Making Urban Movies

There is a belief that when you attach the word urban to a indie movie that the story will be based on life in the ghetto or barrio. Plus the production quality will be less than an art house film made for the same budget.

Many talented filmmakers are changing that thought by putting out high quality urban movies made on indie budgets. The diversity of the urban genre continues to grow because the storylines are connecting with a larger audience by going beyond what you would expect to see in a urban movie.

The word 'crime drama' is used to describe films like 'The Departed', 'Scarface' and 'American Gangster', but you could easily label them as great urban movies.

After I watched 'Menace II Society' by the Hughes Brothers I knew I wanted to make urban movies. Making independent urban movies has been a learning experience for me.

I completed my first film titled 'Consignment'. The script centered around an East Coast drug dealer that runs into trouble and has to lay low on the West Coast. This being the movies all the problems that come with drug money, women, and jealous rivals plays out.

When I sat down to write the script I knew I was going for a story that was authentic and showed a Black and Latino perspective. When it was done I was able to mix in some outlaw bikers and corrupt police. The bonus was being able to add people I grew up with to the cast to give it a real edge.

Working within a budget that was raised through the kindness of family and friends was challenging, but rewarding. Not having money to throw at problems forces you to come up with creative solutions.

The cool thing about indie filmmaking is you're more open to collaboration. I reached out to Tim Beachum founder of Jackin4Beats.Com, one of the original Hip Hop music news sites, to connect with artists for the soundtrack. We were both hungry to see a hot urban movie that had a Black and Latino perspective. I flew out from So Cal to Virginia Beach to see if we could pull together on 'Consignment'. He joined the team and I ended up editing the movie on the East Coast with him.

Through collaboration I was able to add a quality soundtrack featuring East Coast & West Coast artists including Custom Made Recordings, Ayreon The Don™, and Malice & Da Commission. Also I was able to work with an editor that understood the pacing of the movie. When you're sitting in an editing suite with someone for long hours it helps a lot of if you're in the same page. The CGI effects Tim Beachum was able to deliver looked great, especially the work he did on a scene that caused for an acid trip.

I completed my 2nd film titled 'In With Thieves'. I new the cast was solid on this shoot because Casting Director/Production Coordinator Stream Gardner (always a slash in indie) was able to bring actors back from 'Consignment'.

Plus deliver some actors that brought their best with no ego. What I liked on this movies was we mixed it up big time in this urban movie. We folded in the Albanian Mob, American crooks from the streets, and a Cuban cartel that practiced a wild version of Santeria. I asked a family friend that ran a botanica to show me items that would fit the movies. She set me up down to Jesus Malverde giving us realism at the voodoo altar. Despite all the unique creative elements this movie is still urban to the core.  

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View The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 2011 Film Online

The woman with the Dragon Tattoo can be a 2011 English-language drama thriller film and also the second film to be adapted from the Swedish novel by Stieg Larsson. The first was The girl with the Dragon Skin image (original title associated with both novel and picture in Swedish M?n som hatar kvinnor - actually - Men who loathe women) - released just last year. Both novel and video titles were translated with the English-speaking market as The girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The film was dubbed in English and also other major languages.

The film, with a screenplay by simply Steven Zaillian, was directed by Mark Fischer and stars Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist and Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander. In essence, the film follows a man's mission to learn what has happened into a girl who has already been missing for 36 several years, and who may have been murdered.

