camera angles, dance sequences and music may be seen in 2000s Indian films. An early example of this approach was [[Mani Ratnam]]'s ''[[Bombay (1995 film)|Bombay]]'' (1995).

Sharmistha Gooptu identifies [[Indo-Persian culture|Indo-Persian]]-[[Islamic culture]] as a major influence. During the early 20th century, [[Urdu]] was the [[lingua franca]] of popular cultural performance across northern India and established in popular [[performance art]] traditions such as [[nautch]] dancing, [[Urdu poetry]], and Parsi theater. Urdu and related [[Hindi dialects]] were the most widely understood across northern India, and Hindustani became the standard language of early Indian talkies. Films based on "[[Persianate]] adventure-romances" led to a popular genre of "''[[Arabian Nights]]'' cinema".<ref>{{cite book|last=Gooptu|first=Sharmistha|title=Bengali Cinema: 'An Other Nation'|date=2010|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=978-1-136-91217-7|page=38|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DcUtCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA38}}</ref>

Scholars Chaudhuri Diptakirti and [[Rachel Dwyer]] and screenwriter [[Javed Akhtar]] identify [[Urdu literature]] as a major influence on Hindi cinema.<ref name="Akhtar" /><ref name="Chaudhuri2015">{{cite book|last=Chaudhuri|first=Diptakirti|title=Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters|date=2015|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|isbn=9789352140084|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ}}</ref><ref name="Dwyer">{{cite book|last=Dwyer|first=Rachel|author-link=Rachel Dwyer|title=Filming the Gods: Religion and Indian Cinema|date=2006|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=978-1-134-38070-1|page=106|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZsKR1RKoJKUC&pg=PA106}}</ref> Most of the screenwriters and scriptwriters of classic Hindi cinema came from Urdu literary backgrounds,<ref name="Akhtar" /><ref name="Chaudhuri2015" /><ref name="FilmWorld">{{cite journal|title=Film World|journal=Film World|year=1974|volume=10|page=65|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sHlTAAAAYAAJ|publisher=T.M. Ramachandran|language=en|quote=Two eminent Urdu writers [[Krishan Chander]] and [[Ismat Chughtai]] have said that "more than seventy-five per cent of films are made in Urdu."}}</ref> from [[Khwaja Ahmad Abbas]] and [[Akhtar ul Iman]] to [[Salim–Javed]] and [[Rahi Masoom Raza]]; a handful came from other [[Indian literature|Indian literary]] traditions, such as [[Bengali literature|Bengali]] and [[Hindi literature]].<ref name="Chaudhuri2015" /> Most of Hindi cinema's classic scriptwriters wrote primarily in Urdu, including Salim-Javed, [[Gulzar]], [[Rajinder Singh Bedi]], [[Inder Raj Anand]], Rahi Masoom Raza and [[Wajahat Mirza]].<ref name="Akhtar"/><ref name="FilmWorld"/> Urdu poetry and the [[ghazal]] tradition strongly influenced [[filmi]] ([[Music of Bollywood|Bollywood lyrics]]).<ref name="Akhtar" /><ref name="Dwyer" /> Javed Akhtar was also greatly influenced by [[Urdu literature|Urdu novels]] by Pakistani author [[Ibn-e-Safi]], such as the ''[[Jasoosi Dunya]]'' and [[Imran series|''Imran'' series]] of detective novels;<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chaudhuri |first1=Diptakirti |title=Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters |date=2015 |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |isbn=9789352140084 |pages=26–27 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT26}}</ref> they inspired, for example, famous Bollywood characters such as [[Gabbar Singh (character)|Gabbar Singh]] in ''[[Sholay]]'' (1975) and Mogambo in ''[[Mr. India (1987 film)|Mr. India]]'' (1987).<ref>{{cite news |title=Urdu pulp fiction: Where Gabbar Singh and Mogambo came from |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/review-urdu-pulp-fiction-where-gabbar-singh-and-mogambo-came-from-1564148 |access-date=3 June 2019 |work=[[Daily News and Analysis]] |date=10 July 2011}}</ref>

Todd Stadtman identifies several foreign influences on 1970s commercial Bollywood [[masala film]]s, including [[New Hollywood]], Italian [[exploitation film]]s, and [[Hong Kong martial arts cinema]].<ref name="funky" /> After the success of [[Bruce Lee]] films (such as ''[[Enter the Dragon]]'') in India,<ref>{{cite news |title=Bruce Lee storms Bombay once again with Return of the Dragon |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-the-arts/films/story/19790915-bruce-lee-storms-bombay-once-again-with-return-of-the-dragon-822544-2014-02-21 |work=[[India Today]] |date=15 September 1979 |access-date=20 January 2015}}</ref> ''[[Deewaar]]'' (1975) and other Bollywood films incorporated fight scenes inspired by 1970s [[martial arts film]]s from [[Hong Kong cinema]] until the 1990s.<ref name="Heide">{{cite book|last=Heide|first=William Van der|title=Malaysian Cinema, Asian Film: Border Crossings and National Cultures|date=2002|publisher=[[Amsterdam University Press]]|isbn=9789053565803|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k3HTdu1HuWQC&pg=PA148}}</ref> Bollywood action scenes emulated Hong Kong rather than Hollywood, emphasising acrobatics and [[Stunt performer|stunts]] and combining [[kung fu]] (as perceived by Indians) with [[Indian martial arts]] such as [[pehlwani]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Morris|first1=Meaghan|last2=Li|first2=Siu Leung|last3=Chan|first3=Stephen Ching-kiu|title=Hong Kong Connections: Transnational Imagination in Action Cinema|date=2005|publisher=[[Hong Kong University Press]]|isbn=978-1-932643-19-0|page=149|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DdrHAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA149}}</ref>

== Influence of Hindi cinema ==
=== India ===
Perhaps Hindi cinema's greatest influence has been on India's national identity, where (with the rest of Indian cinema) it has become part of the "Indian story".<ref name=desai2013>{{Cite news |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-22335309|title= How Bollywood mirrors Indian realities|last1= Desai|first1= Lord Meghnad|date= 4 May 2013 |work= BBC News|publisher= BBC|access-date=15 January 2014}}</ref> In India, Bollywood is often associated with India's national identity. According to economist and Bollywood biographer [[Meghnad Desai, Baron Desai|Meghnad Desai]], "Cinema actually has been the most vibrant medium for telling India its own story, the story of its struggle for independence, its constant struggle to achieve national integration and to emerge as a global presence".<ref name=desai2013 />

Scholar Brigitte Schulze has written that Indian films, most notably [[Mehboob Khan]]'s ''[[Mother India]]'' (1957), played a key role in shaping the [[Republic of India]]'s national identity in the early years after [[Indian independence movement|independence]] from the [[British Raj]]; the film conveyed a sense of [[Indian nationalism]] to urban and rural citizens alike.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schulze |first1=Brigitte |title=The Cinematic 'Discovery of India': Mehboob's Re-Invention of the Nation in Mother India |journal=[[Social Scientist]] |date=September 2002 |volume=30 |issue=9/10 |pages=72–87 |doi=10.2307/3517959|jstor=3517959 }}</ref> Bollywood has long influenced Indian society and culture as the biggest entertainment industry; many of the country's musical, dancing, wedding and fashion trends are Bollywood-inspired. Bollywood fashion trendsetters have included [[Madhubala]] in ''[[Mughal-e-Azam]]'' (1960) and [[Madhuri Dixit]] in ''[[Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!]]'' (1994).<ref name="desiblitz">{{cite news|title=Impact of Bollywood on Indian Culture|url=https://www.desiblitz.com/content/impact-bollywood-indian-culture|work=DESIblitz|date=15 January 2014}}</ref>

Hindi films have also had a [[socio-political]] impact on Indian society, reflecting [[Indian politics]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Raghavendra|first=M. K.|title=The Politics of Hindi Cinema in the New Millennium: Bollywood and the Anglophone Indian Nation|publisher=[[Oxford Scholarship Online]]|isbn=978-0-19-945056-5|doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199450565.001.0001|year=2014}}</ref> In classic 1970s Bollywood films, Bombay underworld crime films written by [[Salim–Javed]] and starring [[Amitabh Bachchan]] such as ''[[Zanjeer (1973 film)|Zanjeer]]'' (1973) and ''[[Deewaar]]'' (1975) reflected the [[socio-economic]] and socio-political realities of contemporary India. They channeled growing popular discontent and disillusionment and state failure to ensure welfare and well-being at a time of inflation, shortages, loss of confidence in public institutions, increasing crime<ref name="raj" /> and the unprecedented growth of [[slum]]s.<ref name="Mazumdar" /> Salim-Javed and Bachchan's films dealt with urban poverty, corruption and organised crime;<ref name="Penguin Group" /> they were perceived by audiences as [[anti-establishment]], often with an "angry young man" protagonist presented as a [[vigilante]] or [[anti-hero]]<ref name="hindustantimes" /> whose suppressed rage voiced the anguish of the urban poor.<ref name="Mazumdar" />

=== Overseas ===
Hindi films have been a significant form of [[soft power]] for India, increasing its influence and changing overseas perceptions of India.<ref>{{cite news|title=Baahubali 2, Dangal's overseas box office success is a testimony to Indian film industry's soft power|url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/baahubali-2-the-conclusion-bahubali-2-dangals-overseas-box-office-success-is-a-testimony-to-indian-film-industrys-soft-power-3500555.html|work=Firstpost|date=31 May 2017}}</ref><ref name="indianexpress">{{cite news|title=A window to India's rising soft power – Bollywood|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/books/a-window-to-india-rising-soft-power-bollywood-4611855/|work=[[The Indian Express]]|date=13 April 2017}}</ref> In [[Germany]], [[Stereotypes of South Asians|Indian stereotypes]] included [[bullock cart]]s, beggars, sacred cows, corrupt politicians, and catastrophes before Bollywood and the [[Information technology in India|IT industry]] transformed global perceptions of India.<ref name="dnaindia">{{cite news|title=Shah Rukh Khan as popular as Pope: German media|url=https://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-shah-rukh-khan-as-popular-as-pope-german-media-1150157|work=[[Daily News and Analysis]]|date=10 February 2008}}</ref> According to author Roopa Swaminathan, "Bollywood cinema is one of the strongest global cultural ambassadors of a new India."<ref name="indianexpress" /><ref>{{cite book|last=Swaminathan|first=Roopa|title=Bollywood Boom: India's Rise as a Soft Power|date=2017|publisher=Random House Publishers|isbn=9789386495143|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zDfCDgAAQBAJ}}</ref> Its role in expanding India's global influence is comparable to Hollywood's similar role with American influence.<ref name="desiblitz" /> [[Monroe Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey#Demographics|Monroe Township]], [[Middlesex County, New Jersey|Middlesex County]], [[New Jersey]], in [[Indians in the New York City metropolitan area#Demographics|the New York metropolitan area]], has been profoundly impacted by Bollywood; this U.S. township has displayed one of the fastest growth rates of its Indian population in the [[Western Hemisphere]], increasing from 256 (0.9%) as of the 2000 Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/00_SF1/DP1/0600000US3402347280|title=Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=11 February 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212094804/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/00_SF1/DP1/0600000US3402347280|archive-date=12 February 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref> to an estimated 5,943 (13.6%) as of 2017,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/17_5YR/DP05/0600000US3402347280|title=ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates 2013–2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates – Monroe township, Middlesex County, New Jersey|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=11 February 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213155409/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/17_5YR/DP05/0600000US3402347280|archive-date=13 February 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref> representing a 2,221.5% (a multiple of 23) numerical increase over that period, including many [[affluence|affluent]] [[professional]]s and [[senior citizen]]s as well as [[charitable contribution|charitable benefactors]] to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in India|COVID-19 relief efforts in India]] in official coordination with Monroe Township, as well as actors with second homes.

During the 2000s, Hindi cinema began influencing [[musical film]]s in the Western world and was instrumental role in reviving the American musical film. [[Baz Luhrmann]] said that his musical film, ''[[Moulin Rouge!]]'' (2001), was inspired by Bollywood musicals;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.liveabout.com/comedy-movies-4688217|title=Comedies|website=LiveAbout}}</ref> the film incorporated a Bollywood-style dance scene with a song from the film ''[[China Gate (1998 film)|China Gate]]''. The critical and financial success of ''Moulin Rouge!'' began a renaissance of Western musical films such as ''[[Chicago (2002 film)|Chicago]]'', ''[[Rent (film)|Rent]]'', and ''[[Dreamgirls (film)|Dreamgirls]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Guide Picks – Top Movie Musicals on Video/DVD|publisher=[[About.com]]|url=https://movies.about.com/library/weekly/aatpmusicals.htm|access-date=15 May 2009|archive-date=24 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090124220433/http://movies.about.com/library/weekly/aatpmusicals.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Indian film composer [[A. R. Rahman]] wrote the music for [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]]'s ''[[Bombay Dreams]]'', and a musical version of ''[[Hum Aapke Hain Koun]]'' was staged in London's West End. The [[sports film]] ''[[Lagaan]]'' (2001) was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]], and two other Hindi films (2002's ''[[Devdas (2002 Hindi film)|Devdas]]'' and 2006's ''[[Rang De Basanti]]'') were nominated for the [[BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language]].

