The History of Bollywood: From the Golden Age to Today

Unlike Hollywood, there’s no “Bollywood Boulevard.” But the Mumbai-based film industry is among the largest in the world.
The first feature-length Indian film, Raja Harishchandra, was released in 1913. But many consider the true birth of Bollywood to be 1931, with the release of the first Hindi-language “talkie.” As production increased, Indian cinema segmented into different languages, including Bengali, Tamil, and Telugu.
After India gained independence from Britain in 1947, movies began to reflect the optimism and patriotism of the newly independent country—as well as the struggles of this transitionary period. As more films were produced across India, the era became known as the Golden Age of Bollywood.
The Golden Era of Bollywood—along with the industry’s rising stars—became a critical nation-building tool, introducing the world to independent India. In 1957 Mother India became the first Indian movie nominated for an Academy Award for best foreign language film.
In the 1970s Bollywood saw the rise of masala movies, which combined romance, comedy, and action with extravagant musical numbers and dramatic plots.
One such film, Sholay, is considered the ultimate Bollywood movie. It combines classic Bollywood themes with the iconic imagery of Westerns and it became the highest-grossing Bollywood film for almost 20 years.
This era also gave Bollywood its name: “Hollywood” combined with the location of the industry’s center, “Bombay.” By the 1980s the Hindi film industry was producing more than 800 movies a year.
As mainstream Bollywood was dominated by superstars and flashy production styles, the New Wave movement provided an alternative in the 1970s and ’80s.
Also called parallel cinema, these movies took a more experimental approach, focusing on social realism. Plots highlighted political issues including caste, poverty, and gender inequality.
The 1990s saw the rise of actors Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Kahn, and Aamir Khan—also known as the Khans—who remain some of the highest paid actors in Bollywood history.  Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan made headway in their portrayals of strong female leads.
Contemporary Bollywood still features larger-than-life characters, musical numbers, and other classic elements of the masala genre. But they also touch on modern social issues like LGBTQ+ rights, the COVID-19 pandemic, and gender equality. Pan-Indian films made in both Hindi and South Indian languages have allowed Indian cinema to reach wider audiences.
Today Bollywood produces about 1,000 movies each year.
Although India is still its biggest market, Bollywood movies are box-office hits worldwide. While Hollywood still generates more annual box-office revenue, Bollywood releases more movies—so maybe it’s time for Mumbai to get its own sign.