December, 2002: Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), publisher and part-owner on the left-wing Swedish political mag Millennium, loses a libel situation involving allegations published concerning billionaire financier Hans-Erik Wennerstr?m (Stefan Sauk). Blomkvist is sentenced to 90 days in prison, ordered to pay large damages, and to pay almost all court costs. Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) is really a surveillance agent employed by Milton Security. Milton had been contracted to research Blomkvist. Salander delivers a detailed report on Blomkvist to a lawyer, Dirch Frode (Steven Berkoff), on behalf of his only client, 82 year- old, Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer). He is the past Vanger Corporation CEO. Blomkvist is invited to fulfill Vanger, who hires him to research the disappearance of his or her great-niece, Harriet. Harriet vanished on Children's Day in 1966. Vanger not only considers that Harriet was killed, but that a member of the Vanger family is actually responsible. He shows Blomkvist a smaller collection of framed, pressed flowers that Harriet experienced given him on his / her birthday since she was eight years. In the attic is an amount of the framed flowers he's received at every special birthday since her disappearance within 1966. He suspects that the sender could be Harriet's murderer. When Lisbeth Salander will be told that her appropriate guardian has suffered some sort of stroke, she meets lawyer Nils Bjurman (Yorick vehicle Wageningen), who takes total control of her finances. Salander needs to replace her laptop which can be damaged when she is mugged within an underground railway station. Bjurman, a sexual sadist, forces Salander to carry out fellatio when she asks him to be with her money to replace the woman's laptop. At their next achieving, he beats her, handcuffs her to their bed, and anally rapes her not so sure that Salander is online video recording the incident using equipment from Milton Safety. After Salander recovers from the rape, she pays Bjurman a surprise visit. She stuns him which has a tazer and exacts her revenge. After torturing Bjurman, she compels him in order to relinquish control of her finances and a single year's time to recommend termination of her talk about guardianship. Failure to comply with her demands can lead to the release the DVD proof of her rape to the actual media. Salander tattoos Bjurman's abdomen while they are secured. The tattoo says " My business is a sadist pig plus a rapist". Later, she hacks into Blomkvist's computer to stay monitoring him. Blomkvist moves into a cottage on the Vanger estate. Vanger tells him which his three brothers were all members of the Swedish Nazi Party. Of the three, only Harald is even now living. Inside Harriet's Bible, Blomkvist finds a report on five names alongside what seems to be phone numbers. He visits retired Authorities Inspector Morell (Jesse Sumpter) who notifies him that his investigation team was unable to decipher these. Using photographs taken during the Children's Day parade, Blomkvist believes that Harriet could have seen someone that day who may have killed her. Using her access for you to Blomkvist's computer, Salander reads the report on names and phone volumes. She discovers the meaning in the number and sends an email to Blomkvist. Upon discovering that his computer continues to be hacked, Blomkvist is directed through Dirch Frode to Salander's apartment. He convinces her to help you him with the scenario, and she joins him at the cottage. Together, using the clue that will Salander discovered, they connect all but one of several names on Harriet's list to murdered women. The names on the list are extremely Jewish names, leading Blomkvist and Salander suspect that this murders were motivated by means of anti-Semitism. At a meeting using the Vanger family, during which he is actually strongly urged to abandon the way it is, Blomkvist notices Harriet's cousin Cecilia (Geraldine Wayne) wearing Harriet's ring. Cecilia insists that your woman inherited it from the woman sister, Anita. Inspector Morell discovers how the last name on Harriet's listing, the initials BJ, match the name of a woman who had labored for Gottfried Vanger. They suspect the reclusive Harald Vanger (Per Myrberg) for being the culprit, as the two various other Vanger brothers had already died by the time she disappeared. Salander searches through Vanger's organization records to trace Harald to the crime scenes, while Blomkvist breaks in his house. Harald attacks Blomkvist, but Harriet's brother, Martin (Stellan Skarsg?rd), shows up and escorts Blomkvist to his home. When Blomkvist reveals what he has uncovered, Martin drugs him. In the meantime, Salander discovers that Martin and his father were accountable for the murders. She returns to the cottage to discover Blomkvist missing. Blomkvist wakes to uncover himself bound in Martin's cellar. Martin confesses to decades of rape and homicide, but denies killing Harriet. Salander appears and attacks the killer which has a golf club. While she frees Blomkvist, Martin flees in the car. Salander gives chase on her motorcycle. Martin panics and videos a truck. His car crashes journey road and rolls down the embankment. Salander arrives at the actual wreck. He pleads for aid, but she leaves him to die once the car catches fire. The incident reminds Salander of any moment, when as a baby, she splashed gasoline industry by storm a man sitting within a car, then ignited it in addition to watched him burn. Blomkvist later meets using Henrik and Morell to express to them that Martin wouldn't kill Harriet. Returning to his pad, he finds an observe from Salander, revealing Harriet's whereabouts. Blomkvist flies to Questionnaire and discovers Harriet living under her dead step-brother Anita's name. He returns her to Sweden for being reunited with Henrik. In his office, she reveals that the girl killed her father Gottfried, who, along with her sibling Martin, had been sexually destroying her. Fearing for her existence when she saw Martin in the Children's Day parade, she fled the real estate with Anita's help. In the epilogue, Blomkvist is serving the prison term. Salander visits him and gives secret financial records of which reveal Wennerstr?m's complicity throughout drug trafficking and black market arms dealing, which is more incriminating compared to his previous evidence next to him. Blomkvist publishes a completely new story on Wennerstr?m throughout "Millenium", which is a discomfort. Whilst celebrating their success, Blomkvist and Erika Berger see a TV news report that Wennerstr?m continues to be found dead; his off-shore bank account in the Cayman Islands has recently been raided; the police are interested in a young woman caught on CCTV beyond your apartment building. Blomkvist is convinced that the girl with Salander in disguise.
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Urban Movies Continue To Rise