[[Danny Boyle]]'s ''[[Slumdog Millionaire]]'' (2008), which won four [[66th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globes]] and [[81st Academy Awards nominees and winners|eight Academy Awards]], was inspired by mainstream Hindi films<ref name=Kumar>{{cite web|author=Amitava Kumar|title=Slumdog Millionaire's Bollywood Ancestors|work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]|date=23 December 2008|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2008/12/slumdog-millionaires-bollywood-ancestors.html|access-date=4 January 2008|archive-date=25 December 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081225193313/http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2008/12/slumdog-millionaires-bollywood-ancestors.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Age>{{cite news|title=Slumdog draws crowds, but not all like what they see|work=[[The Age]]|date=25 January 2009|url=https://www.theage.com.au/world/slumdog-draws-crowds-but-not-all-like-what-they-see-20090124-7p33.html|access-date=24 January 2008|location=Melbourne}}</ref> and is considered an "homage to Hindi commercial cinema".<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite news|title='Slumdog Millionaire' has an Indian co-director|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=11 January 2009|url=https://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200901110925.htm|access-date=23 January 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325234357/https://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200901110925.htm|archive-date=25 March 2009}}</ref> It was also inspired by Mumbai-underworld crime films, such as ''[[Deewaar]]'' (1975), ''[[Satya (1998 film)|Satya]]'' (1998), ''[[Company (2002 film)|Company]]'' (2002) and ''[[Black Friday (2007 film)|Black Friday]]'' (2007).<ref name="Kumar" /> ''Deewaar'' had a Hong Kong remake, ''[[The Brothers (1979 film)|The Brothers]]'' (1979),<ref name="scroll">{{cite web|last=Mondal|first=Sayantan|title=Amitabh Bachchan starrer 'Deewar' was remade in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam – and Cantonese|url=https://thereel.scroll.in/828031/amitabh-bachchan-starrer-deewar-was-remade-in-telugu-tamil-malayalam-and-cantonese|website=Scroll.in|access-date=30 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130121319/https://thereel.scroll.in/828031/amitabh-bachchan-starrer-deewar-was-remade-in-telugu-tamil-malayalam-and-cantonese|archive-date=30 January 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> which inspired [[John Woo]]'s internationally acclaimed breakthrough ''[[A Better Tomorrow]]'' (1986);<ref name="scroll" /><ref name="hkcinemagic">{{cite web|title=The Brothers|url=https://www.hkcinemagic.com/en/movie.asp?id=1693|website=[[Hong Kong Cinemagic]]|access-date=21 November 2017|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031226/http://www.hkcinemagic.com/en/movie.asp?id=1693|url-status=dead}}</ref> the latter was a template for [[Hong Kong action cinema]]'s [[heroic bloodshed]] genre.<ref>{{cite book |last=Morton |first=Lisa |title=The Cinema of Tsui Hark |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hv3yJ6MaoYsC&pg=PA62 |year=2001 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-0990-7}}</ref><ref name="Diplomat">{{cite news|last=Volodzko|first=David|title=30 Years Later, This Chinese Film Still Echoes in Hollywood|url=https://thediplomat.com/2015/06/30-years-later-this-chinese-film-still-echoes-in-hollywood/|work=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]]|date=13 June 2015}}</ref> "Angry young man" 1970s epics such as ''Deewaar'' and ''[[Amar Akbar Anthony]]'' (1977) also resemble the heroic-bloodshed genre of 1980s Hong Kong action cinema.<ref>{{cite book|last=Banker|first=Ashok|title=Bollywood|date=2002|publisher=[[Penguin Group]]|page=83|isbn=978-0-14-302835-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=429ZAAAAMAAJ&q=deewaar+hong+kong}}</ref>

The influence of ''[[filmi]]'' may be seen in [[popular music]] worldwide. [[Electropop|Technopop]] pioneers [[Haruomi Hosono]] and [[Ryuichi Sakamoto]] of the [[Yellow Magic Orchestra]] produced a 1978 [[Electronic music|electronic]] album, ''Cochin Moon'', based on an [[Experimental music|experimental]] [[Fusion (music)|fusion]] of electronic music and Bollywood-inspired Indian music.<ref>{{cite web|author=Dominique Leone|date=19 July 2005|title=Hosono & Yokoo: Cochin Moon|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/4016-cochin-moon/|access-date=26 May 2011}}</ref> [[Truth Hurts (singer)|Truth Hurts]]' 2002 song "[[Addictive (song)|Addictive]]", produced by [[DJ Quik]] and [[Dr. Dre]], was lifted{{clarify|date=April 2019|reason=What does "lifted" mean in this context?}} from [[Lata Mangeshkar]]'s "Thoda Resham Lagta Hai" in ''Jyoti'' (1981).<ref name=VH1>{{cite web|title=Truth Hurts |publisher=[[VH1]] |date=19 September 2002 |url=https://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1457672/09192002/truth_hurts.jhtml |access-date=18 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413172839/https://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1457672/09192002/truth_hurts.jhtml |archive-date=13 April 2009 }}</ref> [[The Black Eyed Peas]]' [[Grammy Award]] winning 2005 song "[[Don't Phunk with My Heart]]" was inspired by two 1970s [[Bollywood songs]]: "Ye Mera Dil Yaar Ka Diwana" from ''[[Don (1978 film)|Don]]'' (1978) and "Ae Nujawan Hai Sub" from ''[[Apradh]]'' (1972).<ref name=Apradh>{{YouTube|id=fWsSXjIDL3Q|title=ae naujawan hai sub kuchh yahan – Apradh 1972}}</ref> Both songs were composed by [[Kalyanji Anandji]], sung by [[Asha Bhosle]], and featured the dancer [[Helen (actress)|Helen]].<ref name=Denselow>{{cite news|author=Robin Denselow|title=Kalyanji Anandji, The Bollywood Brothers|work=The Guardian|date=2 May 2008|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/may/02/worldmusic1|access-date=1 March 2009 | location=London}}</ref>

The [[Kronos Quartet]] re-recorded several [[R. D. Burman]] compositions sung by [[Asha Bhosle]] for their 2005 album, ''[[You've Stolen My Heart (album)|You've Stolen My Heart: Songs from R.D. Burman's Bollywood]]'', which was nominated for Best Contemporary World Music Album at the 2006 Grammy Awards. ''Filmi'' music composed by [[A. R. Rahman]] (who received two [[Academy Awards]] for the [[Slumdog Millionaire (soundtrack)|''Slumdog Millionaire'' soundtrack]]) has frequently been sampled by other musicians, including the Singaporean artist [[Kelly Poon]], the French rap group [[La Caution]] and the American artist [[Ciara]]. Many [[Asian Underground]] artists, particularly those among the [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|overseas Indian diaspora]], have also been inspired by Bollywood music.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Padmanabhan |first1=Anil |last2=Aditi |first2=Khanna |title=Indian music by contemporary Asian rappers and rockers is storming the West |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-the-arts/story/20060522-indian-music-by-contemporary-asian-rappers-and-rockers-is-storming-the-west-785369-2006-05-22 |access-date=26 April 2022 |work=India Today |date=22 May 2006 |language=en}}</ref>

== {{anchor|Genre conventions}}Genres ==
{{See also|Masala film}}
[[File:Achhut Kanya.jpg|thumb|alt=A man and woman smile at each other in an old film|Melodrama and romance are common ingredients in Bollywood films, such as ''[[Achhut Kannya|Achhut Kanya]]'' (1936)]]

Hindi films are primarily musicals, and are expected to have catchy song-and-dance numbers woven into the script. A film's success often depends on the quality of such musical numbers.<ref>Kalita, S. Mitra (2005). ''Suburban Sahibs: Three Immigrant Families And Their Passage from India to America''. [[Rutgers University Press]], p. 134. {{ISBN|0-8135-3318-X}}</ref> A film's music, song, and dance portions are usually produced first, and these are often released before the film itself, increasing its audience.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dudrah |first1=Rajinder Kumar |title=Bollywood: Sociology Goes To the Movies |date=2006 |publisher=Sage Publishing India |location=New Delhi |isbn=9789352803026 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OM9jDwAAQBAJ&q=Bollywood%3A+Sociology+Goes+To+the+Movies&pg=PP1 |access-date=8 March 2020}}</ref>

Indian audiences expect value for money, and a good film is generally referred to as ''[[paisa]] vasool'' (literally, "money's worth").<ref>{{cite news|author=Gangadhar, V.|title=Moving with the times|date=13 April 2007|work=[[The Hindu]]|url=https://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/04/13/stories/2007041300860100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070419145349/https://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/04/13/stories/2007041300860100.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 April 2007|access-date=9 December 2009|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> Songs, dances, love triangles, comedy and dare-devil thrills are combined in a three-hour show (with an intermission). These are called ''[[masala film]]s'', after the Hindi word for a spice mixture. Like ''masalas'', they are a mixture of action, comedy, and romance; most have heroes who can fight off villains single-handedly. Bollywood plots have tended to be [[melodramatic]], frequently using formulaic ingredients such as star-crossed lovers, angry parents, love triangles, family ties, sacrifice, political corruption, kidnapping, villains, [[Hooker with a heart of gold|kind-hearted courtesans]], long-lost relatives and siblings, reversals of fortune and [[serendipity]].

[[Parallel cinema]] films tended to be less popular at the box office. A large Indian diaspora in English-speaking countries and increased [[Western culture|Western]] influence in India have nudged Bollywood films closer to Hollywood.<ref name="Migration">{{cite book |author1=Gupta, Suman |author2=Omoniyi, Tope |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nr2724-bOfMC&pg=PA202 |year=2001|title=The Cultures of Economic Migration: International Perspectives|page=202|publisher=Ashgate Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-0-7546-7070-4}}</ref>

According to film critic Lata Khubchandani, "Our earliest films ... had liberal doses of sex and kissing scenes in them. Strangely, it was after Independence [that] the censor board came into being and so did all the strictures."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ia.rediff.com/movies/1999/jun/21hem.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613111621/https://ia.rediff.com/movies/1999/jun/21hem.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 June 2018 |title=Memories of another day |publisher=mid-day.com |first=Lata |last=Khubchandani }}</ref> Although Bollywood plots feature Westernised urbanites dating and dancing in clubs rather than pre-arranged marriages, traditional Indian culture continues to exist outside the industry and is an element of resistance by some to Western influences.<ref name="Migration" /> Bollywood plays a major role, however, in [[fashion in India|Indian fashion]].<ref name="Migration" /> Studies have indicated that some people, unaware that changing fashion in Bollywood films is often influenced by globalisation, consider the clothes worn by Bollywood actors as authentically Indian.<ref name="Migration" />

== {{anchor|Cast and crew}}Casts and crews ==

{{See also|List of Indian film actors|List of Indian film actresses|List of Indian film directors|List of Indian film music directors|List of Hindi film actors|List of Indian playback singers|List of Hindi film families}}

== Scripts, dialogues, and lyrics ==
{{See also|Bombay Hindi|Tapori (word)|l2=''Tapori'' (word)}}
Film scripts (known as dialogues in [[Indian English]]) and their song lyrics are often written by different people. Earlier, scripts were usually written in an unadorned [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]], which would be understood by the largest possible audience.{{sfn|Gulzar|Nihalani|Chatterjee|2003|p=10–18}} Post-Independence, Hindi films tended to use a [[colloquial]] register of Hindustani, mutually intelligible by [[Hindi]] and [[Urdu]] speakers, but the use of the latter has declined over years.<ref name="lang"/><ref name="scienceandmediamuseum">{{cite web|title=Decoding the Bollywood poster|url=https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/decoding-the-bollywood-poster/|website=[[National Science and Media Museum]]|date=28 February 2013}}</ref> Some films have used [[Hindi dialects|regional dialects]] to evoke a village setting, or archaic Urdu in [[Medieval India|medieval]] [[historical films]]. A number of the dominant early scriptwriters of Hindi cinema primarily wrote in Urdu; Salim-Javed wrote in [[Urdu script]], which was then transcribed by an assistant into [[Devanagari]] script so Hindi readers could read them.<ref name="Akhtar">{{cite book|last1=Aḵẖtar|first1=Jāvīd|author-link1=Javed Akhtar|last2=Kabir|first2=Nasreen Munni|title=Talking Films: Conversations on Hindi Cinema with Javed Akhtar|date=2002|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-566462-1|page=49|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_JILAQAAMAAJ|quote=JA: I write dialogue in Urdu, but the action and descriptions are in English. Then an assistant transcribes the Urdu dialogue into [[Devnagari]] because most people read Hindi. But I write in Urdu. Not only me, I think most of the writers working in this so-called Hindi cinema write in Urdu: [[Gulzar]], or [[Rajinder Singh Bedi]] or [[Inder Raj Anand]] or [[Rahi Masoom Raza]] or [[Wajahat Mirza|Vahajat Mirza]], who wrote dialogue for films like ''[[Mughal-e-Azam]]'' and ''[[Gunga Jumna]]'' and ''[[Mother India]]''. So most dialogue-writers and most song-writers are from the Urdu discipline, even today.}}</ref> During the 1970s, Urdu writers [[Krishan Chander]] and [[Ismat Chughtai]] said that "more than seventy-five per cent of films are made in Urdu" but were categorised as Hindi films by the government.<ref name="film-world">{{cite journal|title=Film World|journal=Film World|year=1974|volume=10|page=65|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sHlTAAAAYAAJ|quote=I feel that the Government should eradicate the age-old evil of certifying Urdu films as Hindi ones. It is a known fact that Urdu has been willingly accepted and used by the film industry. Two Urdu writers [[Krishan Chander]] and [[Ismat Chughtai]] have said that "more than seventy-five per cent of films are made in Urdu." It is a pity that although Urdu is freely used in films, the producers in general mention the language of the film as "Hindi" in the application forms supplied by the Censor Board. It is a gross misrepresentation and unjust to the people who love Urdu.}}</ref> ''Encyclopedia of Hindi Cinema'' noted a number of top Urdu writers for preserving the language through film.{{sfn|Gulzar|Nihalani|Chatterjee|2003|p=65}} [[Urdu poetry]] has strongly influenced [[Hindi film music|Hindi film songs]], whose lyrics also draw from the [[ghazal]] tradition ([[filmi-ghazal]]).<ref name="Dwyer" /> According to Javed Akhtar in 1996, despite the loss of Urdu in Indian society, Urdu [[diction]] dominated Hindi film dialogue and lyrics.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bhaumik |first1=Saba Naqvi |title=From nonsensical to sublime, Majrooh Sultanpuri still defines Bollywood frontiers |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/profile/story/19960930-from-nonsensical-to-sublime-majrooh-sultanpuri-still-defines-bollywood-frontiers-833834-1996-09-30 |access-date=7 June 2013 |work=[[India Today]] |date=30 September 1996 |language=en}}</ref>

