Music and Bollywood Cinema
The most interesting thing about Bollywood music is that sometimes it plays a bigger role in a movie rather than the plot or the actors in it. Most of the times, what attracts the Indian audience to movies are the songs it has. They are an integral part of any Bollywood movie. It can be said that the music is what makes the film ‘filmi’ (of film) with regard to the Indian audience. Sometimes, even if the film as a whole is bad, it becomes a hit due to the popularity of the songs. The songs are composed well before the actual film is made and the music release is done in a grand way as part of the promotional activities for a movie.
The history of Bollywood music starts from a time when the actors themselves sang the songs. It was the fifties. Later, playback singing was introduced and this was a revolution. There were plenty of famous, talented songwriters, singers and composers during the 70s and the 80s. Elaborate dance numbers and good music were inevitable in Hindi movies.
Some of the songs of the time are being remixed these days in the new Bollywood movies to attract the audience. The music of Bollywood in the nineties showed influences from the western styles of music. A new music style, Indi-pop, was also popularized through Bollywood. These days, we see an amalgam of varied music styles from around the world in Bollywood.
With AR Rahman winning the Academy award for music in the British film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ Bollywood music reached another level of recognition altogether. Nowadays we see Western movies using Indian tunes in their films. This is clearly an indication of the popularity of such music in places other than the subcontinent. The growing recognition of Bollywood movies will also result in the growth of Bollywood music, for good.
The history of Bollywood music starts from a time when the actors themselves sang the songs. It was the fifties. Later, playback singing was introduced and this was a revolution. There were plenty of famous, talented songwriters, singers and composers during the 70s and the 80s. Elaborate dance numbers and good music were inevitable in Hindi movies.
Some of the songs of the time are being remixed these days in the new Bollywood movies to attract the audience. The music of Bollywood in the nineties showed influences from the western styles of music. A new music style, Indi-pop, was also popularized through Bollywood. These days, we see an amalgam of varied music styles from around the world in Bollywood.
With AR Rahman winning the Academy award for music in the British film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ Bollywood music reached another level of recognition altogether. Nowadays we see Western movies using Indian tunes in their films. This is clearly an indication of the popularity of such music in places other than the subcontinent. The growing recognition of Bollywood movies will also result in the growth of Bollywood music, for good.
