In the Indian film industry it is the heroes who get paid higher than the heroines but it is the latter who win the hearts and minds of the audience. Throughout its hundred years history the Hindi cinema has had a range of wonderful heroines who left a mark on its historical pages. In a male dominated industry and prevailing social taboos it was not easy for women to make a name for themselves as leading ladies during the thirties and forties of the last century. Yet the bold ones did it and are remembered with respect and honour today.
After the advent of sound in the first Hindi film Alam Ara in 1931, its first heroine was named Zubeida. However it was Devika Rani who emerged as the greatest star in the forties. Married to Himanshu Rai she starred with him in the picture 'Karma' in 1933 and their kiss on the screen is supposed to be the first on screen kiss in Indian movies. The beautiful Devika Rani is acknowledged as the First Lady of the Indian Cinema and was often paired with Ashok Kumar. Some of their successful movies were Achut Kanya,Anjaan and Janma Bhoomi. She is credited with the discovery of Dilip Kumar when she was producing movies. She was honoured with the first Dada Sahib Phalke Award in 1970.She passed away in 1994.
Another famous star of that era was Naseem Banu, mother of Saira Banu,who is reputed to be one of the most beautiful faces in Hindi movies ever.She became a hit with her acting in the Sohrab Modi directed movie Pukar in 1939 and went on to act till her retirement in early fifties. Another great actress of that era was Durga Khote who started her acting career in 1925 in the film Ayodhecha Raja in 1925. She acted in over 200 films in a acting span of nearly 50 years. Shanta Apte who acted in V Shantaram's movies and Shobhana Samarath (mother of Nutan) were also hit actresses in this era.
The singing heroines made their mark with Khursheed setting the trend in 1931 itself. She remained as the only singing superstar till Noorjehan made her entry in 1939 in the film Gul-Bakavalli. Both captivated the audiences and went on to achieve tremendous success. Khursheed went on to pair with another singing sensation of the time K.L.Saigal and gave many hit songs. Noorjehan also has sung many legendary songs which are remembered today also. Both migrated to Pakistan in 1947. However it was the singing superstar Suraiya who was the favourite of the masses. Her songs went on to make her movies super successes at the box office. She also was romantically involved with Dev Anand. Her somg "Tu Mera Chand Mein Teri Chandni" is popular today also. She however chose to retire at her peak in mid fifties.
The fifties and sixties saw the emergence of a large numer of talented heroines.One of the first was undoubtedly Madhubala,the most beautiful face to grace the Hindi cinema screen. She gained super stardom in the 1949 film Mahal a suspence thriller opposite the evergreen hero Ashok Kumar. She was a brilliant actor and was at ease in both comic and tragic roles. Her acting in Mughal-e- Azam is remembered today also. She died young. Another one who went on to make her mark was Nargis who tasted success with Raj Kapoor in Barsaat. After starring in a number of hit movies with Dilip Kumar she chose to act only with Raj Kapoor from 'Awara" onwards in 1951 till some time. However it was 'Mother India ' which brought her global fame. She also found in Sunil Dutt her co star in the movie her future husband. The tragedy queen Meena Kumari was another great actress of this period. She could make the viewer weep with her emotion packed acting. However she was equally adept in light comedy roles. Her last movie was the super hit Pakeeza.
Vyjantimala was the first of the South Indian actresses to make a name for herself in Hindi movies. She was an excellent dancer and ever since any actress from South especially is expected to be an accomplished dancer. She started in 1951 in the film Bahar which went on to become a super hit and the audiences appreciated her dance numbers immensely. Her role in Devdas got her first Filmfare Award in 1955. Her roles in Naya Daur, Madhumati, Ganga Jamuna, and Sangam were very well received and she formed a very popular pair with Dilip Kumar.She quit in 1967 after giving another hit Jewel Thief.
Nutan and Waheeda Rehman were the other two great actresses who captivated the viewers with their acting prowress. Nutan was a sublime beauty and entered films in 1950, but it was her role in Seema which gave her a breakthrough in Hindi films.Winner of a record five Filmfare Awards for Best Actress she gave sterling performance in Bimal Roy directed Bandhini. Waheeda Rehman was brought into Hindi films by Guru Dutt in C.I.D in 1956. It was her role in Pyasa in 1957 which brought her recognition. She went on to act in a large number of films most famous being Guide in 1965. She too was an accomplished dancer and gave beautiful classical dances in many movies.
Another actress of the era was Mala Sinha who went on to act in a number of films whose music were very strong. Her roles with Shammi Kapoor are especiall famous. Some the other famous actresses were the coy Geeta Bali who went on to marry Shammi Kapoor, ravishing Nimmi, Nalini Jawant, the beautiful Sadhana famous for her Sadhana cut hair sytle, vivacious Asha Parekh and beauty queen Saira Banu.
The actresses of seventies and beyond will be covered in a follow up article.