In her book, ''The Cinematic ImagiNation'', Jyotika Virdi wrote about the presence and decline of Urdu in Hindi films. Virdi notes that although Urdu was widely used in classic Hindi cinema decades after partition because it was widely taught in pre-[[Partition of India|partition]] India, its use has declined in modern Hindi cinema: "The extent of Urdu used in commercial Hindi cinema has not been stable ... the ultimate victory of Hindi in the official sphere has been more or less complete. This decline of Urdu is mirrored in Hindi films ... It is true that many Urdu words have survived and have become part of Hindi cinema's popular vocabulary. But that is as far as it goes. The fact is, for the most part, popular Hindi cinema has forsaken the florid Urdu that was part of its extravagance and retained a 'residual' Urdu, affected by an aggressive state policy that promoted a Sanskritized version of Hindi as the national language."<ref>{{cite book|author=Virdi, Jyotika|url=https://archive.org/details/cinematicimagina0000vird|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/cinematicimagina0000vird/page/19 19]|title=The cinematic imagiNation (sic): Indian popular films as social history|publisher=Rutgers University Press|year=2003|isbn=978-0-8135-3191-5}}</ref>

Contemporary mainstream films also use English, with the authors of an October 2005 ''South Asian Popular Culture'' article writing, "English has begun to challenge the ideological work done by Urdu."<ref name="lang"/><ref>Desai, Jigna, Dudrah, Rajinder, Rai, Amit, "Bollywood Audiences Editorial", ''South Asian Popular Culture'' (October 2005), Vol. 3, Issue 2, pp. 79–82.</ref> Some film scripts are first written in [[Latin script]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Us Salam, Ziya|title=Assault of the mixed doubles|date=12 August 2007|work=[[The Hindu]]|url=https://www.hindu.com/mag/2007/08/12/stories/2007081250070400.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105153839/https://www.hindu.com/mag/2007/08/12/stories/2007081250070400.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 November 2012|access-date=9 December 2009|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> Characters may shift between languages to evoke a particular atmosphere (for example, English in a business setting and Hindi in an informal one). The blend of Hindi and English sometimes heard in modern Hindi films, known as [[Hinglish]], has become increasingly common.<ref name="scienceandmediamuseum" />

Before and following the turn of the millennium, cinematic language (in dialogues or lyrics) would often be melodramatic, invoking God, family, mother, duty, and self-sacrifice. Song lyrics are often about love and, especially in older films, frequently used the poetic vocabulary of court Urdu, with a number of [[Persian language|Persian]] loanwords.<ref name="Ganti2004">{{cite book|author=Tejaswini Ganti|title=Bollywood: a guidebook to popular Hindi cinema|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GTEa93azj9EC|access-date=25 April 2011|year=2004|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-415-28854-5|pages=22–23}}</ref> Another source for love lyrics in films such as ''[[Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje]]'' and ''[[Lagaan]]'' is the long [[Hindu]] tradition of poetry about the loves of [[Krishna]], [[Radha]], and the ''[[gopi]]''s.

Music directors often prefer working with certain lyricists, and the lyricist and composer may be seen as a team. This phenomenon has been compared to the pairs of American composers and songwriters who created classic Broadway musicals.

Before 2008, Bollywood scripts were often [[Handwriting|handwritten]] because, in the industry, there is a perception that manual writing is the quickest way to create scripts.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Meyer |first=Michael |title=The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing |publisher=[[Bedford]] |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-312-47200-9 |editor-first= |edition=8th |location=Boston |chapter=A Thematic Case Study: Border Crossings}}</ref>

== Sound ==
{{More citations needed section|date=April 2019}}
Sound in early Bollywood films was usually not recorded on location ([[sync sound]]). It was usually created (or re-created) in the studio,<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|title=Lagaan used synchronized sound|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/did-you-know/lagaan-used-synchronized-sound/articleshow/3987370.cms|access-date=21 June 2021|website=The Times of India|date=16 January 2009 |language=en}}</ref> with the actors [[Dubbing (filmmaking)|speaking their lines]] in the studio and [[Foley (filmmaking)|sound effects]] added later; this created synchronisation problems.<ref name=":0" /> Commercial Indian films are known for their lack of ambient sound, and the [[Arri|Arriflex 3]] camera necessitated dubbing. ''[[Lagaan]]'' (2001) was filmed with sync sound,<ref name=":0" /> and several Bollywood films have recorded on-location sound since then.

== {{anchor|Makeup}}Female makeup artists ==
In 1955, the Bollywood Cine Costume Make-Up Artist & Hair Dressers' Association (CCMAA) ruled that female makeup artists were barred from membership.<ref name="telegraphindia1">{{cite web|author=Samyabrata Ray Goswami |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1141111/jsp/frontpage/story_19024241.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111050234/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1141111/jsp/frontpage/story_19024241.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 November 2014 |title=Women get makeup justice |work=The Telegraph|location=Kolkota |date=11 November 2014 |access-date=21 April 2015}}</ref> The [[Supreme Court of India]] ruled in 2014 that the ban violated Indian constitutional guarantees under Article 14 (right to equality), 19(1)(g) (freedom to work) and Article 21 (right to liberty).<ref name="telegraphindia1" /> According to the court, the ban had no "rationale nexus" to the cause sought to be achieved and was "unacceptable, impermissible and inconsistent" with the constitutional rights guaranteed to India's citizens.<ref name="telegraphindia1" /> The court also found illegal the rule which mandated that for any artist to work in the industry, they must have lived for five years in the state where they intend to work.<ref name="telegraphindia1" /> In 2015, it was announced that Charu Khurana was the first woman registered by the Cine Costume Make-Up Artist & Hair Dressers' Association.<ref>{{cite web|author=Amit Anand Choudhary |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/bollywood/Bollywood-make-up-artists-group-inducts-first-woman-after-SC-rap/articleshow/46995208.cms |title=Bollywood make-up artists' group inducts first woman after SC rap |work=The Times of India |date=21 April 2015 |access-date=21 April 2015}}</ref>

== Song and dance ==
[[File:Rahul Dev Burman.jpg|thumb|150px|[[R. D. Burman]] is considered one of the most prolific and influential music director of Hindi cinema.<ref name="Tejaswini2004">{{cite book | author=Tejaswini Ganti | title=Bollywood: a guidebook to popular Hindi cinema | year=2004 | publisher=Psychology Press | isbn=978-0-415-28854-5 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bollywoodguidebo0000gant/page/111 111–112] | url=https://archive.org/details/bollywoodguidebo0000gant/page/111 }}</ref>]]
{{See also|Hindi film music|Filmi-ghazal|Filmi qawwali|Hindi dance music|List of singing actors in Indian cinema}}
Bollywood film music is called ''[[filmi]]'' (from the Hindi "of films"). Bollywood songs were introduced with Ardeshir Irani's ''Alam Ara'' (1931) song, "De De Khuda Ke Naam pay pyaare".<ref name="Ganesh">{{cite book|title=Bollywood Melodies: A History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lmrSLuBwbKkC|page=2|first=Ganesh|last=Anantharaman|isbn=978-0-14-306340-7|year=2008|publisher=Penguin Books India|access-date=13 March 2019}}</ref> Bollywood songs are generally pre-recorded by professional playback singers, with the actors then [[lip sync]]ing the words to the song on-screen (often while dancing). Although most actors are good dancers, few are also singers; a notable exception was [[Kishore Kumar]], who starred in several major films during the 1950s while having a rewarding career as a playback singer. [[Kundan Lal Saigal|K. L. Saigal]], Suraiyya, and [[Noor Jehan]] were known as singers and actors, and some actors in the last thirty years have sung one or more songs themselves.

[[File:Kishore Kumar 2016 postcard of India (cropped).jpg|thumb|150px|[[Kishore Kumar]] is regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of modern [[Indian music]].<ref name="TOI2017"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Remembering Kishore Kumar: Unforgettable Jewels from India's Greatest Playback Singer |url=https://www.news18.com/news/movies/remembering-kishore-kumar-unforgettable-jewels-from-indias-greatest-playback-singer-2755463.html |access-date=14 June 2023 |work=News18 |date=4 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Ghosh |first1=Avijit |title=Unforgettable Kishore |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/deep-focus/unforgettable-kishore/articleshow/2435600.cms |access-date=14 June 2023 |work=The Times of India |date=7 October 2007}}</ref><ref name="HT2016">{{cite news |last1=Mishra |first1=Nivedita |title=The legend of Kishore Kumar: Why he remains relevant even today |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/music/the-legend-of-kishore-kumar-why-he-remains-relevant-even-today/story-yS95qQmejzEBIlpacKVexN.html |access-date=14 June 2023 |work=Hindustan Times |date=13 October 2016 |language=en}}</ref>]]
[[File:Lata Mangeshkar - still 29065 crop.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Lata Mangeshkar]] She is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential singers of the [[Indian subcontinent]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.economist.com/obituary/lata-mangeshkar-was-the-soundtrack-of-the-newly-independent-country/21807600 | title=Lata Mangeshkar was the soundtrack of newly independent India | newspaper=The Economist }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Lata Mangeshkar|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/30899862.cms|date=10 December 2002|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=22 July 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Yasmeen, Afshan |title=Music show to celebrate birthday of melody queen |url=http://www.hindu.com/lf/2004/09/21/stories/2004092114010200.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041103120451/http://www.hindu.com/lf/2004/09/21/stories/2004092114010200.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 November 2004 |date=21 September 2004 |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |url-access=subscription |access-date=14 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-02-07 |title=Lata Mangeshkar: 'Why I loved the Indian singer as much as The Beatles' |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-60257952 |access-date=2023-03-30}}</ref>]]
Songs can make and break a film, determining whether it will be a flop or a hit: "Few films without successful musical tracks, and even fewer without any songs and dances, succeed".<ref name=":1"/> Globalization has changed Bollywood music, with lyrics an increasing mix of Hindi and English. Global trends such as salsa, pop and hip hop have influenced the music heard in Bollywood films.<ref name=":1" />

Playback singers are featured in the opening credits, and have fans who will see an otherwise-lackluster film to hear their favourites. Notable singers are [[Lata Mangeshkar]], [[Asha Bhosle]], [[Geeta Dutt]], [[Shamshad Begum]], [[Kavita Krishnamurthy]], [[Sadhana Sargam]], [[Alka Yagnik]] and [[Shreya Goshal]] (female), and K. L. Saigal, [[Kishore Kumar]], Talat Mahmood, [[Mukesh (singer)|Mukesh]], [[Mohammed Rafi]], [[Manna Dey]], [[Hemant Kumar]], [[Kumar Sanu]], [[Udit Narayan]] and [[Sonu Nigam]] (male). Composers of film music, known as music directors, are also well-known. [[Remix]]ing of film songs with modern rhythms is common, and producers may release remixed versions of some of their films' songs with the films' soundtrack albums.

Dancing in Bollywood films, especially older films, is modeled on Indian dance: classical dance, dances of north-Indian courtesans ([[tawaif]]) or [[folk dance]]s. In modern films, Indian dance blends with Western dance styles as seen on MTV or in Broadway musicals; Western pop and classical-dance numbers are commonly seen side-by-side in the same film. The hero (or heroine) often performs with a troupe of supporting dancers. Many song-and-dance routines in Indian films contain unrealistically-quick shifts of location or changes of costume between verses of a song. If the hero and heroine dance and sing a duet, it is often staged in natural surroundings or architecturally-grand settings.

Songs typically comment on the action taking place in the film. A song may be worked into the plot, so a character has a reason to sing. It may externalise a character's thoughts, or presage an event in the film (such as two characters falling in love). The songs are often referred to as a "dream sequence", with things happening which would not normally happen in the real world. Song and dance scenes were often filmed in [[Kashmir]] but, due to political unrest in Kashmir since the end of the 1980s,<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2935951.stm BBC News: Kashmir beckons Bollywood] (10 April 2003).</ref> they have been shot in western Europe (particularly [[Switzerland]] and [[Austria]]).<ref>[https://www.museum-gestaltung.ch/Htmls/Ausstellungen/Archiv/2002/Bollywood/E_Bollywood.html Bollywood – The Indian Cinema and Switzerland (2002)]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110118005321/https://www.museum-gestaltung.ch/Htmls/Ausstellungen/Archiv/2002/Bollywood/E_Bollywood.html |date=18 January 2011 }}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080218130229/https://www.hindu.com/2008/02/14/stories/2008021459770700.htm The Hindu: Bollywood boosts Austria's tourism potential]. (2008).</ref>

Contemporary movie stars attracted popularity as dancers, including [[Madhuri Dixit]], [[Hrithik Roshan]], [[Aishwarya Rai Bachchan]], [[Sridevi]], [[Meenakshi Seshadri]], [[Malaika Arora Khan]], [[Shahid Kapoor]], [[Katrina Kaif]] and [[Tiger Shroff]]. Older dancers include [[Helen (actress)|Helen]]<ref>{{cite web|title = Helen: Bollywood's Queen of Dance|url = https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ben-mirza/helen-bollywoods-queen-of_b_2213570.html|website = The Huffington Post UK|access-date = 5 December 2015|language = en-GB|date = 2 December 2012}}</ref> (known for her cabaret numbers), [[Madhubala]], [[Vyjanthimala]], [[Padmini (actress)|Padmini]], [[Hema Malini]], [[Mumtaz (Indian actress)|Mumtaz]], [[Cuckoo Moray]],<ref>{{cite web|title = The Tragic ending of Cuckoo Moore – Helen remembers Cuckoo|url = https://cineplot.com/the-tragic-ending-of-cuckoo-moore-helen-remembers-cuckoo/|website = cineplot.com|access-date = 5 December 2015}}</ref> [[Parveen Babi]]<ref>{{cite web|title = Happy Birthday Parveen Babi|url = https://indianexpress.com/photos/entertainment-gallery/happy-birthday-parveen-babi/|website = The Indian Express|date = 4 April 2014|access-date = 5 December 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151208165452/https://indianexpress.com/photos/entertainment-gallery/happy-birthday-parveen-babi/|archive-date = 8 December 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Waheeda Rehman|, Waheeda Rahman]],<ref>{{cite web|title = World Dance Day: Top 6 dancing queens of Bollywood!|url = https://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/celebrity/world-dance-day-top-6-dancing-queens-of-bollywood_1586532.html|website = Zee News|access-date = 5 December 2015|date = 28 April 2015}}</ref> [[Meena Kumari]],<ref>{{cite web|title = 'Her Story' {{!}} Vinod Mehta {{!}} 1 Aug 2013|url = https://www.outlookindia.com/article/her-story/287253|website = www.outlookindia.com|access-date = 5 December 2015}}</ref> and [[Shammi Kapoor]].<ref>{{Cite news|title = Shammi Kapoor|url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/film-obituaries/8705192/Shammi-Kapoor.html|website =The Telegraph|access-date = 5 December 2015|date = 16 August 2011}}</ref>

Film producers have been releasing soundtracks (as tapes or CDs) before a film's release, hoping that the music will attract audiences; a soundtrack is often more popular than its film. Some producers also release music videos, usually (but not always) with a song from the film.

