A – ALAM ARA:
THE FIRST TALKIE IN INDIAN CINEMA SET THE BLUEPRINT FOR BOLLYWOOD AND OFFERED UP THE FIRST BIG MUSICAL ANTHEM. ALTHOUGH ALAM ARA (1931) WOULD INFLUENCE SUBSEQUENT FILMS RIGHT UP UNTIL THE PRESENT IT HAS BEEN PERMANENTLY LOST AND NO PRINTS REMAIN OF IT.

B – Bollywood:

A journalist in the 1970’s first coined the nickname for the Hindi film industry by replacing the H from Hollywood with the B from Bombay (now known as Mumbai), which is the capital of the industry.

C – CENSOR BOARD:

Most Bollywood films have been largely family friendly because of strict censorship laws in India. For decades even kissing was forbidden and strategically covered. Although laws are more relaxed today censors still have a tight grip.

D – DANCE:

Neatly choreographed dance numbers have helped give Indian cinema a unique identity. Dance became popular in the 1950’s and has since incorporated everything from classical to contemporary influences into eye-catching sequences. The popularity of Bollywood dance has filtered globally into live shows, nightclubs, exercise classes and more.

E – ELOPED:

There are many great stories of how unknown actors got their first big break, but perhaps the most interesting revolves around Bollywood’s first male superstar Ashok Kumar. The shy lab assistant was plucked from obscurity when the lead star of Jeevan Naiya (1936), Najmal Hussain was fired for eloping with producer Himansu Rai’s wife Devika Rani.