The hundred years of Indian films especially the Hindi films has seen a galaxy of male actors capture the hearts of the audiences. Beginning from the silent era through advent of sound till today all types heroes have adorned the filmy screen. Looking back, the first sound film made was Alam Ara released in 1931. It starred Prithvi Raj Kapoor,W.M.Khan,Yakub, Master Vithal and the heroine was Zubeida. All its male actors went on to act in a number of films during the thirties and the forties.The movies of the thirties were mostly based on social protest. The other hero to gain fame was V Shantaram in films like Aadmi and Padosi. But the find of the decade was the legendary actor Ashok Kumar who went on to dominate the Hindi movies for decades.
The forties saw besides social protest the making of period films. Shorabh Modi made and acted as a powerful actor in movies like Sikander,Pukar and Prihvi Vallabh.Towards the end of the decade Indian cinema got Raj Kapoor in movies like Barsaat and Aag. Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand also made their entry into the Hindi films.This trio of Dilip, Dev and Raj Kapoor was to dominate Hindi films for the next more than three decades.
However it was the fifties which not only saw a rich haul of a variety of movies being produced but also equally saw a rich haul of male actors join the Hindi filmdom. Actors like Rajendra Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Guru Dutt, Sunil Dutt, Balraj Sahni, Raj Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Jhonny Walker, Mehmood made their mark during this decade. Actors like Mahipal, Bharat Bhushan, Pran, Jayant, Om Prakash, Kanhaiyalal, Ajit were also the actors of repute to start their acting careers during this highly productive decade.
Almost all the actors of the forties and fifties continued in the sixties. Manoj Kumar was one actor who blossomed in this decade with patriotic movies. The creativity of the fifties was giving way to emphasis on the box office returns. Dharmendra,Jeetendra and Sanjeev Kumar amongst others made their entry and mark in the sixties.
The seventies saw the era of new wave films being produced. Actors like Utapl Dutt came to the lime light. Amitabh Bachchan was the find of the decade and was to go on to become an industry by himself. However it was the first Super Star of the Hindi filmindustry Rajesh Khanna to whom the decade rightly belonged. Amongst others the decade saw new actors like Rishi Kapoor, Mithun Chakraborty, Shatrugan Sinha, Vinod Khanna, Feroz Khan enter the Hindi filmdom .However it was the entry of a special class of trained actors like Nasseerudin Shah, Om Puri, Amrish Puri that caught the eye of the discerning audiences of the seventies.The movies of this decade were action packed and revenge was a popular theme.
The eighties and nineties saw musical films being made and love stories made a come back. Romantic heroes were in demand. Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan Salman Khan made their debutes and the 'Khans' are still dominating the Hindi film scene .Another hero to make his mark was Anil Kapoor especially in Mr India. Sunny Deol also made his entry during the early part of this period.The much in news Sanjay Dutt also established himself during this period.The other notable actors who went on to make both name and fame were Govinda, Jackie Shroff, Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Ajay Devgan,and Suneil Shetty. Vastly talented actors like Anupam Kher, Nana Patekar and Paresh Rawal also made their entry during this period.
The early 2000's saw emergence of heroes like Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi, Emraan Hashma, Shahid kapoor and later on Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan.
Actors will come and go but who can match the tragedy king Dilip Kumar or the socialistic prankster Raj Kapoor or the romantic Dev Anand or the 'junglee' Shammi Kapoor or the sauve Ashok Kumar or the meloncholy Guru Dutt or the funster Mehmood amongst others from the golden era of the forties and fifties of the Hindi films. It seems today the hero is gradually begining to give way to strong stories and where acting talents rather than star image is needed. But we can thank these and all other heroes who have given us hours of joy in the dingy theaters of the past to the posh multiplexes of today.
The Indian film industry is celebrating its hundredth year of existence. Ever since the first silent movie Raj Harishchandra was made, Indian films have come a long way and today India produces the largest number of films in the world. Indian movies are now well received in large number of countries and the audience keeps growing. Many a Hindi movie earns a good amount of its overall collections from outside the country. Indeed Hindi movies act as an excellent ambassador for our country.
I fondly today also recall an interesting episode during my visit to USA man years back. I entered a watch shop in New York and the man behind the counter asked me whether I am an Indian. No sooner had I confirmed he warmly welcomed me and informed me he was a huge fan of Amitabh Bachchan. He then started narrating about the various movies of Amitabh he had seen and the characters portrayed by him in each film. He seemed to be unstoppable. I asked him apart from Amitabh did he like any other actor. He launched into another long narration on Dharmendra and his movies.
After a long long time he asked me what was I looking for. I told him a watch for my wife. He went inside and brought out a very elegant looking piece with a light green colored dial. I liked it. I asked for its price. He told me because I am from the land of Amitabh he would give it to me at a throw away price of sixty dollars against its original price of more than hundred dollars. I did not argue with him.Somehow he looked convincing. I paid him and as I was about to leave he told me the watch will last you very long as it is a famous designer's original piece. The watch is giving good service today also and many a times my wife has been asked from where she got it from. Thanks to Hindi movies and Amitabh and the Egyptian watch seller in New York.