== Finances ==
Bollywood films are multi-million dollar productions, with the most expensive productions costing up to {{INR}} 1 billion (about US$20&nbsp;million). The science-fiction film ''[[Ra.One]]'' was made on a budget of {{INR}} 1.35 billion (about $27 million), making it the most expensive Bollywood film of all time.<ref>{{cite news|author1=The Times of India|author2=movie report |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-toi/special-report/It-took-me-20-years-to-be-an-overnight-success-Shah-Rukh-Khan/articleshow/10626459.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017080117/https://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-06/special-report/30366066_1_ke-liye-shah-rukh-khan-big-stars|url-status=live|archive-date=17 October 2012|access-date=12 December 2011|work=[[The Times of India]]|title=It took me 20 years to be an overnight success: Shah Rukh Khan|date=6 November 2011}}</ref> [[Set (drama)|Sets]], costumes, special effects and [[cinematography]] were less than world-class, with some notable exceptions, until the mid-to-late 1990s. As Western films and television are more widely distributed in India, there is increased pressure for Bollywood films to reach the same production levels (particularly in action and special effects). Recent Bollywood films, like ''[[Krrish]]'' (2006), have employed international technicians such as Hong Kong-based action choreographer [[Tony Ching Siu-Tung|Tony Ching]]. The increasing accessibility of professional action and special effects, coupled with rising film budgets, have seen an increase in action and science-fiction films.

Since overseas scenes are attractive at the box office, Mumbai film crews are filming in Australia, Canada, [[New Zealand]], the United Kingdom, the United States, [[Europe]] and elsewhere. Indian producers have also obtained funding for big-budget films shot in India, such as ''[[Lagaan]]'' and ''[[Devdas (2002 Hindi film)|Devdas]]''.

Funding for Bollywood films often comes from private distributors and a few large [[Movie studio|studios]]. Although Indian banks and financial institutions had been forbidden from lending to film studios, the ban has been lifted.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rediff.com/entertai/2001/mar/31sush.htm |title=I & B Ministry will help film industry |publisher=Rediff |date=31 March 2001 |access-date=9 March 2013}}</ref> Finances are not regulated; some funding comes from illegitimate sources such as the Mumbai underworld, which is known to influence several prominent film personalities. Mumbai organised-crime hitmen shot [[Rakesh Roshan]], a film director and father of star [[Hrithik Roshan]], in January 2000. In 2001, the [[Central Bureau of Investigation]] seized all prints of ''[[Chori Chori Chupke Chupke]]'' after the film was found to be funded by members of the Mumbai underworld.<ref>{{cite web|author=Singh, Vijay|title=Bharat Shah sentenced, but won't have to spend time in prison|date=1 October 2003|url=https://www.rediff.com/news/2003/oct/01shah.htm|work=[[Rediff.com]]|access-date=14 February 2008}}</ref>

Another problem facing Bollywood is widespread [[copyright infringement]] of its films. Often, bootleg [[DVD#DVD-Video|DVD]] copies of movies are available before they are released in cinemas. Manufacturing of bootleg DVD, VCD, and VHS copies of the latest movie titles is an established small-scale industry in parts of south and [[southeast Asia]]. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) estimates that the Bollywood industry loses $100 million annually from unlicensed home videos and DVDs. In addition to the homegrown market, demand for these copies is large amongst portions of the [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|Indian diaspora]]. Bootleg copies are the only way people in Pakistan can watch Bollywood movies, since the Pakistani government has banned their sale, distribution and telecast. Films are frequently broadcast without compensation by small cable-TV companies in India and other parts of South Asia. Small convenience stores, run by members of the Indian diaspora in the US and the UK, regularly stock tapes and DVDs of dubious provenance; consumer copying adds to the problem. The availability of illegal copies of movies on the Internet also contributes to industry losses.

Satellite TV, television and imported foreign films are making inroads into the domestic Indian entertainment market. In the past, most Bollywood films could make money; now, fewer do. Most Bollywood producers make money, however, recouping their investments from many sources of revenue (including the sale of ancillary rights). There are increasing returns from theatres in Western countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States, where Bollywood is slowly being noticed. As more Indians migrate to these countries, they form a growing market for upscale Indian films. In 2002, Bollywood sold 3.6 billion tickets and had a total revenue (including theatre tickets, DVDs and television) of $1.3 billion; Hollywood films sold 2.6 billion tickets, and had a total revenue of $51 billion.

== Advertising ==
A number of Indian artists hand-painted movie billboards and posters. [[M. F. Husain]] painted film posters early in his career; human labour was found to be cheaper than printing and distributing publicity material.<ref name="paint">{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ahmedabad-times/a-different-canvas/articleshow/1027777.cms|title=A different canvas|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=21 February 2005|access-date=21 November 2008|author=Ramanan, Manju}}</ref> Most of the large, ubiquitous billboards in India's major cities are now created with computer-printed vinyl. Old hand-painted posters, once considered [[ephemera]], are collectible [[folk art]].<ref name="paint" /><ref>{{cite web| title = Collectors can make good money with old Bollywood posters| work = The Economic Times| url = https://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-12-18/news/30529124_1_poster-art-movie-posters-poster-pasters| date = 18 December 2011| access-date = 20 August 2013| archive-date = 5 May 2013| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130505142422/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-12-18/news/30529124_1_poster-art-movie-posters-poster-pasters| url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title = 100 years of Indian cinema: Top 50 hand-painted Bollywood posters| url = https://ibnlive.in.com/news/100-years-of-indian-cinema-top-50-handpainted-bollywood-posters/389311-8-66.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130505105501/https://ibnlive.in.com/news/100-years-of-indian-cinema-top-50-handpainted-bollywood-posters/389311-8-66.html| url-status = dead| archive-date = 5 May 2013|publisher=CNN-IBN|date= 3 May 2013 | access-date = 20 August 2013}}</ref><ref name="PintoSippy2008">{{cite book|author1=Jerry Pinto|author-link1=Jerry Pinto|author2=Sheena Sippy|title=Bollywood Posters|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V4frAAAAMAAJ|access-date=20 August 2013|year=2008|publisher=Thames & Hudson|isbn=978-0-500-28776-7}}</ref>

Releasing film music, or music videos, before a film's release may be considered a form of advertising. A popular tune is believed to help attract audiences.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Skelton, Tracey |author2=Allen, Tim |title=Culture and Global Change|url=https://archive.org/details/cultureglobalcha00skel |url-access=limited |year=1999|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-13917-5|page=[https://archive.org/details/cultureglobalcha00skel/page/n281 269]}}</ref> Bollywood publicists use the Internet as a venue for advertising. Most bigger-budget films have a websites on which audiences can view trailers, stills and information on the story, cast, and crew.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Bollywood-wakes-up-to-the-power-of-Web/articleshow/36007765.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023174923/https://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-01-31/news-interviews/27264956_1_small-budget-movies-producers-and-distributors-film|url-status=live|archive-date=23 October 2012|title=Bollywood wakes up to the power of Web|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=31 January 2003|access-date=21 November 2008|author=Ferrao, Dominic}}</ref> Bollywood is also used to advertise other products. [[Product placement]], used in Hollywood, is also common in Bollywood.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiantelevision.com/special/y2k3/valuecreation5.htm |title=Leo Entertainment capitalises on film placements |publisher=Indian Television |date=14 January 2003 |access-date=9 March 2013}}</ref>

== {{anchor|International shoots}}International filming ==
{{See also|Indian cinema and Switzerland}}
Bollywood's increasing use of international settings such as Switzerland, London, Paris, New York, Mexico, Brazil and Singapore does not necessarily represent the people and cultures of those locales. Contrary to these spaces and geographies being filmed as they are, they are actually Indianised by adding Bollywood actors and Hindi speaking extras to them. While immersing in Bollywood films, viewers get to see their local experiences duplicated in different locations around the world.

According to Shakuntala Rao, "Media representation can depict India's shifting relation with the world economy, but must retain its 'Indianness' in moments of dynamic hybridity";<ref name=":1" /> "Indianness" (cultural identity) poses a problem with Bollywood's popularity among varied diaspora audiences, but gives its domestic audience a sense of uniqueness from other immigrant groups.<ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1080/10304312.2013.766309|title=Imagining global India: Bollywood's transnational appeal|journal=Continuum|volume=27|issue=2|pages=254–266|year=2013|last1=O'Neill|first1=Patricia|s2cid=145444217}}</ref>

== Awards ==
The [[Filmfare Awards]] are some of the most prominent awards given to Hindi films in India.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://movies.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1367349,prtpage-1.cms |title=Filmfare Awards gets new sponsor |work=The Times of India |access-date=12 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220033512/https://movies.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1367349%2Cprtpage-1.cms |archive-date=20 February 2009}}</ref> The Indian screen magazine ''[[Filmfare]]'' began the awards in 1954 (recognising the best films of 1953), and they were originally known as the Clare Awards after the magazine's editor. Modeled on the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]' poll-based merit format, individuals may vote in separate categories. A dual voting system was developed in 1956.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dnnworld.com/filmfare.php |title=Diaspora News & Network Ltd |publisher=Dnnworld.com |date=4 March 2005 |access-date=12 November 2010}}</ref>

The [[National Film Awards]] were also introduced in 1954. The Indian government has sponsored the awards, given by its [[Directorate of Film Festivals]] (DFF), since 1973. The DFF screens Bollywood films, films from the other regional movie industries, and independent/art films. The awards are made at an annual ceremony presided over by the president of India. Unlike the Filmfare Awards, which are chosen by the public and a committee of experts, the National Film Awards are decided by a government panel.<ref>[https://www.bollywoodsoundtracks.com/html/filmfareawards.htm Filmfare Awards Complete Winners List – BollywoodSoundtracks.com<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070703214358/https://www.bollywoodsoundtracks.com/html/filmfareawards.htm |date=3 July 2007 }}</ref>

Other awards ceremonies for Hindi films in India are the [[Screen Awards]] (begun in 1995) and the [[Stardust Awards]], which began in 2003. The [[International Indian Film Academy Awards]] (begun in 2000) and the [[Zee Cine Awards]], begun in 1998, are held abroad in a different country each year.

== Global markets ==
{{See also|List of highest-grossing Indian films in overseas markets|List of highest-grossing Hindi films}}

In addition to their popularity among the Indian diaspora from [[Nigeria]] and [[Senegal]] to [[Egypt]] and [[Russia]], generations of non-Indians have grown up with Bollywood.<ref name="samar" /> Indian cinema's early contacts with other regions made inroads into the [[Soviet Union]], the [[Middle East]], [[Southeast Asia]],<ref name="Desai38">Desai, 38</ref> and [[China]].{{cn|date=September 2023}} Bollywood entered the consciousness of Western audiences and producers during the late 20th century,<ref name="Us popularity" /><ref name=businessweek>[https://web.archive.org/web/20021124165107/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/02_48/b3810013.htm Can new money create a world-class film industry in India?]. Business Week.</ref> and Western actors now seek roles in Bollywood films.<ref name=BBC-Bollywood-popularity>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-17920845 |title=Bollywood's expanding reach |work=BBC News |date=3 May 2012 |access-date=9 March 2013}}</ref>

=== Asia-Pacific ===
==== South Asia ====
Bollywood films are also popular in [[Bangladesh]], [[Pakistan]] and [[Nepal]], where Hindustani language is widely understood. Many Pakistanis understand Hindi, due to its linguistic similarity to [[Urdu]].<ref name="Pakistan">{{cite web |url=https://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEE20051004061008&Page=E&Title=Startrek&Topic=0 |title=Despite official ban, Hindi movies are a craze in Pakistan |access-date=5 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080224205938/https://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEE20051004061008&Page=E&Title=Startrek&Topic=0 |archive-date=24 February 2008}}</ref> Although Pakistan banned the import of Bollywood films in 1965, trade in unlicensed DVDs<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=67664|title=Bollywood stumbles in Pak with Taj Mahal|access-date=21 November 2008|work=[[The Indian Express]]|date=14 May 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090330002107/https://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=67664|archive-date=30 March 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> and illegal cable broadcasts ensured their continued popularity. Exceptions to the ban were made for a few films, such as the colourised re-release of ''[[Mughal-e-Azam]]'' and ''[[Taj Mahal]]'' in 2006. Early in 2008, the Pakistani government permitted the import of 16 films.<ref>{{cite web |date=9 January 2009 |title=Will it be curtains for Indian films in Pakistan? |url=https://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/will-it-be-curtains-for-indian-films-in-pakistan_100137752.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107144559/https://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/will-it-be-curtains-for-indian-films-in-pakistan_100137752.html |archive-date=7 November 2016 |access-date=23 February 2010 |publisher=ThaIndian}}</ref> More easing followed in 2009 and 2010. Although it is opposed by nationalists and representatives of Pakistan's small film industry, it is embraced by cinema owners who are making a profit after years of low receipts.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?264316|title=The Mirror is Watching|access-date=23 February 2009|magazine=[[Outlook India]]|date=1 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100222070609/https://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?264316|archive-date=22 February 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Bollywood films in Nepal earn more than [[Cinema of Nepal|Nepali films]], and Salman Khan, [[Akshay Kumar]] and Shah Rukh Khan are popular in the country.

