Why The Golden Era of Indian Cinema Was So Important

When India became independent in 1947, it already had a blossoming film industry that had been going from strength to strength since its birth in 1913. By the late 1930s, films were being produced in every major city and in every major language. India’s first feature, Raja Harishchandra, tells the story of a righteous king and showed a brilliant understanding of Indian audiences by the film's director, D.G. Phalke. Phalke, and the other filmmakers of his generation, knew they could instantly win vast audiences by rooting cinema in Hindu mythology with stories of religious and divine characters.

As a result, the silent era was dominated by on-screen gods and goddesses battling good against evil, overcoming moral dilemmas and setting an example of virtuous behavior. In small towns and cities, you didn't go to the cinema to enjoy a novel story, but to meet valiant characters whose tales you had grown up with. The early heroes and heroines became the models for future protagonists, and made the films resemble tales of morality that depended on stereotypical characters.

India’s first feature was based on a mythological character Raja Harishchandra (1913) and directed by D G Phalke, known as the father of Indian cinema. Photo courtesy of the National Film Archive of India/Hyphen Films Collection, London.

When sound film arrived in 1931 with Alam Ara, filmmakers turned to urban and folk theatre, weaving Arabian love stories, music, song, dance and dramatic dialogue into a multi-genre three-hour entertainment. Sound film brought linguistic diversity and division, and as a result audiences were split into different language groups. Although today Tamil cinema produces the greatest number of films each year, Hindi/Urdu films — now known as Bollywood and distributed globally — has had an advantage over other language groups since the 1930s, as millions can understand Hindi and Urdu. Photo courtesy of Hyphen Films Collection, London.

The basic structure of the multi-genre film has stayed largely the same for many decades, and even now audiences are well accustomed to a roller-coaster narrative that ends up conforming to tradition in some way or other. Realism is not at the top of the movie menu — a familiar story, strong values, catchy songs, elaborate action, dance routines, and above all, adored stars are the main draws. However, today there is a greater variety in Indian cinema; we see smaller budget films with more realistic stories and naturalistic acting alongside the big blockbusters. This trend was started in Bengal in the mid-50s by the brilliant director Satyajit Ray, and later came to Hindi cinema in the late 1960s.

It is a vibrant time in Bollywood in the present day, and yet nearly every top filmmaker, writer or lyricist will unreservedly agree that the true Golden Age of Hindi cinema dates back to 1948-1965. When you ask a young director or lyricist about the films they like, they will invariably mention a movie of the 1950s, and name a favorite director of that era who still remains an ideal and an influence.

Produced by Bombay Talkies, Kismet (1943) directed by Gyan Mukherjee, famously ran for three years in a Kolkata cinema. The scene depicted here is the patriotic song “Door Hato O Duniyawale, Hindustan Hamaara Hai” (Invaders go away! India is ours!). Photo courtesy of Hyphen Films Collection, London.

Unsurprisingly, Hindi cinema’s Golden Age coincided with independence in India and followed the trauma of the Partition. It was a time of great change, politically and socially. By the end of the 40s, film practitioners from all over the country, and the cities that became Pakistan gravitated towards Mumbai, seeing it as the new filmmaking centre.

Talented directors, cinematographers, art directors, music composers, actors, choreographers, singers, and, especially, writers and poets who belonged to the Communist Party and gave 1950s cinema its social relevance through story and song, flocked to Mumbai to make their mark. In this Nehruvian period, great hope was pinned on nation-building and many of the films reflected the mood of change.

Mostly shot in black and white, the films had cinematic flair and were varied in subject and treatment. Some stories told of the struggles of the poor while others provided romantic and musical entertainment. The stars who had been formally tied to a single studio in the 1940s were no longer confined to working at only one, and so appeared in dozens of films of the era. The rise of star dominance finds its roots here.