Cinema of India

Overview

The Cinema of India refers to the film industries based in India, which collectively produce one of the largest outputs of feature films in the world. Indian cinema spans multiple languages, regions, and stylistic traditions, and includes commercial, parallel, art-house, and documentary streams. Films are produced primarily in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Odia, Assamese, and several other languages.

Key Facts

Background

Cinema in India developed as a multilingual phenomenon, with production centres emerging in Bombay (now Mumbai), Calcutta (now Kolkata), Madras (now Chennai), and later Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, and other cities. Each linguistic industry developed its own star system, studio traditions, music conventions, and audience base, while sharing common features such as the integration of song and dance sequences and a tradition of melodrama.

Common features

• Integration of music and choreographed song sequences in mainstream films.
• A strong playback singing tradition.
• Genre blending, often combining drama, romance, action, and comedy in a single film.
• A prominent star system across major language industries.

Timeline

Silent era

The silent era began with Raja Harishchandra (1913), considered the first Indian feature film, made by Dadasaheb Phalke. Several silent films followed in the 1910s and 1920s, with studios established in Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras.

Coming of sound

Ardeshir Irani's Alam Ara (1931) introduced synchronised sound to Indian cinema. The arrival of sound led directly to the development of distinct language-based industries, since dialogue and song now had to be produced for specific linguistic audiences.

Studio era and the 1940s

Studios such as Bombay Talkies, Prabhat Film Company, and New Theatres shaped production practices through the 1930s and 1940s. The period saw the rise of social-themed films and mythologicals.

Post-Independence golden age

The 1950s and 1960s are often described as a golden age, with directors such as Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt, Mehboob Khan, Raj Kapoor, Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, and Mrinal Sen producing influential work. Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali (1955) brought Indian cinema wide international recognition.

Parallel cinema

From the late 1960s, the parallel cinema movement, supported in part by the Film Finance Corporation (later NFDC), produced realist and socially engaged films. Filmmakers associated with this stream include Shyam Benegal, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, G. Aravindan, Mani Kaul, Kumar Shahani, and Govind Nihalani.

Mainstream cinema from the 1970s

Hindi commercial cinema in the 1970s saw the rise of the "angry young man" archetype, associated particularly with Amitabh Bachchan. Tamil and Telugu cinema developed their own large-scale star systems during the same decades.

Liberalisation and after

Following economic liberalisation in the 1990s, Indian cinema saw expanded overseas distribution, the growth of multiplexes, increased corporate involvement in production, and wider use of digital technology. Regional industries, particularly those in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam, gained increasing pan-Indian visibility through dubbing and subtitling.

Streaming era

From the late 2010s, streaming platforms became significant distributors of Indian films and series, broadening the reach of regional-language productions and original content.

Major Industries

Hindi cinema

Centred in Mumbai and often referred to colloquially as Bollywood, Hindi cinema has historically had the widest national distribution among Indian film industries.

Tamil cinema

Centred in Chennai, Tamil cinema (sometimes called Kollywood, after the Kodambakkam neighbourhood) has a long studio tradition and a strong export market in the Tamil diaspora.

Telugu cinema

Based primarily in Hyderabad, Telugu cinema is known for large-scale productions and has produced widely distributed pan-Indian releases.

Malayalam cinema

Based in Kerala, Malayalam cinema is associated with both a strong art-cinema tradition and a vigorous commercial industry.

Kannada, Bengali, Marathi and others

Kannada cinema is centred in Bengaluru. Bengali cinema, based in Kolkata, has produced internationally recognised auteurs. Marathi cinema, with roots tracing back to the silent era, continues to produce a substantial output. Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Odia, Assamese, Tulu, and Konkani cinemas serve their respective linguistic audiences.

Institutions

• Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) – statutory body that certifies films for public exhibition in India.
• National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) – central public-sector body involved in film financing, production support, and the National Film Archive functions.
• Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) – training institution based in Pune.
• Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) – training institution based in Kolkata.
• National Film Archive of India (NFAI) – archive based in Pune.
• International Film Festival of India (IFFI) – annual festival held in Goa.

Awards and Recognition

The National Film Awards, presented annually, are the principal state honours for Indian cinema, with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award recognised as the highest honour in the field. Various industry and regional awards exist for individual language industries. Indian films have also been screened and recognised at major international festivals.

Significance

Indian cinema is a major cultural and economic activity, shaping music, fashion, language, and public discourse across the country and within the Indian diaspora. Its multilingual character makes it distinctive among national cinemas, and its songs and stars often reach audiences far beyond the original release region.

Related Topics

• Bollywood
• Tamil Cinema
• Telugu Cinema
• Malayalam Cinema
• Kannada Cinema
• Bengali Cinema
• Marathi Cinema
• Parallel Cinema
• Dadasaheb Phalke
• Satyajit Ray
• National Film Awards
• Central Board of Film Certification
• Film and Television Institute of India
• International Film Festival of India

References

• Publications and reports of the Central Board of Film Certification.
• Records of the National Film Archive of India and the Directorate of Film Festivals.
• Standard reference works on Indian cinema history.