The films are also popular in [[Afghanistan]] due to its proximity to the Indian subcontinent and their cultural similarities, particularly in music. Popular actors include Shah Rukh Khan, [[Ajay Devgan]], [[Sunny Deol]], [[Aishwarya Rai]], [[Preity Zinta]], and Madhuri Dixit.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-others/tp-variety/Its-Bollywood-all-the-way-in-Afghanistan/article20275900.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070403082744/https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/05/09/stories/2005050900561400.htm|title=It's Bollywood all the way in Afghanistan|archive-date=3 April 2007|website=@businessline|date=8 May 2005 }}</ref> A number of Bollywood films were filmed in Afghanistan and some dealt with the country, including ''[[Dharmatma]]'', ''[[Kabul Express]]'', ''[[Khuda Gawah]]'' and ''[[Escape From Taliban]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/central/08/29/kabul.tv/index.html |title=CNN World: Kabul TV bans 'explicit' Indian films, soaps |date=29 August 2002 |access-date=26 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090809155213/https://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/central/08/29/kabul.tv/index.html |archive-date=9 August 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/1679115.stm|title=BBC: Bollywood eyes Afghan market | date=27 November 2001 | access-date=31 December 2009 | work=BBC News}}</ref>

==== Southeast Asia ====
Bollywood films are popular in [[Southeast Asia]], particularly in [[maritime Southeast Asia]]. The three Khans are very popular in the [[Malay world]], including [[Indonesia]], [[Malaysia]], and [[Singapore]]. The films are also fairly popular in [[Thailand]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Yogendra Singh|title=Bollywood in Southeast Asia|publisher=Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies|date=19 November 2008|url=https://www.ipcs.org/article_details.php?articleNo=2734|access-date=18 May 2009|archive-date=18 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090618020447/http://www.ipcs.org/article_details.php?articleNo=2734|url-status=dead}}</ref>

India has [[Indosphere|cultural ties]] with Indonesia, and Bollywood films were introduced to the country at the end of [[World War II]] in 1945. The "angry young man" films of [[Amitabh Bachchan]] and [[Salim–Javed]] were popular during the 1970s and 1980s before Bollywood's popularity began gradually declining in the 1980s and 1990s. It experienced an Indonesian revival with the release of Shah Rukh Khan's ''[[Kuch Kuch Hota Hai]]'' (1998) in 2001, which was a bigger box-office success in the country than ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'' (1997). Bollywood has had a strong presence in Indonesia since then, particularly Shah Rukh Khan films such as ''[[Mohabbatein]]'' (2000), ''[[Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham]]'' (2001), ''[[Kal Ho Naa Ho]]'', ''[[Chalte Chalte (2003 film)|Chalte Chalte]]'' and ''[[Koi...&nbsp;Mil Gaya]]'' (all 2003), and ''[[Veer-Zaara]]'' (2004).<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Tambunan|first=Shuri Mariasih Gietty|title=Bollywood in Indonesia: The Kuch Kuch Hota Hai effect|url=https://southasia.oneworld.net/features/bollywood-in-indonesia-the-kuch-kuch-hota-hai-effect|journal=Owsa|date=23 December 2012|access-date=30 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130204242/https://southasia.oneworld.net/features/bollywood-in-indonesia-the-kuch-kuch-hota-hai-effect|archive-date=30 January 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== East Asia ====
Some Bollywood films have been widely appreciated in [[China]], [[Japan]], and [[South Korea]]. Several Hindi films have been commercially successful in Japan, including [[Mehboob Khan]]'s ''[[Aan]]'' (1952, starring [[Dilip Kumar]]) and [[Aziz Mirza]]'s ''[[Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman]]'' (1992, starring [[Shah Rukh Khan]]). The latter sparked a two-year boom in Indian films after its 1997 release,<ref name="Japan">{{cite book | url=https://ir.minpaku.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/10502/1140/1/SES71_011.pdf | title=Asia to Watch, Asia to Present: The Promotion of Asian/Indian Cinema in Japan | publisher=Senri Ethnological Studies, Reitaku University | last=Matsuoka | first=Tamaki | year=2008| page=246 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722073202/https://ir.minpaku.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/10502/1140/1/SES71_011.pdf | archive-date=22 July 2011}}</ref> with ''[[Dil Se..]]'' (1998) a beneficiary of the boom.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kohli-Khandekar|first=Vanita|title=The Indian Media Business|date=2013|publisher=[[SAGE Publishing|SAGE Publications]]|isbn=9788132117889|page=188|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1C4nAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA188}}</ref> The highest-grossing Hindi film in Japan is ''[[3 Idiots]]'' (2009), starring [[Aamir Khan]],<ref name="qz">{{cite news|title=Japan is going gaga over Bollywood|url=https://qz.com/310502/japan-is-going-gaga-over-bollywood/|work=[[Quartz (publication)|Quartz]]|date=11 December 2014|archive-date=22 November 2017|access-date=25 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171122204813/https://qz.com/310502/japan-is-going-gaga-over-bollywood/|url-status=dead}}</ref> which received a [[Japanese Academy Award]] nomination.<ref>{{cite web|title=3 Idiots to race for Japan Academy Awards|website=[[Bollywood Hungama]] |url=https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2382254/3-Idiots-to-race-for-Japan-Academy-Awards|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140130064850/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2382254/3-Idiots-to-race-for-Japan-Academy-Awards|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 January 2014|date=27 January 2014}}</ref> The film was also a critical and commercial success in South Korea.<ref>{{cite news|title=Embrace Your Nerdiness with 3 Idiots|url=https://herald.kaist.ac.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=285|access-date=29 March 2012|newspaper=KAIST Herald|date=4 December 2011|author=Chaerim Oh|agency=[[KAIST]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424035900/https://herald.kaist.ac.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=285|archive-date=24 April 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

''[[Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani]]'', ''[[Awara (1951 film)|Awaara]]'', and ''[[Do Bigha Zamin]]'' were successful in China during the 1940s and 1950s, and remain popular with their original audience. Few Indian films were commercially successful in the country during the 1970s and 1980s, among them [[Tahir Hussain]]'s ''[[Caravan (1971 film)|Caravan]]'', ''[[Noorie]]'' and ''[[Disco Dancer]]''.<ref name="rediff">{{cite web|title=Aamir: I couldn't really enjoy the food in China|url=https://www.rediff.com/movies/report/aamir-i-couldnt-really-enjoy-the-food-in-china/20150521.htm|website=[[Rediff]]|date=21 May 2015}}</ref> Indian film stars popular in China included Raj Kapoor, [[Nargis]],<ref name="tagore" /> and [[Mithun Chakraborty]].<ref name="rediff" /> Hindi films declined significantly in popularity in China during the 1980s.<ref name="lagaan-china">{{cite news|access-date=12 January 2008 |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20021121/world.htm#4 |title=''Lagaan'' released in China |date=20 November 2002 |work=The Tribune |agency=[[Press Trust of India]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071227190730/https://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20021121/world.htm |archive-date=27 December 2007 }}</ref> Films by Aamir Khan have recently been successful,<ref name="rediff" /><ref name="forbes-china">{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robcain/2017/06/08/how-a-52-year-old-indian-actor-became-chinas-favorite-movie-star/|title=How A 52-Year-Old Indian Actor Became China's Favorite Movie Star|first=Rob|last=Cain|website=[[Forbes]]}}</ref> and ''[[Lagaan]]'' was the first Indian film with a nationwide Chinese release in 2011.<ref name="lagaan-china" /><ref>{{cite news|title=Lagaan revives memories of Raj Kapoor in China|author=Anil K. Joseph|agency=[[Press Trust of India]]|date=20 November 2002|url=https://expressindia.indianexpress.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=16983|access-date=30 January 2009|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205095946/https://expressindia.indianexpress.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=16983|archive-date=5 December 2013}}</ref> [[Cinema of China|Chinese]] filmmaker [[He Ping (director)|He Ping]] was impressed by ''Lagaan'' (particularly its soundtrack), and hired its composer [[A. R. Rahman]] to score his ''[[Warriors of Heaven and Earth]]'' (2003).<ref>{{cite web|title=Rahman's 'Lagaan' cast a spell on me|website=[[Sify]]|date=13 February 2004|url=https://sify.com/peopleandplaces/fullstory.php?id=13388284|access-date=24 February 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090324022050/https://sify.com/peopleandplaces/fullstory.php?id=13388284|archive-date=24 March 2009}}</ref>

When ''3 Idiots'' was released in China, China was the [[Aamir Khan|world's]] 15th-largest film market (partly due to its widespread pirate [[DVD]] distribution at the time). The pirate market introduced the film to Chinese audiences, however, and it became a [[cult hit]]. According to the [[Douban]] film-review site, ''3 Idiots'' is China's 12th-most-popular film of all time; only one domestic Chinese film (''[[Farewell My Concubine (film)|Farewell My Concubine]]'') ranks higher, and [[Aamir Khan]] acquired a large Chinese fan base as a result.<ref name="forbes-china" /> After ''3 Idiots'', several of Khan's other films (including 2007's {{Lang|hi-latn|[[Taare Zameen Par]]}} and 2008's ''[[Ghajini (2008 film)|Ghajini]]'') also developed cult followings.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Q&A: Aamir Khan on what it takes to crack China's box office|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/india-bollywood-aamir-khan-dangal-interv/qa-aamir-khan-on-what-it-takes-to-crack-chinas-box-office-idUSKBN18R0RQ|work=Reuters|access-date=31 May 2017|year=2017}}</ref> China became the world's second-largest film market (after the United States) by 2013, paving the way for Khan's box-office success with ''[[Dhoom 3]]'' (2013), ''[[PK (film)|PK]]'' (2014), and ''[[Dangal (2016 film)|Dangal]]'' (2016).<ref name="forbes-china" /> The latter is the [[List of highest-grossing films in China|16th-highest-grossing film in China]],<ref name="cbo">{{cite web|url=https://www.cbooo.cn/Alltimedomestic|script-title=zh:内地总票房排名 ("All-Time Domestic Box Office Rankings")|work=中国票房 (China Box Office)|publisher=Entgroup|language=zh|access-date=16 February 2022|archive-date=9 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209213437/http://www.cbooo.cn/Alltimedomestic|url-status=dead}}</ref> the fifth-highest-grossing non-[[English language]] film worldwide,<ref name="5thForbes">{{cite news|last1=Cain|first1=Rob|title='Dangal' Tops $300 Million, Becoming The 5th Highest-Grossing Non-English Movie Ever|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robcain/2017/06/12/dangal-joins-300-million-club-now-the-5th-biggest-non-english-movie-ever|access-date=14 June 2017|work=Forbes|date=12 June 2017}}</ref> and the highest-grossing non-English foreign film in any market.<ref name="bloomberg">{{cite news|last=Miller|first=Lee|title=Bollywood Hit Beats 'Star Wars' at China's Box Office|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-28/bollywood-beats-star-wars-at-china-s-box-office-with-hindi-hit|work=[[Bloomberg News]]|date=28 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Miller|first=Lee|title=China Picks Bollywood Over Hollywood|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-29/china-picks-bollywood-over-hollywood|work=[[Bloomberg News]]|date=29 January 2018}}</ref><ref name="business-standard">{{cite news|last=Miller|first=Lee|title=How Aamir Khan's Secret Superstar beat 'Star Wars' at China's Box Office|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/how-aamir-khan-s-secret-superstar-beat-star-wars-at-china-s-box-office-118012900051_1.html|work=[[Business Standard]]|date=29 January 2018}}</ref> Several Khan films, including {{Lang|hi-latn|Taare Zameen Par}}, ''3 Idiots'', and ''Dangal'', are highly rated on Douban.<ref>{{cite news|title=印度的良心阿米尔·汗如何用电影改变国家|url=https://ent.sina.com.cn/zl/bagua/blog/2017-05-19/10105939/350163497/14df122910102wywr.shtml|publisher=[[Sina Corp]]|date=19 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=《摔跤吧！爸爸》主演阿米尔·汗被誉为"印度刘德华"-中新网|url=https://www.chinanews.com/yl/2017/05-11/8220929.shtml|work=[[China News Service]]|date=11 May 2017}}</ref> His next film, ''[[Secret Superstar]]'' (2017, starring [[Zaira Wasim]]), broke ''Dangal''{{'}}s record for the highest-grossing opening weekend by an Indian film and cemented Khan's status<ref name="scmp">{{cite news|title=Meet the Secret Superstar of China, from India|url=https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2130746/meet-secret-superstar-china-india-aamir-khan|work=[[South China Morning Post]]|date=28 January 2018}}</ref> as "a king of the Chinese box office";<ref name="hollywoodreporter">{{cite news|title=China Box Office: Bollywood's 'Secret Superstar' Beats 'Ferdinand' and 'Jumanji'|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-box-office-bollywoods-secret-superstar-beats-ferdinand-jumanji-1076857|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=22 January 2018}}</ref> ''Secret Superstar'' was China's highest-grossing foreign film of 2018 to date.<ref name="firstpost2">{{cite news|title=Secret Superstar: Aamir Khan's film becomes second Indian movie to cross Rs 500 cr in China, next only to his Dangal|url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/secret-superstar-aamir-khans-film-becomes-second-indian-movie-to-cross-rs-500-cr-in-china-next-only-to-his-dangal-4331887.html|work=Firstpost|date=2 February 2018}}</ref> Khan has become a household name in China,<ref>{{cite news|title=5 big stories from the week gone by|url=https://www.filmfare.com/features/5-big-stories-from-the-week-gone-by-26308-3.html|work=[[Filmfare]]|date=29 January 2018}}</ref> with his success described as a form of Indian [[soft power]]<ref>{{cite news|last1=Gao|first1=Charlotte|title=Aamir Khan: India's Soft Power in China|url=https://thediplomat.com/2018/01/aamir-khan-indias-soft-power-in-china/|work=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]]}}</ref> improving [[China–India relations]] despite political tensions.<ref name="tagore">{{cite news|title=Aamir Khan: the second coming of Tagore?|url=https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2130794/chinas-secret-superstar-aamir-khan-second-coming-indias-tagore|work=[[South China Morning Post]]|date=28 January 2018}}</ref><ref name="scmp" /> With Bollywood competing with Hollywood in the Chinese market,<ref>{{cite news|title=Significant Digits For Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018|url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/significant-digits-for-tuesday-jan-30-2018/|work=[[FiveThirtyEight]]|date=30 January 2018}}</ref> the success of Khan's films has driven up the price for Chinese distributors of Indian film imports.<ref>{{cite news|title=Headlines from China: Tencent Acquires Stake in Hollywood Studio Skydance Media|url=https://chinafilminsider.com/headlines-china-tencent-acquires-stake-hollywood-studio-skydance-media/|work=China Film Insider|date=26 January 2018}}</ref> [[Salman Khan]]'s ''[[Bajrangi Bhaijaan]]'' and [[Irrfan Khan]]'s ''[[Hindi Medium]]'' were also Chinese hits in early 2018.<ref>{{cite news|last=Tripathi|first=Rajat|title=Irrfan Khan's Hindi Medium BEATS the first day collections of Dangal and Bajrangi Bhaijaan in China|url=https://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/irrfan-khans-hindi-medium-beats-the-first-day-collections-of-dangal-and-bajrangi-bhaijaan-in-china/|access-date=4 April 2018|work=Bollywood Life}}</ref>

