World+Theatre+Style+Exam+Joseph+Resch+-+Bollywood

Joseph Resch Professor Richmond THEA 2000 31 Mar 2017

Growing up with many Indian friends, Bollywood is a subject that I have always been interested in but have never touched upon beside through the viewing of short clips. Unlike the other types of worldly theatre styles mentioned in the chapter, Bollywood is entirely on a film screen and is more about its modern business industry. Bollywood, more formally known as Hindi cinema, is one of the largest film producers in India and represents 43% of the net box office revenue.

A short history of Bollywood: media type="youtube" key="2gmYNvdSkfk" width="560" height="315"

Although Bollywood began in the early twentieth century, it did not gain popularity immediately due to historical events of the Great Depression, World War II, the Indian independence movement, and the violence of the partition. But following the Indian independence movement, Bollywood gained popularity during the Golden Age and all the way up to its point today, where stars dominate the high-grossing industry.



Bollywood is influenced by Hollywood, with its musical and western musical television, as well as traditional forms of theatre such as Sanskrit drama and Indian folk theatre. Bollywood films are mostly musicals woven into a script that tells a story, which are often melodramatic, as well. The art form, which since has evolved to include more in-depth plots, have influence modern Indian culture and fashion during its existence.