Urban movies continue to grow in popularity. This can be seen in the exploding direct to video market where urban movies reign supreme. The rising quality of independent urban movies has made them much more attractive to DVD consumers.

Some talented film directors behind this urban movement are Charles Dutton, Damon Dash, Sid Kali, Hype Williams, John Singleton, Dale Stelly, Mike O'Dea and Quentin Tarantino.

The diversity of the urban genre continues to grow because the storylines are connecting with a larger audience by going beyond what you would expect to see in an urban movie. Filmmakers are pushing the complexity and overall look of the urban genre to new levels.

Exploring the urban landscape and culture makes for entertaining films that offer viewers a look into a slice of americana they might not otherwise experience. Collaborating with dedicated individuals that work in front of the camera and behind the scenes to create quality urban movies has always been a life goal of Director Sid Kali.

Sid Kali made his directorial debut with the urban feature "Consignment". The spirit of independent filmmaking came together. We felt "Consignment" was best served highlighting a Latino and Black perspective of the events that were going to unfold in the film.

The plot centers around a Virginia Beach drug dealer that runs into trouble and has to lay low in Southern California. This being the movies all the problems that come with power, drug money, fast women, and jealous rivals has to come out. It was nice to be able to mix in the subtle cultural differences between the two places.

This West Coast and East Coast mix worked out because Co-Producer and Editor Tim Beachum had lived in Ohio, Detroit , and Virginia Beach during his years. While Sid Kali has only lived in Southern California his entire life. By working together they were able to blend these influences together. "Consignment" is being released on DVD November 2007 by Maverick Entertainment Group, Inc. Support independent film and add this feature to your DVD collection.

An important aspect of making an urban movie is keeping it authentic. At the independent level budgets are tighter, so it helps if you write a script that has elements you can realistically translate from the page to the screen. The basic idea is to write a script that you can shoot using your resources. The cool thing with urban movies are they lend themselves to many more backdrops than before.

It used to be when you attached the word urban to a film the story had to take place in the inner city. That's changing as urban culture and style is moving beyond those pervious boundaries. This makes for an exciting time to shoot urban movies.

The word "crime drama" is used to describe films like "Training Day", "The Departed", "Heat" and 'Scarface'. To some movie buffs these are urban masterpieces done by highly talented and respected filmmakers at the top of their creative game. This shows the diversity of the urban genre.

After the experience of shooting "Consignment". Slice Of Americana Films wanted to expand their take on the urban genre with "In With Thieves". This urban movie brings together a unique blend of creative elements.

"In With Thieves" features a Cuban cartel that practices their own version of Santeria, an African based crime group that deals in blood diamonds, ruthless Albanian gangsters, and an American burglary crew that is Latino, Black, and Irish.

This unique blend of creative and visual elements we felt would make for a provocative urban film. The inspiration was to show that urban stories can have global influences.

Career criminal Jack McGee (Tony Napoli) is out of prison facing hard times. His trophy wife Karen (Jennifer Day) spent all the money they had stashed away and found time to fall in love with another man. Max (Edward Gusts) his junkie brother-in-law, made enemies with the Albanian Mafia leaving Jack to hold the bag on a large debt. The release date for Jack insn't a surprise to anyone who runs in criminal circles. Former gang member turned burglar Hector Garcia (Walter Pagan) and street huslter Frank Washington (Jerome A. Hawkins) are his partners in crime. When Jack was running the robbery crew they were flush with cash. After he went inside the scores dried up. Now it's time for them to reconnect and go back to work.