==== Oceania ====
Although Bollywood is less successful on some Pacific islands such as [[New Guinea]], it ranks second to Hollywood in [[Fiji]] (with its large Indian minority), [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]].<ref name="Oceania">{{cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/ET_Cetera/Bollywood_clubs_popular_among_Australians/articleshow/2372640.cms|title=Bollywood clubs popular among Australians|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=15 September 2007|access-date=12 November 2007|agency=Indo-Asian News Service|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080212095151/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/ET_Cetera/Bollywood_clubs_popular_among_Australians/articleshow/2372640.cms|archive-date=12 February 2008}}</ref> Australia also has a large South Asian diaspora, and Bollywood is popular amongst non-Asians in the country as well.<ref name="Oceania" /> Since 1997, the country has been a backdrop for an increasing number of Bollywood films.<ref name="Oceania" /> Indian filmmakers, attracted to Australia's diverse locations and landscapes, initially used the country as a setting for song-and-dance scenes;<ref name="Oceania" /> however, Australian locations now figure in Bollywood film plots.<ref name="Oceania" /> Hindi films shot in Australia usually incorporate Australian culture. [[Yash Raj Films]]' ''[[Salaam Namaste]]'' (2005), the first Indian film shot entirely in Australia, was the most successful Bollywood film of 2005 in that country.<ref>{{cite news|author=Phillips, Mark|url=https://www.theage.com.au/news/Film/Bollywood-on-Bourke-Street/2005/05/12/1115843307939.html|title=Bollywood on Bourke Street|work=[[The Age]]|date=13 May 2005|access-date=18 August 2008|location=Melbourne}}</ref> It was followed by the box-office successes ''[[Heyy Babyy]]'', (2007) ''[[Chak De! India]]'' (2007), and ''[[Singh Is Kinng]]'' (2008).<ref name="Oceania" /> Prime Minister [[John Howard]] said during a visit to India after the release of ''Salaam Namaste'' that he wanted to encourage Indian filmmaking in Australia to increase tourism, and he appointed [[Steve Waugh]] as tourism ambassador to India.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bonza.rmit.edu.au/essays/2006/Mithila%20Gupta/CollectionofAnnotatedRef.html |title=Australian PM says Salaam Namaste to Bollywood |publisher=bonza.rmit.edu.au |date=7 March 2006 |access-date=17 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090120112704/https://bonza.rmit.edu.au/essays/2006/Mithila%20Gupta/CollectionofAnnotatedRef.html |archive-date=20 January 2009}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=April 2019}} Australian actress [[Tania Zaetta]], who appeared in ''Salaam Namaste'' and several other Bollywood films, was eager to expand her career in Bollywood.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/news/people/tania-zaettas-bollywood-career-in-doubt/2008/05/23/1211183051898.html|title=Tania Zaetta's Bollywood career in doubt|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=23 May 2008|access-date=17 November 2008|author=Ramachandran, Arjun}}</ref>

=== Eastern Europe and Central Asia ===
Bollywood films are popular in the former [[Soviet Union]] ([[Russia]], [[Eastern Europe]], and [[Central Asia]]),<ref name="Sanskar Shrivastava">{{cite web|url=https://www.theworldreporter.com/2013/08/bollywood-diplomacy-influence-in-soviet-union.html|title=Influence of Bollywood in Former Soviet Union; Why India and Russia Need to Target Bollywood Diplomacy and Business|work=The World Reporter|date=1 August 2013|author=Sanskar Shrivastava|access-date=1 August 2013|archive-date=4 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130804105232/http://www.theworldreporter.com/2013/08/bollywood-diplomacy-influence-in-soviet-union.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> and have been dubbed into [[Russian language|Russian]]. Indian films were [[List of Soviet films of the year by ticket sales|more popular in the Soviet Union]] than Hollywood films<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=cpoLAQAAMAAJ ''Indian Films in Soviet Cinemas: The Culture of Movie-going After Stalin''], page 75, [[Indiana University Press]], 2005</ref><ref name="moscow">[https://is.muni.cz/el/1421/podzim2015/FAV291/um/Roth-Ey-Moscow_Prime_Time.pdf#page=5 ''Moscow Prime Time: How the Soviet Union Built the Media Empire that Lost the Cultural Cold War'', page 44], [[Cornell University Press]], 2011</ref> and, sometimes, domestic [[Soviet films]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=laoaAQAAIAAJ ''Behind The Scenes Of Hindi Cinema: A Visual Journey Through The Heart Of Bollywood''], page 138, [[Royal Tropical Institute]], 2005</ref> The first Indian film released in the Soviet Union was ''[[Dharti Ke Lal]]'' (1946), directed by [[Khwaja Ahmad Abbas]] and based on the [[Bengal famine of 1943]], in 1949.<ref name="Rajadhyaksha" /> Three hundred Indian films were released in the Soviet Union after that;<ref>{{cite news|title=With love from India to Russia|url=https://www.rbth.com/articles/2009/10/22/221009_indianfilms.html|work=[[Russia Beyond]]|date=22 October 2009}}</ref> most were Bollywood films with higher average audience figures than domestic Soviet productions.<ref name="moscow" /><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=bJnAAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA357 ''The Routledge Handbook of the Cold War'', page 357], [[Routledge]], 2014</ref> Fifty Indian films had over 20 million viewers, compared to 41 Hollywood films.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-FceAQAAMAAJ|title=A Taste for Indian Films: Negotiating Cultural Boundaries in Post-Stalinist Soviet Society|first=Sudha|last=Rajagopalan|date=16 August 2018|publisher=Indiana University|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://kinanet.livejournal.com/1469857.html|title=Зарубежные популярные фильмы в советском кинопрокате (Индия)|author=[[Sergey Kudryavtsev (film critic)|Sergey Kudryavtsev]]}}</ref> Some, such as ''[[Awaara]]'' (1951) and ''[[Disco Dancer]]'' (1982), had more than 60 million viewers<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kinanet.livejournal.com/13882.html|title=Зарубежные фильмы в советском кинопрокате|author=[[Sergey Kudryavtsev (film critic)|Sergey Kudryavtsev]]}}</ref><ref name="hindu_russia">{{cite news|title=Bollywood re-enters Russian homes via cable TV|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=27 September 2007|url=https://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200709270360.htm|access-date=7 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109235938/https://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200709270360.htm|archive-date=9 November 2012|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> and established actors [[Raj Kapoor]], [[Nargis]],<ref name="hindu_russia" /> [[Rishi Kapoor]]<ref name="moscow43">[https://is.muni.cz/el/1421/podzim2015/FAV291/um/Roth-Ey-Moscow_Prime_Time.pdf#page=4 ''Moscow Prime Time: How the Soviet Union Built the Media Empire that Lost the Cultural Cold War'', page 43], [[Cornell University Press]], 2011</ref> and [[Mithun Chakraborty]] in the country.<ref name="sbs">[https://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/hindi/en/article/2017/03/18/do-you-remember-jimmy-jimmy Do you remember Jimmy Jimmy?], [[SBS One|SBS]], 18 March 2017</ref>

According to diplomat Ashok Sharma, who served in the [[Commonwealth of Independent States]],
{{blockquote|The popularity of Bollywood in the CIS dates back to the Soviet days when the films from [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] and other Western cinema centers were banned in the Soviet Union. As there was no means of other cheap entertainment, the films from Bollywood provided the Soviets a cheap source of entertainment as they were supposed to be non-controversial and non-political. In addition, the Soviet Union was recovering from the onslaught of the Second World War. The films from India, which were also recovering from the disaster of partition and the struggle for freedom from colonial rule, were found to be a good source of providing hope with entertainment to the struggling masses. The aspirations and needs of the people of both countries matched to a great extent. These films were dubbed in Russian and shown in theatres throughout the Soviet Union. The films from Bollywood also strengthened family values, which was a big factor for their popularity with the government authorities in the Soviet Union.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chillibreeze.com/articles/Indian-films.asp |title=Promoting Bollywood Abroad Will Help to Promote India |last=Ashreena |first=Tanya |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203003948/https://www.chillibreeze.com/articles/Indian-films.asp |archive-date=3 December 2013 }}</ref>}}

After the collapse of the Soviet film-distribution system, Hollywood filled the void in the Russian film market and Bollywood's market share shrank.<ref name="Sanskar Shrivastava" />

In [[Poland]], [[Shah Rukh Khan]] has a large following. He was introduced to Polish audiences with the 2005 release of ''[[Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham]]'' (2001) and his other films, including ''[[Dil Se..]]'' (1998), ''[[Main Hoon Na]]'' (2004) and ''[[Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna]]'' (2006), became hits in the country. Bollywood films are often covered in ''[[Gazeta Wyborcza]]'', formerly Poland's largest newspaper.<ref>{{cite news|title=After Kama Sutra, it is Bollywood and SRK in Poland|url=https://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-after-kama-sutra-it-is-bollywood-and-srk-in-poland-1211988|work=[[Daily News and Analysis]]|date=7 December 2008}}</ref><ref name="indiatimes">{{cite news|title=9 Countries Where Bollywood Is Badshah|url=https://www.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/9-countries-where-bollywood-is-badshah-331482.html|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=15 October 2017|archive-date=29 January 2018|access-date=29 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129213719/https://www.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/9-countries-where-bollywood-is-badshah-331482.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

''[[Squad (2021 film)|Squad]]'' (2021) is the first Indian film to be shot in [[Belarus]]. A majority of the film was shot at [[Belarusfilm]] studios, in [[Minsk]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/epic-battle-for-climax-of-rinzings-film-squad/articleshow/71765107.cms|title=Epic battle for climax of Rinzing Denzongpa's film Squad|date=26 October 2019|website=Mumbai Mirror|language=en|access-date=20 March 2020}}</ref>

=== Middle East and North Africa ===
Hindi films have become popular in [[Arab world|Arab countries]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ahmedabad-times/bollywood-films-gaining-popularity-in-gulf-countries/articleshow/2121632.cms|title=Bollywood films gaining popularity in Gulf countries|date=8 October 2006|access-date=21 November 2008|work=[[The Times of India]]|agency=Press Trust of India}}</ref>
and imported Indian films are usually subtitled in Arabic when they are released. Bollywood has progressed in [[Israel]] since the early 2000s, with channels dedicated to Indian films on cable television;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20041116/world.htm|title=Indian films swamp Israel|date=16 November 2004|access-date=21 November 2008|work=The Tribune|agency=Press Trust of India}}</ref> [[MBC Bollywood]] and [[Zee Aflam]] show Hindi movies and serials.<ref>{{cite web|title = Bollywood craze grows ever stronger with audiences in the Middle East {{!}} The National|url = https://www.thenational.ae/uae/bollywood-craze-grows-ever-stronger-with-audiences-in-the-middle-east|website = The National|date = 11 March 2014|location=Abu Dhabi|access-date = 2 December 2015}}</ref>

In Egypt, Bollywood films were popular during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1987, however, they were restricted to a handful of films by the [[Egyptian government]].<ref>{{cite web|title = Living the spectacle: Why Egyptians worship Bollywood – Entertainment – Arts & Culture – Ahram Online|url = https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/5/0/127435/Arts--Culture/0/Living-the-spectacle-Why-Egyptians-worship-Bollywo.aspx|website = english.ahram.org.eg|access-date = 2 December 2015|archive-date = 8 December 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151208082627/http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/5/0/127435/Arts--Culture/0/Living-the-spectacle-Why-Egyptians-worship-Bollywo.aspx|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = Bollywood Rides Back to Egypt on Chennai Express|url = https://blogs.wsj.com/middleeast/2013/09/30/bollywood-rides-back-to-egypt-on-chennai-express/|website = WSJ Blogs – Middle East Real Time|date = 30 September 2013|access-date = 2 December 2015|first = Matt|last = Bradley|archive-date = 8 December 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151208071607/http://blogs.wsj.com/middleeast/2013/09/30/bollywood-rides-back-to-egypt-on-chennai-express/|url-status = dead}}</ref> [[Amitabh Bachchan]] has remained popular in the country<ref>{{cite news|title=Egypt's Amitabh Bachchan mania|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Egypts-Amitabh-Bachchan-mania/articleshow/1315446.cms|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=2 December 2005}}</ref> and Indian tourists visiting Egypt are asked, "Do you know Amitabh Bachchan?"<ref name="bollywoodlife">{{cite news|last=Sudhakaran|first=Sreeju|title=Aamir Khan in China, Shah Rukh Khan in Germany – 7 Bollywood stars who have massive fan following in other countries|url=https://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/aamir-khan-in-china-shah-rukh-khan-in-germany-7-bollywood-stars-who-have-massive-fan-following-in-other-countries/|work=Bollywood Life|date=10 June 2017}}</ref>

