2023-12-30 08:03:56
1. Indian cinema, much more than Bollywood
When we talk about Indian cinema it is usually reduced to Bollywood, the Bombay film industry in the Hindi language. Its name, in fact, is a mix between the city and the capital of American cinema (Bombay + Hollywood). But this is only part of the pie. Its films are shot in more than 20 languages that reflect the linguistic diversity of the country. The most important industries are Kollywood (in Tamil language), Tollywood (in Telugu), and Mollywood (in Malayalam).
In its best-known version, Bollywood cinema, they tend to be films with an average duration of about three hours projected with a break in the middle of the film. Love stories predominate, along with action stories and comedies. But in recent years, Bollywood has been diversifying its themes, even moving away from traditional musical numbers, to conquer new audiences internationally.
2. The most prolific cinema in the world
India is the world’s leading power in film production, registering even more titles than the Hollywood industry. In a single year it produces on average more than 1,000 feature films, twice as many as Los Angeles studios, according to the International Indian Film Academy. However, its collection is far from the US figures.
According to data published by Statista, in 2014 American cinema grossed 10.8 billion dollars while its Indian counterpart barely generated 1.59 billion dollars, less even not only than Hollywood but also than Chinese and Japanese cinema.
3. Record attendance
Indians are the citizens of the world who go to the cinema the most, with record numbers that have reached one billion people in three months. One of the keys to the success of its theaters is its demographics, being the most populated country in the world with 1,428 million inhabitants.
4. The cheapest movie tickets in the world
India is the country in the world where it is cheapest to go to the movies. There are tickets from 17 euro cents per person to ensure that everyone can afford to enjoy a film.
It is not in vain that cinema is a social phenomenon. There are still screening rooms where you can see the audience singing and dancing to the musical numbers of the films.
5. Pedagogical function and social message of cinema
Being a means of mass communication, some titles have been used to raise awareness about social issues. One in four people in India does not know how to read or write, so its cinema has been used to transmit messages related, among others, to public health. A good example was ‘Toilet’ by Shree Narayan Singh, which in 2017 set out to raise awareness about the health risks of defecating in the open; a global problem that the WHO estimates affects 600 million people around the world who still do not have access to a toilet.
That same year, the feminist film ‘Lipstick Under My Burka’ was also released, in which director Alankrita Shrivastava tells the story of four women who rebel against their destiny in Indian society. She managed to reach theaters across the country after censors banned her for “her continuous sexual scenes of her” and for “being insensitive towards a part of society.”
Also titles like ‘Padman’ (2018), the true story of the man who started making sanitary wipes for his wife because he couldn’t afford them, or ‘A full-fledged revolution’ (2018), which addresses how a group of women from a village in India makes affordable pads. A problem that affects more than 25% of women in rural areas who do not have access to hygienic menstrual products, which puts their health at risk.
6. Some titles you should know
‘Dangal’ (2016) is the highest-grossing film of Indian cinema. It managed to raise $311 million (the highest grosser in history is Avatar, which earned $2.92 billion), and tells the true story of wrestler Mahavir Singh who pins his hopes of winning the gold medal for India on two of his daughters.
India also continues to give surprises at international festivals. At this year’s Oscars, India beat Rihanna and Lady Gaga and, for the first time, an Indian composition: the song ‘Naatu naatu’ from the hit film ‘RRR’ won the statuette for best original song.
Gandhi (1983) was the first Indian film to win an Oscar for costume design. The film offers a close look at the life of Mahatma Gandhi, the icon of peaceful struggle.
Other of his most internationally known titles are ‘An Extraordinary Adventure’ (2012), which tells the story of the most unimaginable journey ever thought of, of a boy and a tiger in the middle of the high seas; and also ‘The Exotic Marigold Hotel’ (2012), a co-production between India and England that tells the story of a group of elderly Englishmen who retire to a hotel in the city of Bangalore and end up getting into a lot of trouble due to cultural differences.
7. Its actors and actresses, idols of the masses
One of the best-known faces of Indian cinema is Shah Rukh Khan. He is among the five highest-paid actors in the world, earning more than 72 million dollars a year (more than Nadal or Messi). He has participated in more than 50 titles, one of the latest is Pathaan (2022), whose main musical number is filmed in Cádiz:
Actress Priyanka Chopra is another of the most recognized faces. She was Miss World in 2000, two years later she made the leap to the big screen and there she has participated in more than 60 major productions. She has more than 90 million followers on the social network Instagram, the Indian woman with the most followers only surpassed by cricketer Virat Kohli.
8. Longest running movie in theaters
Another record held by an Indian film is that of being the one that has lasted the longest in theaters. We are referring to ‘The Brave-hearted Man Will Take the Bride’ which was screened for more than 20 years in a cinema in Bombay.
When in 2015 they decided to end the screening after two decades, it caused great indignation
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They received hundreds of calls so only two days later they decided to continue projecting it and invited the population to come to “continue falling in love.”
9. Romantic theme
Many of the films address a love story. This is because in India a large percentage of marriages are of convenience and cinema is the only way to experience, at least in fiction, that freely chosen love.
Three out of four young people in India declare that they prefer an arranged marriage, although in many cases it is not a decision based on free will. India ranks fourth among South Asian countries in prevalence of child marriages.
10. Why December 30 is your international day
Initially it was planned for December 31, but it coincided with year-end celebrations around the world. For this reason, it was decided to opt for December 30 because it was a date that, furthermore, did not coincide with the birth of any of its acting stars. So today was conceived as a celebration of his filmography with the clear objective of promoting and disseminating the creativity, diversity and cultural richness of his increasingly acclaimed cinema.
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