Anton (Jayson Matthews) a savvy and vicious Albanian boss, has his trusted solider Vicktor (Marek Matousek) carry out a brutal act of violence to send a message to Jack. The message is clear to Jack. Pay the debt or everyone close to him will be murdered. Over friendly welcome home drinks Jack asks Hector and Frank to come through on the money he needs to pay off Anton. They both refuse his request turning the reunion bitter and bringing some old wounds to the surface.

Karen halfway walks back into Jack's life pushing him into a frantic mix of anger, confusion, and dark alcohol fueled thoughts. She's still involved with the other man. Adding to his problems is a gunpoint reminder that he has a short time to pay his debt or Karen will be killed. Pressed he hooks back up with Hector and Frank to steal the money he needs to pay Anton. They come up short.

He falls into a heated sexual affair with contract killer Rita Desouza (Arnita Champion) to numb his pain. Sex turns to conspiracy when she lays out a plan to have her husband ripped-off during a 5 million dollar diamond deal. Her husband is ruthless Cuban kingpin David Desouza (Art Parga). He's heavily into his own version of Santeria and the blood diamond market. He depends on Rita and his most bloodthirsty enforcer Voodoo (Jesse James Youngblood) took keep people in line.

Jack brings in Hector and Frank to help him pull off the robbery. Out of time on his debt he's forced to let Anton in on the job for a large cut of the take. They crash in on illegal blood diamond deal between a Cuban cartel and an African based crime syndicate headed by an ambitious upstart known as Omar (Keion Adams).

The rip-off erupts into deadly violence. This sets off a frenzy of double-crosses and brazen executions that entwine everyone in a bloody conflict that plays out to an explosive ending. Friendship, loyalty, and love run short in a world of greed.

The trailer can be viewed on YouTube.Com, Yahoo Videos, Google Videos, AtomFilms.Com, and iFilm.Com

"In With Thieves" is in the final stages of post-production and is being represented to interested distributors by Mark Steven Bosko the author of "The Complete Independent Movie Marketing Handbook". A must read for independent filmmakers that want practical advice on the business. While filmmaking is an art you should be prepared for the harsh realities of the business side. All filmmakers take lumps coming up through the game.

Urban movies will continue to rise as talented filmmakers show their passion for making movies with an independent heart. Slice Of Americana Films has started pre-production for their third urban movie titled "Stash Spot". Rival criminals fight to find a fortune in cash ripped-off during a drug deal gone bad. When the stick-up artists responsible turn up dead, a bloodbath erupts as each vicious criminal makes their ruthless play to locate the money.

You always learn things with each film you produce. Hopefully filmmakers will continue to push the urban genre beyond what it is now.

* Quick and dirty tips if you're going to produce your own urban movie:
(* does not apply to filmmakers that have Hollywood connections or access to big money)


Avoid writing an amazing scene like the shoot-out in 'Heat' if you can't pull it off.

Write realistic locations into your script that you have shooting access to.

Action scenes are always going to take longer to light and shoot than talking head scenes.

Make sure your dialogue is authentic to the culture of the street. If you're writing your own script the right words will cost you nothing.

Wardrobe can't make Corey Feldman (nothing against The Corey) a Latino gangster by having him wear a bandanna and a flannel shirt buttoned only at the top. You see that type of phony wardrobe in some really bad urban movies.

Nothing will go as planned.

Leave your ego behind.

Whatever happens keep the show rolling. 

By: Sid Kali 

Watch Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Flick On-line

Jared Harris. The film is specially influenced by Conan Doyle's work The ultimate Problem, but it is an independent story rather than a strict adaptation.

Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) tracks Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), his old lover plus a master criminal, who is acting as being a courier for Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris). Moriarty is the offender mastermind, Holmes' intellectual equal, behind the criminal activities from the first Sherlock Holmes film on this series. After slipping Holmes, Adler delivers a package with a doctor at an sell. During this very swift exchange, mention is made of an note from a Moriarity conspirator for that conspirator's sister. Holmes reappears. As Adler's package is revealed to become bomb, Holmes and Adler spar in addition to Holmes steals the be aware from Adler. Although he defuses your bomb, Holmes fails to stop the doctor's assassination. Adler reports to Moriarty by meeting him in a public restaurant. Moriarty then releases Adler by his employ, saying that her feelings for Holmes have compromised her usefulness and led to the theft of the actual letter. Adler starts to get away from, but then stumbles in addition to falls as Moriarty received poisoned her tea.