Bollywood movies are regularly screened in Dubai cinemas, and Bollywood is becoming popular in Turkey; ''[[Barfi!]]'' was the first Hindi film to have a wide theatrical release in that country.<ref>{{cite web|title = Barfi! making inroads for Bollywood in Turkey {{!}} The National|url = https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/film/barfi-making-inroads-for-bollywood-in-turkey|website = The National|location = Abu Dhabi|access-date = 2 December 2015|archive-date = 13 August 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160813041642/https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/film/barfi-making-inroads-for-bollywood-in-turkey|url-status = dead}}</ref> Bollywood also has viewers in Central Asia (particularly [[Uzbekistan]]<ref>{{cite news |date=24 October 1998 |title=World: Bollywood stirs Uzbek passions |quote=Indian films are known for their all singing all dancing formula. |author=Louise Hidalgo |url= https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/200689.stm |access-date=18 May 2009 |work= BBC News}}</ref> and [[Tajikistan]]).<ref>{{cite news|date=23 June 2004 |title=Bollywood bowls Tajiks over |work=BBC News|author1=Monica Whitlock  |author2=Rahim Rahimian  |name-list-style=amp |url= https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3834295.stm |access-date=18 May 2009}}</ref>

=== South America ===
Bollywood films are not influential in most of South America, although its culture and dance is recognised. Due to significant South Asian diaspora communities in [[Suriname]] and [[Guyana]], however, Hindi-language movies are popular.<ref>Global Bollywood – Anandam P. Kavoori, Aswin Punathambekar</ref> In 2006, ''[[Dhoom 2]]'' became the first Bollywood film to be shot in [[Rio de Janeiro]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/sep/15sfa.htm|title=Will Hrithik's Dhoom 2 prove lucky for Brazil?|date=15 September 2006|author=Firdaus Ashraf, Syed|work=[[Rediff.com]]|access-date=5 March 2008}}</ref> In January 2012, it was announced that UTV Motion Pictures would begin releasing films in [[Peru]] with ''[[Guzaarish (film)|Guzaarish]]''.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2012/01/26/bollywood-makes-it-way-to-latin-america/ | publisher=Fox News | title=Bollywood Comes to Latin America | date=26 January 2012 | access-date=1 December 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402125013/https://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2012/01/26/bollywood-makes-it-way-to-latin-america/ | archive-date=2 April 2016 | url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== {{anchor|Sub-Saharan Africa and Horn of Africa}}Africa ===
Hindi films were originally distributed to some parts of Africa by [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]] businessmen.<ref name="samar">{{cite web|last=Larkin |first=Brian |url=https://www.samarmagazine.org/archive/article.php?id=21 |title=Bollywood Comes To Nigeria |publisher=Samarmagazine.org |date=31 August 2002 |access-date=12 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100731164710/https://www.samarmagazine.org/archive/article.php?id=21 |archive-date=31 July 2010}}</ref> In the 1950s, Hindi and [[Egyptian films]] were generally more popular than Hollywood films in [[East Africa]]. By the 1960s, East Africa was one of the largest overseas export markets for Indian films, accounting for about 20-50% of global earnings for many Indian films.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fair |first1=Laura |chapter=Audience Preferences in Tanzania, 1950s-1980s |editor-last1=Saul |editor-first1=Mahir |editor-last2=Austen |editor-first2=Ralph A. |title=Viewing African Cinema in the Twenty-First Century: Art Films and the Nollywood Video Revolution |date=12 October 2010 |publisher=[[Ohio University Press]] |isbn=978-0-8214-1931-1 |pages=109–11 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cH0DaVXW0JMC&pg=PA109 |access-date=1 May 2022}}</ref>

''[[Mother India]]'' (1957) continued to be screened in [[Nigeria]] decades after its release. Indian movies have influenced [[Hausa people|Hausa]] clothing, songs have been covered by Hausa singers, and stories have influenced Nigerian novelists. Stickers of Indian films and stars decorate taxis and buses in Nigeria's [[Northern Region, Nigeria|Northern Region]], and posters of Indian films hang on the walls of tailoring shops and mechanics' garages. Unlike Europe and North America, where Indian films cater to the expatriate market, Bollywood films became popular in West Africa despite the lack of a significant Indian audience. One possible explanation is cultural similarity: the wearing of turbans, animals in markets; porters carrying large bundles, and traditional wedding celebrations. Within Muslim culture, Indian movies were said to show "respect" toward women; Hollywood movies were seen as having "no shame". In Indian movies, women are modestly dressed; men and women rarely kiss and there is no [[nudity]], so the films are said to "have culture" which Hollywood lacks. The latter "don't base themselves on the problems of the people"; Indian films are based on socialist values and the reality of developing countries emerging from years of colonialism. Indian movies permitted a new youth culture without "becoming Western."<ref name="samar"/> The first Indian film shot in Mauritius was ''[[Souten]]'', starring [[Rajesh Khanna]], in 1983.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.silverdollarproduction.com/film-shooting.html |title=Film Shooting in Mauritius |access-date=10 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220145113/https://www.silverdollarproduction.com/film-shooting.html |archive-date=20 December 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In [[South Africa]], film imports from India were watched by black and [[Indian South Africans|Indian]] audiences.<ref name="Rajinder" /> Several Bollywood figures have travelled to Africa for films and off-camera projects. ''[[Padmashree Laloo Prasad Yadav]]'' (2005) was filmed in South Africa.<ref>{{cite news|author=Balchand, K.|title=Lalu Prasad, at home|date=26 September 2004|work=[[The Hindu]]|url=https://www.hindu.com/2004/09/26/stories/2004092600682000.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041116044729/https://www.hindu.com/2004/09/26/stories/2004092600682000.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 November 2004|access-date=9 December 2009|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> ''[[Dil Jo Bhi Kahey...]]'' (2005) was also filmed almost entirely in [[Mauritius]], which has a large ethnic-Indian population.

Bollywood, however, seems to be diminishing in popularity in Africa. New Bollywood films are more sexually explicit and violent. Nigerian viewers observed that older films (from the 1950s and 1960s) had more culture and were less Westernised.<ref name="samar" /> The old days of India avidly "advocating decolonization ... and India's policy was wholly influenced by his missionary zeal to end racial domination and discrimination in the African territories" were replaced.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2007/06/13/bollywood_in_africa/ |title=Bollywood in Africa – Is it getting too Western? – How the World Works |work=Salon |date=13 June 2007 |access-date=12 November 2010 |archive-date=19 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090919031439/https://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2007/06/13/bollywood_in_africa/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The emergence of [[Nollywood]] ([[West Africa]]'s film industry) has also contributed to the declining popularity of Bollywood films, as sexualised Indian films became more like American films.

[[Kishore Kumar]] and [[Amitabh Bachchan]] have been popular in [[Egypt]] and [[Somalia]].<ref name="Baru">{{cite book|last=Baru|first=Sanjaya|title=Strategic Consequences of India's Economic Performance|year=2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-70973-1|page=442|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rXE3cEqRcDoC}}</ref> In [[Ethiopia]], Bollywood movies are shown with Hollywood productions in [[town square]] theatres such as the Cinema Ethiopia in [[Addis Ababa]].<ref name="Phillips">{{cite book|first1=Matt|last1=Phillips|first2=Jean-Bernard|last2=Carillet|title=Ethiopia & Eritrea. Ediz. Inglese|year=2006|publisher=Lonely Planet|isbn=978-1-74104-436-2|page=103|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7barYwB0UWcC}}</ref> Less-commercial Bollywood films are also screened elsewhere in [[North Africa]].<ref name="Carter">{{cite book|last=Carter|first=Sandra Gayle|title=What Moroccan Cinema?: A Historical and Critical Study|year=2009|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=978-0-7391-3187-9|page=9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PByNqtLQo8QC}}</ref>

=== Western Europe and North America ===
[[File:Bollywood Dance London.jpg|thumb|alt=Large group of dancers onstage|Bollywood dancing show in [[London]]]]
The first Indian film to be released in the [[Western world]] and receive mainstream attention was ''[[Aan]]'' (1952), directed by [[Mehboob Khan]] and starring [[Dilip Kumar]] and [[Nimmi]]. It was subtitled in 17 languages and released in 28 countries,<ref name="Rajinder">{{cite book|last1=Rajinder|first1=Dudrah|last2=Jigna|first2=Desai|title=The Bollywood Reader|date=2008|publisher=[[McGraw-Hill Education]]|isbn=978-0-335-22212-4|page=65|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Wz4AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA65}}</ref> including the [[United Kingdom]],<ref name="moviemahal">{{cite web|url=https://moviemahal.net/2017/01/11/mehboobs-aan-1952-indian-cinemas-entry-into-europe|title=Mehboob's AAN (1952) – Indian Cinema's entry into Europe|date=11 January 2017}}</ref> the [[United States]], and [[France]].<ref name="filmfare">{{Cite web|url=https://www.filmfare.com/features/nimmis-filmfare-interview-11920.html|title=Dilip Kumar ke aashiq hum bhi the|website=filmfare.com}}</ref> ''Aan'' received significant praise from British critics, and ''[[The Times]]'' compared it favourably to Hollywood productions.<ref name="gaur">{{cite book|last=Gaur|first=Madan|title=Other Side of the Coin: An Intimate Study of Indian Film Industry|date=1973|publisher=Trimurti Prakashan [distributed through Universal Book Service, Delhi]|page=122|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LAAwAAAAMAAJ}}</ref> Mehboob Khan's later [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]-nominated ''[[Mother India]]'' (1957) was a success in overseas markets, including [[Europe]],<ref name="gaur" /> Russia, the [[Eastern Bloc]], [[French colonial empire|French territories]], and [[Latin America]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Chatterjee|first=Gayatri|title=Mother India|year=2002|publisher=British Film Institute|isbn=978-0-85170-917-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/motherindiamadar00chat/page/77 77–78]|url=https://archive.org/details/motherindiamadar00chat/page/77}}</ref>

Many Bollywood films have been commercially successful in the United Kingdom. The most successful Indian actor at the British box office has been [[Shah Rukh Khan]], whose popularity in [[British Asian]] communities played a key role in introducing Bollywood to the UK<ref name="livemint">{{cite news|last=Jha|first=Lata|title=Why Shah Rukh Khan remains the ultimate NRI hero|url=https://www.livemint.com/Consumer/ZLahUQiFIQKYz2MSeo1JDN/Why-Shah-Rukh-Khan-remains-the-ultimate-NRI-hero.html|work=[[Live Mint]]|date=10 February 2017}}</ref> with films such as ''[[Darr]]'' (1993),<ref>{{cite web|title=Darr|url=https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=3320|publisher=[[Box Office India]]|access-date=2 November 2017}}</ref> ''[[Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge]]'' (1995),<ref name=Hindu1>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/article2275753.ece |title=Bollywood needs to change its act |work=The Hindu |author=Desai, Lord Meghnad |date=25 November 2007|access-date=6 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530021748/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/article2275753.ece|archive-date=30 May 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> and ''[[Kuch Kuch Hota Hai]]'' (1998).<ref name="livemint" /> ''[[Dil Se]]'' (1998) was the first Indian film to enter the UK top ten.<ref name="livemint" /> A number of Indian films, such as ''Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge'' and ''[[Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham]]'' (2001), have been set in London.

Bollywood is also appreciated in France, [[Germany]], the [[Netherlands]],<ref>Francis C. Assisi. [https://www.planetbollywood.com/displayArticle.php?id=051806123941 Bollywood Culture Binds Global Indian Diaspora] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614132632/https://www.planetbollywood.com/displayArticle.php?id=051806123941 |date=14 June 2017 }}</ref> and [[Scandinavia]]. Bollywood films are dubbed in [[German language|German]] and shown regularly on the German television channel [[RTL II]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20041205/spectrum/main3.htm|title=Bollywood in Germany|work=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]|date=5 December 2004|author=Lehmann, Ana|access-date=21 November 2008}}</ref> Germany is the second-largest European market for Indian films, after the United Kingdom. The most recognised Indian actor in Germany is Shah Rukh Khan, who has had box-office success in the country with films such as ''[[Don 2]]'' (2011)<ref name="indiatimes" /> and ''[[Om Shanti Om]]'' (2007).<ref name="dnaindia" /> He has a large German fan base,<ref name="bollywoodlife" /> particularly in [[Berlin]] (where the tabloid ''[[Die Tageszeitung]]'' compared his popularity to that of the [[pope]]).<ref name="dnaindia" />

[[File:Michelle Obama joins students for a Bollywood Dance Clinic in White House.jpg|thumb|alt=Michelle Obama dancing with a large group of people|[[Michelle Obama]] joining students for a Bollywood dance clinic with [[Nakul Dev Mahajan]] in the [[White House]] State Dining Room, 2013]]
Bollywood has experienced revenue growth in [[Canada]] and the United States, particularly in the South Asian communities of large cities such as [[Toronto]], Chicago, and New York City.<ref name="Us popularity" /> [[Yash Raj Films]], one of India's largest production houses and distributors, reported in September 2005 that Bollywood films in the United States earned about $100 million per year in theatre screenings, video sales and the sale of movie soundtracks;<ref name="Us popularity" /> Indian films earn more money in the United States than films from any other non-English speaking country.<ref name="Us popularity" /> Since the mid-1990s, a number of Indian films have been largely (or entirely) shot in New York, Los Angeles, Vancouver or Toronto. Films such as ''[[The Guru (2002 film)|The Guru]]'' (2002) and ''[[Marigold: An Adventure in India]]'' (2007) attempted to popularise Bollywood for Hollywood.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}}

