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| Home > Indian Cinema
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| | Indian Cinema
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 Entertainment and Cinema are synonymous with each other.Cinema is so interlinked with our lives today that it is difficult to imagine life without it. Cinema clearly opens a most useful window onto a culture and by studying a culture one acquires deeper understanding of the customs, behaviour patterns, values, arts and crafts and also the practices of everyday life of the people inhabiting that culture. India, is thus one such country that is so diverse in its nature but secular in its form. All different cultures and traditions are an integral part of our country, which again explains as to why the Indian cinema industry is such an enormous one.
 India is the largest film-producing country in the world; producing over 900 films annually. Indian cinema, thus, are gaining popularity like never before. These are screened not only in Asia, but also in East Africa, Mauritius, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Britain, Canada, Australia, the United States and the countries associated with the former Soviet Union. The world of Indian cinema is a very fascinating one that has mesmerized every person, on a global platform.Though a large industry, very few of us actually know its intricacies and its main elements that actually go in a make it a great form of entertainment for the global masses. Indian cinema, like many of the other cinema industries in world, both reflects and is reflected through the country`s political, economic, social and cultural aspects.
 The connection of art and culture might sound way too different, but the same is omnipresent; especially in India. Since, its inception, the Indian cinema has concentrated on various subjects that have been the important aspects of the films. Such subjects have highlighted the problems, complexities and the various aspects of the Indian society in general. And such subjects have indeed created ripples in the past and hence have acknowledged notable Indian films and filmmakers throughout the world. One can see, as early as the 1930`s, just two decades after the first Indian film was made, caste became a central issue of cinematic exploration in films like "Achut Kanya", (The Untouchable Girl). A more sophisticated approach to caste can be seen in Sujata (of high caste), produced in 1959.
Similarly, deeper insights into the complex processes of modernization, colonialism, nationalism and freedom for women can be acquired through the Indian cinema. When we consider Indian films, we see how the filmmakers have promoted westernization, the emancipation of women & the other caste related problems, the rights of the minorities and mostly importantly the relationships between Hindus & Muslims. Even aspects like fashion & lifestyle, have played a central role in Indian society and have generated awareness and have influenced public opinions on issues like drugs, violence and sex.
Likewise, there are a number of genres and styles of Indian cinema that a viewer encounters, such as, romantic comedies, gangster films, horror films, westerns, melodramas, musicals and historical films. While some of these genres are present in Indian cinema, often as a consequence of the impact of the western films, the Indian filmmakers have also created some styles of their own, that are acknowledged as their own. This is clearly discernible in the popular tradition of filmmaking in India.
 The knowledge of Indian cinema provides an entry into the thought-worlds and performance-worlds to the people interested in this art. Many Indian film directors, right from the pioneers such as Dadasaheb Phalke to the modern ones like Yash Chopra, have deployed their creativity along with traditional forms of dance & mime, folk & classical music to enhance the communicated experience. Indian popular cinema has evolved into a distinctively Indian mode of entertainment by imaginatively amalgamating music dances also and the works of veteran directors like V.Shantaram. Guru Dutt and Raj Kapoor bear a testimony to this fact. So, through Indian cinema one can also enter the larger world of Indian aesthetics.
Indian cinema has presented a detailed version of India from its different historical movies to its present scenario movies. The distinct genres of films depicted by the different filmmakers have helped in the study of India from a different and distinct angle of vision. Thus, one cannot help but realize the fact that indeed it has been the old traditions and the cultures that have actually framed the Indian cinema, which have been an encouragement to uplift India and make it one of the renowned countries in the world. By seeing the cultures and traditions of the distinct societies, people can examine their own country`s culture with fresh eyes and with a special vision and approach.
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