The next day, Dr. Watson (Jude Law) is approximately to be married and finds Holmes's home, ready to go out for the stag party he believes best man Holmes has arranged. Holmes shows himself to be upset by Watson's marriage to Mary (Kelly Reilly). Holmes has become dissolute, living on caffeine, tobacco, and coca leaves and also drinking embalming fluid. He also reveals his or her experiments in urban camouflage clothing, hiding in plain view. Holmes reveals that he has investigating a seemingly unrelated series of crimes, believing them all linked to Professor Moriarty. Holmes believes Moriarty is using his connections and wealth to arrange 'anarchist' bombings in Portugal and Germany, creating tensions between equally countries.

Holmes introduces Watson to help his brother, Mycroft (Stephen Fry), who has an undefined, high level role using the British government. Mycroft informs Holmes that she must attend a tranquility summit in Switzerland soon because of the recent bombings. As the three ones reach the party, Watson realizes Holmes features failed to invite any of the guests Watson had envisioned. At the 'party', it becomes apparent that Holmes has brought Watson there to uncover another intended target connected with Moriarty's, a fortune telling gypsy known as Sim (Noomi Rapace). Holmes shares the thieved letter with Sim, tying her to Moriarty through her brother, Rene. Holmes also informs Sim that Moriarty has sent a great assassin to kill the woman's. Holmes attacks the assassin, eventually escaping with Watson and arriving morning still drunk, late, and in scandalous gown for Watson's wedding. Following the ceremony, Holmes is told in order to meet Moriarty at the School. Holmes meets with Moriarty, who warns Holmes that when he persists in examining him, Watson and his wife will be targeted, and that Holmes' enthusiast, Adler, had already been slain.

The next day, Holmes stows away, disguised as a girl, on the train having Dr. Watson and Mary to their honeymoon destination. While in transit, several dozen of Moriarty's men, disguised as attendants and also British soldiers, attack Watson and Margaret. Holmes throws Mary off of the train into a serious river, where Mycroft picks your ex up and takes the woman to his home. Watson, though furious, agrees to travel using him to Paris in order to confront Moriarty - that is traveling on a lecture tour - in order to find the gypsy whom Holmes acquired saved earlier. When the duo get to France, Holmes locates Sim, as she is the one clue to Moriarty's plans. He tells Sim which Moriarty targeted her caused by her brother Rene's work with him, and she was a loose end who would be killed. They deduce Rene's location in Paris in the note that Holmes stole from Adler ahead of her murder, and arrive there to discover a radical anarchist group which Rene and Sim helpful to work for. The anarchists had been forced to plant bombs with Moriarty's behalf, in part because Moriarty features kidnapped the leader's spouse and children. The leader informs them how the last bomb had been recently planted that night, and that his loved ones would finally be free if he tied up loose ends. He then commits committing suicide.

Holmes, Watson, and Sim follow your clues that Holmes deduced thinking that Moriarty would strike inside the Opera and arrive there that night. Holmes realizes too late that Moriarty has robbed him when he discovers that Moriarty occurs. Instead, a hotel where an essential business meeting was occurring is blown up. As Holmes looks above the bodies, he realizes the explosive device was a cover for just a gunman of Moriarty's, Colonel Sebastian Moran (Paul Anderson). Colonel Moran was previously the optimum sharpshooter in the Uk Army and had practically supernatural marksmanship. Just prior to the actual bomb exploding, Moran shot a German businessman with the party, ensuring his death. Holmes notes that the businessman had previously owned a massive arms corporation, which had recently had a lot of its stock purchased by simply an unknown investor. Holmes, believing the investor is usually Moriarty, crosses the border using Watson, Sim, and her gypsies, investigating one of the company's factories in Germany. Holmes and Watson individual, but Holmes is harnessed by Colonel Moran along with interrogated by Moriarty. Moriarty tortures Holmes by impaling him over the shoulder on an animal meat hook, lifting him off regarding his feet, and dancing with him as he's suspended. Moriarty reveals he possesses shares in companies all over Europe in cotton, guns and other items, and plans to find a war that will create a large demand for all of them and make him a fortune. Watson, attempting to save Holmes, is nearly killed by simply Colonel Moran, but manages to avoid by collapsing Moran's sniper nest in the large, lighted tower. The tower's collapse practically kills both Holmes and also Moriarty. The duo rendezvous along with Sim and her gypsies, pursued hotly by In german Army soldiers and Colonel Moran. Most of the gypsies are usually killed by artillery in addition to mortar fire, as are the In german soldiers. Moran is shot, but not killed, by Watson, as the gypsies, Holmes, and Watson attempt in order to board a moving train to flee. Only Sim, Holmes, Watson, and one other gypsy ensure it is onto the train. Holmes, suffering from multiple shrapnel accidents, stops breathing on table the train, but is revived when Watson administers an effort of adrenaline given to be able to him by Holmes as a wedding gift. Holmes surmises Moriarty's next target would be the peace summit in Europe, where Moriarty will generate an incident between earth leaders to spark warfare.