== Plagiarism ==
Pressured by rushed production schedules and tight deadlines, some Hindi cinema writers and musicians have been notorious for plagiarising.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Shah|first=Arjun|date=January 2012|title=Is Bollywood Unlawfully Copying Hollywood? Why? What has Been Done About It? And How Can It Be Stopped?|url=https://law.emory.edu/eilr/content/volume-26/issue-1/comments/is-bollywood-unlawfully-copying-hollywood.html|access-date=13 February 2021|journal=Emory International Law Review|volume=26|issue=1|page=449}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Elghusein |first=Mohamed |date=2015-06-13 |title=Hollywood Wakes Up To Bollywood Plagiarism |url=https://newjurist.com/hollywood-wakes-up-to-bollywood-plagiarism/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250512014723/https://newjurist.com/hollywood-wakes-up-to-bollywood-plagiarism/ |archive-date=2025-05-12 |access-date=2025-05-12 |website=The New Jurist |language=en}}</ref> Ideas, plot lines, tunes or riffs have been copied from other Indian film industries (including [[Telugu cinema]], [[Tamil cinema]], [[Malayalam cinema]] and others) or foreign films (including Hollywood and other [[Asian cinema|Asian films]]) without acknowledging the source.<ref name="Times plagiarism">{{Cite news |last=Shedde |first=Meenakshi |date=18 May 2003 |title=Plagiarism issue jolts Bollywood. |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Plagiarism-issue-jolts-Bollywood/articleshow/46715385.cms |access-date=23 May 2017}}</ref>

Before the 1990s, plagiarism occurred with impunity. [[Copyright]] enforcement was lax in India, and few actors or directors saw an official contract.<ref name="Ayres">{{Cite book |last1=Ayres|first1=Alyssa |url=https://archive.org/details/indiabriefingtak00alys |title=India briefing: takeoff at last |last2=Oldenburg|first2=Philip |publisher=M.E. Sharpe |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-7656-1593-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/indiabriefingtak00alys/page/174 174] |url-access=registration}}</ref> The Hindi film industry was not widely known in the [[Global North]] (except in the Soviet states), who would be unaware that their material had been copied. Audiences may not have been aware of plagiarism, since many in India were unfamiliar with foreign films and music.<ref name="Times plagiarism" /> Although copyright enforcement in India is still somewhat lenient, Bollywood and other film industries are more aware of each other and Indian audiences are more familiar with foreign films and music.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}} Organisations such as the India EU Film Initiative seek to foster a community between filmmakers and industry professionals in India and the [[European Union]].<ref name="Times plagiarism" />

A commonly reported justification for plagiarism in Bollywood is that cautious producers want to remake popular Hollywood films in an Indian context. Although screenwriters generally produce original scripts, many are rejected due to uncertainty about whether a film will be successful.<ref name="Times plagiarism" /> Poorly-paid screenwriters have also been criticised for a lack of creativity.<ref name="Cloning">{{Cite news |date=3 August 2003 |title=Cloning Hollywood |work=[[The Hindu]] |location=Chennai, India |url=https://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2003/08/03/stories/2003080300090400.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040422165848/https://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2003/08/03/stories/2003080300090400.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 April 2004 |access-date=14 April 2009}}</ref> Some filmmakers see plagiarism in Bollywood as an integral part of globalisation, with which Western (particularly American) culture is embedding itself into Indian culture.<ref name="Cloning" /> [[Vikram Bhatt]], director of ''[[Raaz (2002 film)|Raaz]]'' (a remake of ''[[What Lies Beneath]]'') and ''[[Kasoor]]'' (a remake of ''[[Jagged Edge (film)|Jagged Edge]]''), has spoken about the influence of American culture and Bollywood's desire to produce box-office hits based along the same lines: "Financially, I would be more secure knowing that a particular piece of work has already done well at the box office. Copying is endemic everywhere in India. Our TV shows are adaptations of American programmes. We want their films, their cars, their planes, their [[Diet Coke]]s and also their attitude. The American way of life is creeping into our culture."<ref name="Cloning" /> According to [[Mahesh Bhatt]], "If you hide the source, you're a genius. There's no such thing as originality in the creative sphere".<ref name="Cloning" />

Although very few cases of film-copyright violations have been taken to court because of a slow legal process,<ref name="Times plagiarism" /> the makers of ''[[Partner (2007 film)|Partner]]'' (2007) and ''[[Zinda (film)|Zinda]]'' (2005) were targeted by the owners and distributors of the original films: ''[[Hitch (film)|Hitch]]'' and ''[[Oldboy (2003 film)|Oldboy]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 August 2007 |title=Partner may face $30 mn Hitch |work=The Times of India |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/partner-may-face-30-mn-hitch/articleshow/2264000.cms |access-date=22 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=20 January 2006 |title=Copycat filmmaker lacks creativity |work=[[The Hindu]] |location=Chennai, India |url=https://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/01/20/stories/2006012002530300.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070326012104/https://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/01/20/stories/2006012002530300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 March 2007 |access-date=13 February 2009}}</ref> The American studio [[20th Century Fox]] brought Mumbai-based B. R. Films to court over the latter's forthcoming ''[[Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai]]'', which Fox alleged was an illegal remake of ''[[My Cousin Vinny]]''. B. R. Films eventually settled out of court for about $200,000, paving the way for its film's release.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Blakely |first=Rhys |date=7 August 2009 |title=Plagiarism case could stop Bollywood borrowing from Hollywood |work=The Times |url=https://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/bollywood/article6742092.ece |access-date=12 November 2010}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Some studios comply with copyright law; in 2008, Orion Pictures secured the rights to remake Hollywood's ''[[Wedding Crashers]]''.<ref>[https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/box-office-special-features/2008-30-screens-in-u-k/ Orion Pictures produce official remake to Wedding Crashers], [[Bollywood Hungama]] {{Cite web |url=https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2008/05/03/11326/index.html |title=2008: 30+ Screens in U.K. :Bollywood Box Office - Bollywood Hungama |website=[[Bollywood Hungama]] |date=5 January 2009 |access-date=16 February 2022 |archive-date=28 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728230909/https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2008/05/03/11326/index.html |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>

=== Music ===
The [[Pakistanis|Pakistani]] [[Qawwali]] musician [[Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan]] had a major impact on Hindi film music, inspiring numerous Indian musicians working in Bollywood, especially during the 1990s. However, there were many instances of Indian music directors plagiarising Khan's music to produce hit [[filmi]] songs.<ref name="nusrat">{{Cite web |first1=Amit|last1=Baruah|first2=R.|last2=Padmanabhan |date=6 September 1997 |title=The stilled voice |url=https://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1418/14181230.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011230173145/https://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1418/14181230.htm |archive-date=30 December 2001 |website=[[The Hindu]], [[Frontline (U.S. TV series)|Frontline]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Chaudhuri |first=Diptakirti |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_e9LDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT93 |title=Bioscope: A Frivolous History of Bollywood in Ten Chapters |date=2018 |publisher=[[Hachette (publisher)|Hachette]] |isbn=9789351952299 |page=93}}</ref> Several popular examples include [[Viju Shah]]'s hit song "Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast" in ''[[Mohra]]'' (1994) being plagiarised from Khan's popular Qawwali song "[[Dam Mast Qalandar]]",<ref name="nusrat" /> "Mera Piya Ghar Aya" used in ''[[Yaraana (1995 film)|Yaarana]]'' (1995), and "Sanoo Ek Pal Chain Na Aaye" in ''[[Judaai (1997 film)|Judaai]]'' (1997).<ref name="nusrat" /> Despite the significant number of hit Bollywood songs plagiarised from his music, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan reportedly tolerated plagiarism.<ref name="Chaudhuri">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ|title=Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters|last=Chaudhuri|first=Diptakirti|date=1 October 2015|publisher=[[Penguin Books|Penguin UK]]|isbn=9789352140084}}</ref><ref name="rediff-khan">{{Cite news |year=1997 |title=A rare encounter with Ustad Nusrat Ali Khan |work=[[Rediff]] |url=https://www.rediff.com/movies/apr/05nusrat.htm |access-date=23 December 2018}}</ref> One of the Bollywood music directors who frequently plagiarised him, [[Anu Malik]], claimed that he loved Khan's music and was actually showing admiration by using his tunes.<ref name="rediff-khan" /> However, Khan was reportedly aggrieved when Malik turned his spiritual "Allah Hoo, Allah Hoo" into "I Love You, I Love You" in ''[[Auzaar]]'' (1997).<ref name="Chaudhuri" /> Khan said "he has taken my devotional song ''Allahu'' and converted it into ''I love you''. He should at least respect my religious songs."<ref name="rediff-khan" />

Bollywood soundtracks also plagiarised [[Guinea]]n singer [[Mory Kanté]], particularly his 1987 album ''Akwaba Beach''. His song, "Tama", inspired two [[Bollywood songs]]: [[Bappi Lahiri]]'s "Tamma Tamma" in ''[[Thanedaar]]'' (1990) and "Jumma Chumma" in [[Laxmikant–Pyarelal]]'s soundtrack for ''[[Hum (film)|Hum]]'' (1991). The latter also featured "Ek Doosre Se", which copied Kanté's "Inch Allah".<ref name="Srinivasan">{{Cite web |last=Srinivasan |first=Karthik |date=16 October 2018 |title=How Guinean Singer Mory Kanté's Music Was Lifted To Create 'Tamma Tamma Loge' and 'Jumma Chumma De De' |url=https://www.filmcompanion.in/music/how-guinean-singer-mory-kantes-music-was-lifted-to-create-tamma-tamma-loge-and-jumma-chumma-de-de/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606090031/https://www.filmcompanion.in/music/how-guinean-singer-mory-kantes-music-was-lifted-to-create-tamma-tamma-loge-and-jumma-chumma-de-de/ |archive-date=6 June 2020 |access-date=16 October 2018 |website=[[Film Companion]]}}</ref> His song "[[Yé ké yé ké]]" was used as background music in the 1990 Bollywood film ''[[Agneepath (1990 film)|Agneepath]]'', inspired the [[Music of Bollywood|Bollywood song]] "Tamma Tamma" in ''Thanedaar''.<ref name="Srinivasan" />

==See also==
*''[[Angry Young Men (mini series)]]''
*''[[The Romantics (TV series)]]''
*''[[The Roshans]]''
* [[Lists of Hindi films]]
** [[List of highest-grossing Hindi films]]
** [[List of highest domestic net collection of Hindi films]]
* [[Hindi film distribution circuits]]
* [[Central Board of Film Certification]]
* [[Noida Film City]]
* [[Film City, Mumbai]]
* [[Film and Television Institute of India]] 
* [[Sexism in Bollywood]]
* [[Hindutva boycott of Hindi cinema]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Bibliography ==
{{Main|Bibliography of Hindi cinema}}

*{{cite book|last1=Gulzar|last2=Nihalani|first2=Govind|last3=Chatterjee|first3=Saibal|author-link1=Gulzar|author-link2=Govind Nihalani|author-link3=Saibal Chatterjee|title=Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema|title-link=Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema|year=2003|publisher=[[Encyclopaedia Britannica]] (India)|isbn=978-81-7991-066-5 }}
*{{cite book|last=Mazumdar|first=Ranjani|title=Bombay Cinema: An Archive of the City|year=2007 |publisher=[[University of Minnesota Press]]|isbn=978-1-4529-1302-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xenNBrRKOGoC}}

== Explanatory notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* [[Stephen Alter|Alter, Stephen]]. ''Fantasies of a Bollywood Love-Thief: Inside the World of Indian Moviemaking''. {{ISBN|0-15-603084-5}}.
* [[Begum-Hossain, Momtaz]]. ''Bollywood Crafts: 20 Projects Inspired by Popular Indian Cinema'', 2006. The Guild of Mastercraftsman Publications. {{ISBN|1-86108-418-8}}.
* [[Bose, Mihir]], ''Bollywood: A History'', New Delhi, Roli Books, 2008. {{ISBN|978-81-7436-653-5}}.
* Dwyer, Rachel. ''Bollywood's India: Hindi Cinema as a Guide to Contemporary India'' (Reaktion Books, distributed by University of Chicago Press; 2014) 295 pages
* Ganti, Tejaswini. ''Bollywood'', Routledge, New York and London, 2004.
* Ganti, Tejaswini. ''Producing Bollywood: Inside the Contemporary Hindi Film Industry'' (Duke University Press; 2012) 424 pages; looks at how major changes in film production since the 1990s have been influenced by the liberal restructuring of India's state and economy.
* Gibson, Bernard. 'Bollywood'.'' Passing the Envelope'', 1994.
* Jolly, Gurbir, Zenia Wadhwani, and Deborah Barretto, eds. ''Once Upon a Time in Bollywood: The Global Swing in Hindi Cinema'', TSAR Publications. 2007. {{ISBN|978-1-894770-40-8}}.
* Joshi, Lalit Mohan. ''Bollywood: Popular Indian Cinema''. {{ISBN|0-9537032-2-3}}.
* [[Kabir, Nasreen Munni]]. ''Bollywood'', Channel 4 Books, 2001.
* Mehta, Suketu. ''Maximum City'', Knopf, 2004.
* Mishra, Vijay. ''Bollywood Cinema: Temples of Desire''. {{ISBN|0-415-93015-4}}.
* Pendakur, Manjunath. ''Indian Popular Cinema: Industry, Ideology, and Consciousness''. {{ISBN|1-57273-500-7}}.
* Prasad, Madhava. ''Ideology of the Hindi Film: A Historical Construction'', Oxford University Press, 2000. {{ISBN|0-19-565295-9}}.
* [[Raheja, Dinesh]] and Kothari, Jitendra. ''Indian Cinema: [[The Bollywood Saga]]''. {{ISBN|81-7436-285-1}}.
* Raj, Aditya (2007) "Bollywood Cinema and Indian Diaspora" in ''Media Literacy: A Reader'' edited by Donaldo Macedo and Shirley Steinberg New York: Peter Lang
* Rajadhyaksa, Ashish (1996), "India: Filming the Nation", ''The Oxford History of World Cinema'', Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|0-19-811257-2}}.
* Rajadhyaksha, Ashish and Willemen, Paul. ''Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema'', Oxford University Press, revised and expanded, 1999.
* Jha, Subhash and [[Bachchan, Amitabh]] (foreword). ''The Essential Guide to Bollywood''. {{ISBN|978-81-7436-378-7}}.
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071209154441/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0502/feature3/ ''National Geographic Magazine'': "Welcome to Bollywood"]
* [https://www.niffa.org/ National Institute Of Film and Fine Arts]

{{Bollywood|horiz=yes}}
{{Cinema of India}}
{{World cinema}}
{{Hindi topics}}

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