Another time I was in a city in Switzerland surfing the TV in late evening.There was no English language program. I was feeling bored as one could not go out also as the temperature was near zero. I tried again after about half an hour and suddenly on a channel I saw Guru Dutt. It was his epic film 'Pyasa' being telecast with French subtitles. I had seen the movie in India as a child and did not remember much of it. It was a well spent evening watching Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Mala Sinha and Johnny Walker along with its beautiful songs and music in Zurich. Next day when I said this to my Swiss contact he said Guru Ditt's movies are very well liked by the French and his movies are regularly telecast.
I was dozing on a flight from Shanghai to Qingdao in China, in mid nineties, when I felt I am listening to a familiar tune. I woke up to note that it was the song 'Aawara Hoon--' from Raj Kapoor's film 'Aawara' that was being played in the aircraft. I was to listen it being played many more times during a week long stay in China.
Another time while attending a seminar in USA my next room mate happened tobe from Pakistan. The immense knowledge of Hindi movies he displayed was a revelation to me even though I also used to see and read a lot about Hindi movies. But he was like a encyclopedia. We both jokingly agreed that only Hindi films will bring peace between the two countries.
Recently I happened to go to Delhi to attend to an elderly relation admitted into a premier hospital. Everywhere in the hospital one saw large number of well to do persons from Afghanistan attending to their sick relations. I struck conversation with a few of them and found they were speaking very good Hindi. When I asked them do they teach it in Afghanistan,they would laugh and say they have all learnt it from watching Hindi movies, right from their childhood days. They love to watch Hindi movies and now Hindi TV serials are also becoming very popular.
Finally,I once accidentally entered inot a shop in New York and found myself staring at about eight or nine Afrikan Amerciacns. One of them asked me am I from India and as soon as said yes, in unison they got up and started dancing vigorously. Before I could understand what was going they all looked at me and loudly shouted "Bollywood". For the first and last time in my life I also joined a dance.
I too had paid my humble tribute to Hindi movies and wish it a still glorious coming hundred years.
The famous director Karan Johar, recently asked the Hindi film industry to aim for Rs 1000 crore earning rather than Rs 100- 200 crore recent earning by a few movies. It is entirely possible for Hindi movies to earn such high earnings prvided the number of theaters are increased substantially and the ticket prices are kept at reasonable levels. Let us see how it is possible.
On an all India average, the price of a ticket in a multiplex is, say, around Rs 120 and in a single screen theater it is around Rs 40 per ticket.(In Mumbai it can be as high as Rs 400 and Rs100 respectively, but the number of such seats on an all India basis is not significant for our argument). It is estimated by Boxofficeindia.com that 65 per cent of the box office collections of the top 50 Hindi films came from multiplexes and 35 per cent from single screen theaters.
Thus, if a movie has to touch a turn over of Rs 100 crore, it will get Rs 65 crore from multiplex screens and Rs 35 crore from single screen theaters. it means at Rs 120 per ticket the number of viewers has to be 54,16,667 in the multiplexes. The number of viewers in single screen theaters at Rs 40 per ticket has to be 87,50,000. Thus a total of 1,41,66,667 viewers have to watch a movie for it to reach the coveted figure of Rs 100 crore at the box office. This viewership figure corresponds to a low of 1.14 per cent of india's population of 124 crores. For a movie to touch Rs 200 crore mark it has to be seen by 2.83 crore viewers or 2.3 per cent of India's population. In reality much less than 1 per cent of Indian population is watching Hindi movies. Only select movies are watched by between 0.5 to 0.75% of the population.
The all India viewership figure is thus very low. Thus if a movie has to touch a Rs 1000 crore figure it has to be seen by around 14 crore people or slightly above 11 per cent of the population. Is it difficult to achieve this high figure of viewership. As per present trends yes. One of the main reason for such low viewership is the less number of theaters in the country. As against 120 screens per million people in USA there are just 10 screens per million in India. India produces the largest number of movies in the world, more than 1,000 per year. In theater attendance also India is number one with more than 3 billion tickets sold in a year. However the density of screens is very low and this comes in way of the movies realizing their true earning potential.
These days however the multiplexes are expanding, as these are were people go to see movies more often. The single screen theaters around 10,500 in number are gradually closing down, as they are now mostly patronised by economically weaker sections of the society and are finding operations unviable.The spread of the mall culture is giving a boost to new multiplexes.The number of multiplex screens is slated to go up from present 900 screens to 1,350 by April, 2013. On an average a multiplex screen costs Rs 2 crore and thus is capital intensive.
It can therefore be seen that in terms of viewership, per Rs 100 crore earning around 1.15 per cent of India's population must see a movie.This figure looks so small and manageable but every Friday, 90 per cent of the movies flop and fail to attract even such a low per cent of our population.However with rising incomes, increasing number of multiplex screens, option of movie timings and fair assurance of ticket availability, in say, next five years a hit Hindi movie could be earning around Rs 1000 crores. Just imagine how much would the Salman Khans of that time charge per movie.
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