Holmes, Watson, and Sim are given invitations for the summit by Holmes' close friend Mycroft. At the summit, Holmes deduces that a few twins working for Moriarty in Germany are not actually twins. They were the results of an experiment, by the doctor killed in the auction, to give a man the face area of another. Watson and Sim get started investigating the guests, realizing then that one is Rene, disguised as an ambassador, and acting as a good assassin. Meanwhile, as they search, Holmes invites Moriarty, who is also present for the summit, to a game of chess on a balcony over a waterfall. Watson and Sim can easily stop Rene; however, he is surreptitiously wiped out by Colonel Moran. This means that Holmes are not able to prove that Moriarty seemed to be behind the assassination effort, as Rene was the sole loose end that Moriarty acquired left. Following this, Holmes reveals to Moriarty that will in Germany, he stole the account book tracing every one of Moriarty's assets, and replaced it with a duplicate. The account book was the one remaining piece of evidence linking him to his deeds. This book had been sent to Mary in London (apparently with a gypsy courier), who deciphered it by using a key discovered by Holmes even though visiting Moriarty's university office. Mary passes this information to Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan) who begins seizing a large number of boxes in Moriarty's place of work. Holmes then checkmates Moriarty closing their game.

Holmes, standing at the edge on the balcony, asks Moriarty to gentle his pipe. During this time, each man prepares to try and do battle with the other, and mentally script out the fight within their respective minds. Both realize that Holmes will eventually lose as a result of his shoulder injury. With no other choice, Holmes blows soot by his pipe in Moriarty's little brown eyes, distracting him. Holmes then grabs Moriarty, pulling him in in close proximity, and Holmes sits within the balcony ledge while bracing his foot using a nearby table. As Watson enters the balcony through the ballroom, Holmes gives him a quick look then pushes off of the table, throwing Holmes and Moriarty backwards within the edge. The two fall numerous feet to their apparent deaths on the base of the waterfall. At Holmes' funeral, it is revealed that this bodies of both adult males were never found. Some time later, Watson and Mary prepare to take an a honeymoon to exchange the interrupted one, while Watson finishes composing of his last scenario with Holmes. A delivery of a little oxygen producing apparatus that Watson had seen Holmes acquire from Mycroft alerts Watson that Holmes could possibly have survived. Watson runs from the room to question Mary around the delivery. Holmes reveals himself on the audience, having concealed himself in Watson's room using their urban camouflage suit, before rushing to this typewriter and adding some sort of "? " after the words and phrases "The End", in the writing carried out by Watson.

Bollywood

Bollywood is an Indian movie making industry that began in Bombay (now Mumbai) in the 1930s and developed into an enormous film empire. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing films in regional languages. Bollywood is the largest film producer in India and one of the largest centers of film production in the world.

Bollywood is formally referred to as Hindi cinema.Stars, rather than plots, were often the driving force behind the films. There has been a growing presence of Indian English in dialogue and songs as well. It is common to see films that feature dialogue with English words (also known as Hinglish), phrases, or even whole sentences.

Etymology

The name "Bollywood" is derived from Bombay (the former name for Mumbai) and Hollywood, the center of the American film industry. However, unlike Hollywood, Bollywood does not exist as a physical place. Though some deplore the name, arguing that it makes the industry look like a poor cousin to Hollywood, it has its own entry in the Oxford English Dictionary.

The term "Bollywood" has origins in the 1970s, when India overtook America as the world's largest film producer. Credit for the term has been claimed by several different people, including the lyricist, filmmaker and scholar Amit Khanna, and the journalist Bevinda Collaco.

The naming scheme for "Bollywood" was inspired by "Tollywood", the name that was used to refer to the cinema of West Bengal. Dating back to 1932, "Tollywood" was the earliest Hollywood-inspired name, referring to the Bengali film industry based in Tollygunge, whose name is reminiscent of "Hollywood" and was the center of the cinema of India at the time.

History

Raja Harishchandra (1913), by Dadasaheb Phalke, was the first silent feature film made in India. By the 1930s, the industry was producing over 200 films per annum.[12] The first Indian sound film, Ardeshir Irani's Alam Ara (1931), was a major commercial success.[13] There was clearly a huge market for talkies and musicals; Bollywood and all the regional film industries quickly switched to sound filming.

The 1930s and 1940s were tumultuous times: India was buffeted by the Great Depression, World War II, the Indian independence movement, and the violence of the Partition. Most Bollywood films were unabashedly escapist, but there were also a number of filmmakers who tackled tough social issues, or used the struggle for Indian independence as a backdrop for their plots.

In 1937, Ardeshir Irani, of Alam Ara fame, made the first colour film in Hindi, Kisan Kanya. The next year, he made another colour film, a version of Mother India. However, colour did not become a popular feature until the late 1950s. At this time, lavish romantic musicals and melodramas were the staple fare at the cinema.

Golden Age

Following India's independence, the period from the late 1940s to the 1960s is regarded by film historians as the "Golden Age" of Hindi cinema. Some of the most critically acclaimed Hindi films of all time were produced during this period. Examples include the Guru Dutt films Pyaasa (1957) and Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) and the Raj Kapoor films Awaara (1951) and Shree 420 (1955). These films expressed social themes mainly dealing with working-class urban life in India; Awaara presented the city as both a nightmare and a dream, while Pyaasa critiqued the unreality of city life. Some of the most famous epic films of Hindi cinema were also produced at the time, including Mehboob Khan's Mother India (1957), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and K. Asif's Mughal-e-Azam (1960). Madhumati (1958), directed by Bimal Roy and written by Ritwik Ghatak, popularized the theme of reincarnation in Western popular culture. Other acclaimed mainstream Hindi filmmakers at the time included Kamal Amrohi and Vijay Bhatt. Successful actors at the time included Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt, while successful actresses included Nargis, Vyjayanthimala, Meena Kumari, Nutan, Madhubala, Waheeda Rehman and Mala Sinha.

While commercial Hindi cinema was thriving, the 1950s also saw the emergence of a new Parallel Cinema movement. Though the movement was mainly led by Bengali cinema, it also began gaining prominence in Hindi cinema. Early examples of Hindi films in this movement include Chetan Anand's Neecha Nagar (1946) and Bimal Roy's Two Acres of Land (1953). Their critical acclaim, as well as the latter's commercial success, paved the way for Indian neorealism and the Indian New Wave. Some of the internationally acclaimed Hindi filmmakers involved in the movement included Mani Kaul, Kumar Shahani, Ketan Mehta, Govind Nihalani, Shyam Benegal and Vijaya Mehta.

Ever since the social realist film Neecha Nagar won the Grand Prize at the first Cannes Film Festival, Hindi films were frequently in competition for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, with some of them winning major prizes at the festival. Guru Dutt, while overlooked in his own lifetime, had belatedly generated international recognition much later in the 1980s. Dutt is now regarded as one of the greatest Asian filmmakers of all time, alongside the more famous Indian Bengali filmmaker Satyajit Ray. The 2002 Sight & Sound critics' and directors' poll of greatest filmmakers ranked Dutt at #73 on the list. Some of his films are now included among the greatest films of all time, with Pyaasa (1957) being featured in Time magazine's "All-TIME" 100 best movies list, and with both Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) tied at #160 in the 2002 Sight & Sound critics' and directors' poll of all-time greatest films. Several other Hindi films from this era were also ranked in the Sight & Sound poll, including Raj Kapoor's Awaara (1951), Vijay Bhatt's Baiju Bawra (1952), Mehboob Khan's Mother India (1957) and K. Asif's Mughal-e-Azam (1960) all tied at #346 on the list.

Modern cinema

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, romance movies and action films starred actors like Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar and Shashi Kapoor and actresses like Sharmila Tagore, Mumtaz and Asha Parekh. In the mid-1970s, romantic confections made way for gritty, violent films about gangsters (see Indian mafia) and bandits. Amitabh Bachchan, the star known for his "angry young man" roles, rode the crest of this trend with actors like Mithun Chakraborty and Anil Kapoor, which lasted into the early 1990s. Actresses from this era included Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan and Rekha.

Some Hindi filmmakers such as Shyam Benegal continued to produce realistic Parallel Cinema throughout the 1970s, alongside Mani Kaul, Kumar Shahani, Ketan Mehta, Govind Nihalani and Vijaya Mehta. However, the 'art film' bent of the Film Finance Corporation came under criticism during a Committee on Public Undertakings investigation in 1976, which accused the body of not doing enough to encourage commercial cinema. The 1970s thus saw the rise of commercial cinema in the form of enduring films such as Sholay (1975), which solidified Amitabh Bachchan's position as a lead actor. The devotional classic Jai Santoshi Ma was also released in 1975. Another important film from 1975 was Deewar, directed by Yash Chopra and written by Salim-Javed. A crime film pitting "a policeman against his brother, a gang leader based on real-life smuggler Haji Mastan", portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan, it was described as being “absolutely key to Indian cinema” by Danny Boyle.[32] The most internationally acclaimed Hindi film of the 1980s was Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay! (1988), which won the Camera d'Or at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the pendulum swung back toward family-centric romantic musicals with the success of such films as Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988), Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), Hum Aapke Hain Kaun (1994) and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), making stars out of a new generation of actors (such as Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan) and actresses (such as Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla and Kajol). In that point of time, action and comedy films were also successful, with actors like Govinda and actresses such as Raveena Tandon and Karisma Kapoor appearing in popular comedy films, and stunt actor Akshay Kumar gaining popularity for performing dangerous stunts in action films. Furthermore, this decade marked the entry of new performers in arthouse and independent films, some of which succeeded commercially, the most influential example being Satya (1998), directed by Ram Gopal Varma and written by Anurag Kashyap. The critical and commercial success of Satya led to the emergence of a distinct genre known as Mumbai noir, urban films reflecting social problems in the city of Mumbai. This led to a resurgence of Parallel Cinema by the end of the decade. These films often featured actors like Nana Patekar, Manoj Bajpai, Manisha Koirala, Tabu and Urmila Matondkar, whose performances were usually critically acclaimed.

The 2000s saw a growth in Bollywood's popularity in the world. This led the nation's filmmaking to new heights in terms of quality, cinematography and innovative story lines as well as technical advances in areas such as special effects, animation, and so on. Some of the largest production houses, among them Yash Raj Films and Dharma Productions were the producers of new modern films. The opening up of the overseas market, more Bollywood releases abroad and the explosion of multiplexes in big cities, led to wider box office successes in India and abroad, including Lagaan (2001), Devdas (2002), Koi... Mil Gaya (2003), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Veer-Zaara (2004), Rang De Basanti (2006), Lage Raho Munnabhai (2006), Krrish (2006), Dhoom 2 (2006), Om Shanti Om (2007), Chak De India (2007), Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), Ghajini (2008), 3 Idiots (2009), My Name is Khan (2010), and Dabangg (2010) delivering a new generation of popular actors (Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan) and actresses (Aishwarya Rai, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukerji, Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra), and keeping the popularity of actors of the previous decade. Among the mainstream films, Lagaan won the Audience Award at the Locarno International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 74th Academy Awards, while Devdas and Rang De Basanti were both nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

The Hindi film industry has preferred films that appeal to all segments of the audience (see the discussion in Ganti, 2004, cited in references), and has resisted making films that target narrow audiences. It was believed that aiming for a broad spectrum would maximise box office receipts. However, filmmakers may be moving towards accepting some box-office segmentation, between films that appeal to rural Indians, and films that appeal to urban and overseas audiences.

Article Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollywood