131-510: Zoya Akhtar (born 14 October 1972) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Hindi cinema . Born to Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani , she completed a diploma in filmmaking from NYU and assisted directors Mira Nair , Tony Gerber and Dev Benegal , before becoming an independent writer and director. She is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards . Akhtar, along with Reema Kagti , founded Tiger Baby Films ,
262-573: A parallel cinema movement. Although the movement (emphasising social realism ) was led by Bengali cinema , it also began gaining prominence in Hindi cinema. Early examples of parallel cinema include Dharti Ke Lal (1946), directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and based on the Bengal famine of 1943 , Neecha Nagar (1946) directed by Chetan Anand and written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, and Bimal Roy's Do Bigha Zamin (1953). Their critical acclaim and
393-537: A vigilante or anti-hero whose suppressed rage voiced the anguish of the urban poor. Hindi films have been a significant form of soft power for India, increasing its influence and changing overseas perceptions of India. In Germany , Indian stereotypes included bullock carts , beggars, sacred cows, corrupt politicians, and catastrophes before Bollywood and the IT industry transformed global perceptions of India. According to author Roopa Swaminathan, "Bollywood cinema
524-575: A "new wave" in Indian cinema. Critic Ziya Us Salam praised Akhtar's direction and commented for The Hindu : "In his maiden venture, Javed Akhtar 's son shows enough glimpses of his pedigree to indicate that promise will attain fulfilment sooner than later." Various award shows conferred accolades on the film and nominated it for several categories. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi for 2002, in addition to
655-512: A "turning point" in his career. The film dealt with the lives of westernised urban youth in Mumbai . Akhtar had written the script based on his trips to Goa and New York City , as well as a narration of a story outline by a friend of his, Kassim Jagmagia, who would eventually become a co-producer at Excel Entertainment in the future. It received international critical acclaim and attained an iconic status, with Akhtar receiving credit for starting
786-523: A Hong Kong remake, The Brothers (1979), which inspired John Woo 's internationally acclaimed breakthrough A Better Tomorrow (1986); the latter was a template for Hong Kong action cinema 's heroic bloodshed genre. "Angry young man" 1970s epics such as Deewaar and Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) also resemble the heroic-bloodshed genre of 1980s Hong Kong action cinema. The influence of filmi may be seen in popular music worldwide. Technopop pioneers Haruomi Hosono and Ryuichi Sakamoto of
917-442: A colour 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 cinematic staples. The decade of the 1940s saw an expansion of Bombay cinema's commercial market and its presence in the national consciousness. The year 1943 saw the arrival of Indian cinema's first 'blockbuster' offering, the movie Kismet , which grossed in excess of
1048-519: A commercial success at the box-office, grossing ₹1.44 billion (US$ 18 million) worldwide, ranking as the ninth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year . The same year, Akhtar, along with Reema Kagti , founded Tiger Baby Films , an Indian film production company. In 2018, she then again teamed up with Kashyap, Banerjee and Johar for the anthology film Lust Stories , the sequel to Bombay Talkies , which premiered on Netflix in June 2018. Her segment in
1179-559: A commercial success at the box-office, grossing ₹2.38 billion (US$ 33.8 million) worldwide, ranking as the ninth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year . At the 65th Filmfare Awards , Gully Boy won a record 13 Filmfare Awards , the most awards for a single film in a year, breaking the previous record of Black (2005) with 11 wins. The film won Akhtar (along with Kagti) the Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay , in addition to her second Filmfare Award for Best Director, thus becoming
1310-444: A commercial success at the box-office. In 2013, Akhtar teamed up with Anurag Kashyap , Dibakar Banerjee and Karan Johar for the anthology film Bombay Talkies . It was made as a celebration of 100 years of Indian cinema . Her segment titled Sheila Ki Jawaani , told the story of a 12-year-old child who idolised Hindi film actress Katrina Kaif and aspires to be a Bollywood dancer, earned her positive reviews from critics. However,
1441-501: A contemporary urban context and anguished urban poor. By the mid-1970s, romantic confections had given way to gritty, violent crime films and action films about gangsters (the Bombay underworld ) and bandits ( dacoits ). Salim-Javed's writing and Amitabh Bachchan's acting popularised the trend with films such as Zanjeer and (particularly) Deewaar , a crime film inspired by Gunga Jumna which pitted "a policeman against his brother,
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#17327980557001572-557: A director in Himalay Putra (1997) before launching himself into direction and writing. Akhtar made his writing and directorial debut with the critically acclaimed coming-of-age comedy-drama Dil Chahta Hai (2001), produced by Excel Entertainment , a production company he established along with Ritesh Sidhwani in 1999. It was shot over a period of three months in Sydney , Goa and Mumbai . Due to its acclaim, he called it
1703-577: A film and web studio in October 2015. She made her directorial debut with the drama Luck by Chance (2009), and achieved her breakthrough with the ensemble buddy road comedy-drama Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), winning the Filmfare Award for Best Debut Director for the former, and the Filmfare Award for Best Director for the latter. She followed it up with co-writing the psychological crime thriller Talaash: The Answer Lies Within (2012) alongside Reema Kagti , and directing Sheila Ki Jawaani ,
1834-537: A film of scenes from that show, The Flower of Persia (1898). The Wrestlers (1899) by H. S. Bhatavdekar showed a wrestling match at the Hanging Gardens in Bombay . Dadasaheb Phalke 's silent film Raja Harishchandra (1913) is the first feature-length film made in India. The film, being silent, had English , Marathi , and Hindi -language intertitles . By the 1930s, the Indian film industry as
1965-472: A film titled The Fakir of Venice , which was initially scheduled to release before Rock On!! and was supposed to be his acting debut. Due to several delays, it was premiered at the 2009 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles . It was written and directed by Anand Surapur, and accepted by Akhtar after he described its script as "very powerful", while emphasising that it "touches upon weaknesses and confusions in all human beings". Before release, it premiered at
2096-497: A gang leader based on real-life smuggler Haji Mastan " (Bachchan); according to Danny Boyle , Deewaar was "absolutely key to Indian cinema". In addition to Bachchan, several other actors followed by riding the crest of the trend (which lasted into the early 1990s). Actresses from the era include Hema Malini , Jaya Bachchan , Raakhee , Shabana Azmi , Zeenat Aman , Parveen Babi , Rekha , Dimple Kapadia , Smita Patil , Jaya Prada and Padmini Kolhapure . The name "Bollywood"
2227-546: A genre of dacoit films , in turn defined by Gunga Jumna (1961). Written and produced by Dilip Kumar, Gunga Jumna was a dacoit crime drama about two brothers on opposite sides of the law (a theme which became common in Indian films during the 1970s). Some of the best-known epic films of Hindi cinema were also produced at this time, such as K. Asif 's Mughal-e-Azam (1960). Other acclaimed mainstream Hindi filmmakers during this period included Kamal Amrohi and Vijay Bhatt . The three most popular male Indian actors of
2358-530: A global presence". Scholar Brigitte Schulze has written that Indian films, most notably Mehboob Khan 's Mother India (1957), played a key role in shaping the Republic of India 's national identity in the early years after independence from the British Raj ; the film conveyed a sense of Indian nationalism to urban and rural citizens alike. Bollywood has long influenced Indian society and culture as
2489-783: A good film is generally referred to as paisa vasool , (literally "money's worth"). Songs, dances, love triangles, comedy and dare-devil thrills are combined in a three-hour show (with an intermission). These are called masala films , after the Hindi word for a spice mixture. Like masalas , they are a mixture of action, comedy and romance; most have heroes who can fight off villains single-handedly. Bollywood plots have tended to be melodramatic , frequently using formulaic ingredients such as star-crossed lovers, angry parents, love triangles, family ties, sacrifice, political corruption, kidnapping, villains, kind-hearted courtesans , long-lost relatives and siblings, reversals of fortune and serendipity . Parallel cinema films tended to be less popular at
2620-531: A hippy-style lead-singer to a subdued, dismal workaholic banker." Akhtar received several accolades for his debut performance. The film, in addition won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi . However, it did not create an impact at the box office and turned out to be an "average" grosser. After refusing an offer to sing a song for A. R. Rahman 's album Blue (2009), Akhtar acted in, and produced his sister Zoya 's directorial and written debut Luck By Chance , alongside Konkona Sen Sharma in
2751-651: A major commercial success at the box-office, grossing ₹1.53 billion (US$ 19 million) worldwide, ranking as the fifth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year . Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara earned Akhtar her first Filmfare Award for Best Director . The following year, she and Kagti co-wrote the psychological crime thriller Talaash: The Answer Lies Within (2012), starring an ensemble cast of Aamir Khan , Kareena Kapoor Khan , Rani Mukerji , Nawazuddin Siddiqui , Rajkummar Rao and Shernaz Patel in lead roles. The film received highly positive reviews upon release and emerged as
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#17327980557002882-464: A major influence. During the early 20th century, Urdu was the lingua franca of popular cultural performance across northern India and established in popular performance art traditions such as nautch dancing, Urdu poetry , and Parsi theater. Urdu and related Hindi dialects were the most widely understood across northern India, and Hindustani became the standard language of early Indian talkies. Films based on " Persianate adventure-romances" led to
3013-402: A new generation of popular actors, including the three Khans : Aamir Khan , Shah Rukh Khan , and Salman Khan , who have starred in most of the top ten highest-grossing Bollywood films . The Khans and have had successful careers since the late 1980s and early 1990s, and have dominated the Indian box office for three decades. Shah Rukh Khan was the most successful Indian actor for most of
3144-746: A popular genre of " Arabian Nights cinema". Scholars Chaudhuri Diptakirti and Rachel Dwyer and screenwriter Javed Akhtar identify Urdu literature as a major influence on Hindi cinema. Most of the screenwriters and scriptwriters of classic Hindi cinema came from Urdu literary backgrounds, from Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and Akhtar ul Iman to Salim–Javed and Rahi Masoom Raza ; a handful came from other Indian literary traditions, such as Bengali and Hindi literature . Most of Hindi cinema's classic scriptwriters wrote primarily in Urdu, including Salim-Javed, Gulzar , Rajinder Singh Bedi , Inder Raj Anand , Rahi Masoom Raza and Wajahat Mirza . Urdu poetry and
3275-474: A psychological thriller directed by Vijay Lalwani. He played Karthik, an introvert, paired opposite Deepika Padukone for the first time. Preparation for the role involved working on the Rubik's Cube , which he learnt from the director. The film received mixed reviews, but Akhtar's performance received praise, with Sukanya Verma highlighting that "He conveys the anxiety, simplicity and frailty of Karthik even when
3406-641: A renaissance of Western musical films such as Chicago , Rent , and Dreamgirls . Indian film composer A. R. Rahman wrote the music for Andrew Lloyd Webber 's Bombay Dreams , and a musical version of Hum Aapke Hain Koun was staged in London's West End. The sports film Lagaan (2001) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film , and two other Hindi films (2002's Devdas and 2006's Rang De Basanti ) were nominated for
3537-403: A segment of the anthology film Bombay Talkies (2013) . Akhtar then went on to direct the ensemble family comedy-drama Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), segments in the anthology films Lust Stories (2018) and Ghost Stories (2020), and the musical drama Gully Boy (2019), winning her second Filmfare Award for Best Director for the latter, thus becoming the only female director to have won
3668-465: A sequel was explained by him in an interview: "I am wary of sequels having to be made. With Don 2 I could finally make an action thriller the way I wanted to. Good story, classic action and simple plot which has one goal and work towards it effectively and dramatically." The film was a major success in India and went on to become the year's highest-grossing Bollywood production in overseas markets with
3799-457: A similar influence on Amitabh Bachchan , Naseeruddin Shah , Shah Rukh Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui . Veteran actresses such as Suraiya , Nargis , Sumitra Devi , Madhubala , Meena Kumari , Waheeda Rehman , Nutan , Sadhana , Mala Sinha and Vyjayanthimala have had their share of influence on Hindi cinema. While commercial Hindi cinema was thriving, the 1950s also saw the emergence of
3930-615: A very brief role as Rasa Devi's ( Rekha 's) courtesan in Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love in September 1996. She and Shah Rukh Khan had a 'fireside chat' with Jeff Bezos of Amazon in January 2020. Hindi cinema Hindi cinema , popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema , refers to the film industry based in Mumbai , engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood
4061-459: A whole was producing over 200 films per year. The first Indian sound film, Ardeshir Irani 's Alam Ara (1931), made in Hindustani language, was commercially successful. With a great demand for talkies and musicals, Hindustani cinema (as Hindi cinema was then known as) and the other language film industries quickly switched to sound films. The 1930s and 1940s were tumultuous times; India
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4192-437: A worldwide gross of ₹ 2.1 billion (equivalent to ₹ 4.0 billion or US$ 47 million in 2023). It received predominantly positive reviews from critics, with Khalid Mohammed stating: "Throughout, you can't help feeling that Farhan Akhtar could have made three far more valuable films out of the budget squandered on this thriller where cars are smashed as if they were tea cups." In 2012, Akhtar produced and wrote
4323-442: Is Mr. Akhtar whose understated performance holds together this far-ranging, cameo-filled film. He manages to remain sympathetic even while wreaking romantic havoc." Rajeev Masand noted: "Farhan Akhtar delivers a simple-enough likeable performance that is just what the film required — no showy flourishes, no loud outbursts, just a straight off spontaneous act that works like a dream." Following Luck By Chance , Akhtar acted in
4454-413: Is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and " Hollywood ". The industry is a part of the larger Indian cinema , which also includes South Indian cinema and other smaller film industries . The term 'Bollywood', often mistakenly used to refer to Indian cinema as a whole, only refers to Hindi-language films, with Indian cinema being an umbrella term that includes all the film industries in
4585-817: Is a social campaign launched by Akhtar. The idea came to him when, in August 2012, Pallavi Purkayastha, a lawyer by profession, was sexually assaulted and then killed by her residence's watchman. He is the board member of Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image . He has also been the Regional UN Women Ambassador for South Asia since 2016. In 2023, Farhan received the Kamla Bhasin Award for his efforts in promoting gender equality in South Asia . 2019 – Echoes Album (Songs from
4716-563: Is actress Shabana Azmi . Her younger brother, Farhan Akhtar , is an actor and director. She attended Maneckji Cooper Education Trust School and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Xavier's College , both from Mumbai. Later, she joined the New York University Tisch School of the Arts to learn film production. Her great-grandfather, Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi , a scholar of Islamic studies and theology, edited
4847-462: Is indifferent to religion, and was content to let her children grow up with no religion. Akhtar has stated that he is an atheist. Akhtar's family hails from Khairabad in the Avadh region of present-day Uttar Pradesh , and he comes from a long lineage of Urdu poets. He is the grandson of Urdu poet Jan Nisar Akhtar and great-grandson of Urdu poet Muztar Khairabadi . On his mother's side, Akhtar
4978-482: Is linked to economic liberalization in India during the early 1990s. Early in the decade, the pendulum swung back toward family-centered romantic musicals. Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) was followed by blockbusters such as Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), Hum Aapke Hain Kaun (1994), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Raja Hindustani (1996), Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), introducing
5109-467: Is one of the strongest global cultural ambassadors of a new India." Its role in expanding India's global influence is comparable to Hollywood's similar role with American influence. Monroe Township , Middlesex County , New Jersey , in the New York metropolitan area , has been profoundly impacted by Bollywood; this U.S. township has displayed one of the fastest growth rates of its Indian population in
5240-507: Is the nephew of the child actress Daisy Irani and the first cousin of choreographer Farah Khan and Sajid Khan . Akhtar married Adhuna Bhabani in 2000, after being in a relationship with her for 3 years. They first met during the filming of his directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai , which also marked Bhabani's debut as a Bollywood hairstylist. The couple has two daughters named Shakya and Akira. On 21 January 2016, they announced their separation after 16 years of marriage. Their divorce
5371-552: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . In 2020, she reteamed with Kashyap, Banerjee and Johar for the horror anthology film Ghost Stories , the sequel to Lust Stories . Ghost Stories premiered on Netflix on 1 January 2020. Her segment in the film told the story of an ailing bedridden elderly lady ( Surekha Sikri ) and her nurse ( Janhvi Kapoor ). Unlike its predecessors, it received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics upon release. In 2023, she and Kagti co-created
Zoya Akhtar - Misplaced Pages Continue
5502-559: The BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language . Danny Boyle 's Slumdog Millionaire (2008), which won four Golden Globes and eight Academy Awards , was inspired by mainstream Hindi films and is considered an "homage to Hindi commercial cinema". It was also inspired by Mumbai-underworld crime films, such as Deewaar (1975), Satya (1998), Company (2002) and Black Friday (2007). Deewaar had
5633-761: The Filmfare Award for Best Film (Critics) . It was also screened at the International Film Festival of India , the Palm Springs International Film Festival , and the Austin Film Festival . In the same year, he and his sister Zoya Akhtar assisted their father in writing the English lyrics of a song in Lagaan , for which the soundtrack was scored by A. R. Rahman . Akhtar's next project
5764-704: The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles , and the Venice Film Festival at the ArcLight Hollywood . Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter praised the film and felt that "Akhtar, a producer, director and writer making his film debut here as an actor, is talented and handsome enough – and with looks that could translate into any number of ethnicities – to have a huge career ahead of him." Akhtar acted in, and produced his next film Karthik Calling Karthik (2010),
5895-581: The Toronto International Film Festival and received a 15-minute standing ovation from the audience at the Roy Thomson Hall . The film received widespread critical acclaim, but failed to do well commercially. Akhtar received training for boxing for his next release Toofan , a sports drama, directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra , which premiered on 21 May 2021 on Amazon Prime Video . Akhtar appeared as one of
6026-556: The Western Hemisphere , increasing from 256 (0.9%) as of the 2000 Census to an estimated 5,943 (13.6%) as of 2017, representing a 2,221.5% (a multiple of 23) numerical increase over that period, including many affluent professionals and senior citizens as well as charitable benefactors to the COVID-19 relief efforts in India in official coordination with Monroe Township, as well as actors with second homes. During
6157-594: The Yellow Magic Orchestra produced a 1978 electronic album, Cochin Moon , based on an experimental fusion of electronic music and Bollywood-inspired Indian music. Truth Hurts ' 2002 song " Addictive ", produced by DJ Quik and Dr. Dre , was lifted from Lata Mangeshkar 's "Thoda Resham Lagta Hai" in Jyoti (1981). The Black Eyed Peas ' Grammy Award winning 2005 song " Don't Phunk with My Heart "
6288-736: The ghazal tradition strongly influenced filmi ( Bollywood lyrics ). Javed Akhtar was also greatly influenced by Urdu novels by Pakistani author Ibn-e-Safi , such as the Jasoosi Dunya and Imran series of detective novels; they inspired, for example, famous Bollywood characters such as Gabbar Singh in Sholay (1975) and Mogambo in Mr. India (1987). Todd Stadtman identifies several foreign influences on 1970s commercial Bollywood masala films , including New Hollywood , Italian exploitation films , and Hong Kong martial arts cinema . After
6419-557: The live-action feature film adaptation of The Archies which released on Netflix on 7 December 2023. The film stars debutants Agastya Nanda, Khushi Kapoor , Suhana Khan , Vedang Raina , Mihir Ahuja, Aditi Saigal and Yuvraj Menda as Archie Andrews , Betty Cooper , Veronica Lodge , Reggie Mantle , Jughead Jones , Ethel Muggs and Dilton Doiley respectively. It opened to mixed reviews from critics upon release. She next collaborated with Kagti, Arjun Varain Singh and Yash Sahai on
6550-461: The overseas Indian diaspora , have also been inspired by Bollywood music. Hindi films are primarily musicals, and are expected to have catchy song-and-dance numbers woven into the script. A film's success often depends on the quality of such musical numbers. A film's music and song and dance portions are usually produced first and these are often released before the film itself, increasing its audience. Indian audiences expect value for money, and
6681-543: The romantic comedy Shaadi Ke Side Effects directed by Saket Chaudhary and produced by Pritish Nandy . It was a sequel to Pyaar Ke Side Effects (2006). In 2015, Akhtar starred in his sister Zoya Akhtar 's Dil Dhadakne Do , an ensemble family comedy-drama starring Anil Kapoor , Shefali Shah , Priyanka Chopra , Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma . In 2016, Akhtar played the lead role of an Anti-Terrorism Squad officer in Bejoy Nambiar 's Wazir . It
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#17327980557006812-531: The socio-economic and socio-political realities of contemporary India. They channeled growing popular discontent and disillusionment and state failure to ensure welfare and well-being at a time of inflation, shortages, loss of confidence in public institutions, increasing crime and the unprecedented growth of slums . Salim-Javed and Bachchan's films dealt with urban poverty, corruption and organised crime; they were perceived by audiences as anti-establishment , often with an "angry young man" protagonist presented as
6943-547: The 1950s and 1960s were Dilip Kumar , Raj Kapoor , and Dev Anand , each with a unique acting style. Kapoor adopted Charlie Chaplin 's tramp persona; Anand modeled himself on suave Hollywood stars like Gregory Peck and Cary Grant , and Kumar pioneered a form of method acting which predated Hollywood method actors such as Marlon Brando . Kumar, who was described as "the ultimate method actor" by Satyajit Ray , inspired future generations of Indian actors. Much like Brando's influence on Robert De Niro and Al Pacino , Kumar had
7074-470: The 1950s and early 1960s and some won major prizes at the festival. Guru Dutt , overlooked during his lifetime, received belated international recognition during the 1980s. Film critics polled by the British magazine Sight & Sound included several of Dutt's films in a 2002 list of greatest films , and Time's All-Time 100 Movies lists Pyaasa as one of the greatest films of all time. During
7205-563: The 1970s has been the masala film , which freely mixes different genres including action , comedy , romance , drama and melodrama along with musical numbers . Masala films generally fall under the musical film genre, of which Indian cinema has been the largest producer since the 1960s when it exceeded the American film industry's total musical output after musical films declined in the West. The first Indian talkie , Alam Ara (1931),
7336-493: The 1970s. Although the art film bent of the Film Finance Corporation was criticised during a 1976 Committee on Public Undertakings investigation which accused the corporation of not doing enough to encourage commercial cinema, the decade saw the rise of commercial cinema with films such as Sholay (1975) which consolidated Amitabh Bachchan 's position as a star. The devotional classic Jai Santoshi Ma
7467-457: 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 . Hindi cinema experienced another period of box-office decline during the late 1980s with due to concerns by audiences over increasing violence and a decline in musical quality, and a rise in video piracy. One of
7598-467: The 1990s and 2000s, and Aamir Khan has been the most successful Indian actor since the mid 2000s. Action and comedy films, starring such actors as Akshay Kumar and Govinda . The decade marked the entrance of new performers in art and independent films, some of which were commercially successful. The most influential example was Satya (1998), directed by Ram Gopal Varma and written by Anurag Kashyap . Its critical and commercial success led to
7729-510: The 2000s, Hindi cinema began influencing musical films in the Western world and was instrumental role in reviving the American musical film. Baz Luhrmann said that his musical film, Moulin Rouge! (2001), was inspired by Bollywood musicals; the film incorporated a Bollywood-style dance scene with a song from the film China Gate . The critical and financial success of Moulin Rouge! began
7860-411: The 2010s, the industry saw established stars such as making big-budget masala films like Dabangg (2010), Singham (2011) , Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Son of Sardaar (2012), Rowdy Rathore (2012), Chennai Express (2013), Kick (2014) and Happy New Year (2014) with much-younger actresses. Although the films were often not praised by critics, they were commercially successful. Some of
7991-746: The Bombay film industry was closely linked to the Lahore film industry (known as "Lollywood"; now part of the Pakistani film industry ); both produced films in Hindustani (also known as Hindi-Urdu), the lingua franca of northern and central India. Another centre of Hindustani-language film production was the Bengal film industry in Calcutta , Bengal Presidency (now Kolkata, West Bengal ), which produced Hindustani-language films and local Bengali language films. Many actors, filmmakers and musicians from
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#17327980557008122-810: The Bombay film industry's position as the preeminent center for film production in India. The period from the late 1940s to the early 1960s, after India's independence , 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 time. Examples include Pyaasa (1957) and Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), directed by Guru Dutt and written by Abrar Alvi ; Awaara (1951) and Shree 420 (1955), directed by Raj Kapoor and written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas , and Aan (1952), directed by Mehboob Khan and starring Dilip Kumar . The films explored social themes, primarily dealing with working-class life in India (particularly urban life) in
8253-405: The Indian economy and a demand for quality entertainment in this era led the country's film industry to new heights in production values, cinematography and screenwriting as well as technical advances in areas such as special effects and animation. Some of the largest production houses, among them Yash Raj Films and Dharma Productions were the producers of new modern films. Some popular films of
8384-561: The Lahore industry migrated to the Bombay industry during the 1940s, including actors K. L. Saigal , Prithviraj Kapoor , Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand as well as playback singers Mohammed Rafi , Noorjahan and Shamshad Begum . Around the same time, filmmakers and actors from the Calcutta film industry began migrating to Bombay; as a result, Bombay became the center of Hindustani-language film production. The 1947 partition of India divided
8515-415: The aspects of it. At the box office, it had a poor opening, and later resulted in giving losses for the distributors, due to a heavily negative word-of-mouth. It was described as a "washout" by trade analysts. Later that year, Akhtar wrote, produced and directed Don 2 , a sequel to his previous venture Don (2006). It marked his return to direction after a gap of nearly 5 years. His decision of making
8646-573: The award twice. She ventured into the OTT space with the romantic comedy-drama series Made in Heaven (2019–present) and the crime thriller series Dahaad (2023–present). In 2023, she helmed the live-action feature film adaptation of The Archies for Netflix . She is also a board member of Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI). Akhtar was born to poet, lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar and screenwriter Honey Irani . Akhtar's stepmother
8777-686: The biggest entertainment industry; many of the country's musical, dancing, wedding and fashion trends are Bollywood-inspired. Bollywood fashion trendsetters have included Madhubala in Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and Madhuri Dixit in Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994). Hindi films have also had a socio-political impact on Indian society, reflecting Indian politics . In classic 1970s Bollywood films, Bombay underworld crime films written by Salim–Javed and starring Amitabh Bachchan such as Zanjeer (1973) and Deewaar (1975) reflected
8908-483: The biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), winning the Filmfare Award for Best Actor . His subsequent roles were in the family drama Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), the crime thriller Wazir (2016), and the dramas The Sky Is Pink (2019) and Toofaan (2021). Farhan Akhtar was born in Mumbai, the second child of screenwriters Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani . He has one elder sister, the writer–director Zoya Akhtar . He
9039-552: The blockbuster Sholay (1975), written by Salim-Javed and starring Amitabh Bachchan. It combined the dacoit film conventions of Mother India and Gunga Jumna with spaghetti Westerns , spawning the Dacoit Western (also known as the curry Western ) which was popular during the 1970s. Some Hindi filmmakers, such as Shyam Benegal , Mani Kaul , Kumar Shahani , Ketan Mehta , Govind Nihalani and Vijaya Mehta , continued to produce realistic parallel cinema throughout
9170-560: The box office. A large Indian diaspora in English-speaking countries and increased Western influence in India have nudged Bollywood films closer to Hollywood. Farhan Akhtar Farhan Akhtar (born 9 January 1974) is an Indian actor, filmmaker and singer who works in Hindi films . Born to screenwriters Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani , he established the production company Excel Entertainment , along with Ritesh Sidhwani , in 1999. Akhtar made his directorial debut with
9301-632: The co-director of a music video called Price of Bullets for a rock band called Pentagram . She has worked as a casting director for films including the drama Split Wide Open (1999) and the ensemble coming-of-age comedy-drama Dil Chahta Hai (2001), and as an assistant director for her brother Farhan Akhtar 's films Dil Chahta Hai and the coming-of-age war drama Lakshya (2004). She then worked as an executive producer for her longtime friend and associate Reema Kagti 's comedy-drama Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007), also produced by Excel Entertainment . Akhtar made her directorial debut with
9432-472: The coming-of-age buddy drama Kho Gaye Hum Kahan , directed by Singh and starring Siddhant Chaturvedi , Ananya Panday , and Adarsh Gourav in lead roles. The film was released on Netflix on 26 December 2023 and received positive reviews from critics upon release. She appeared on the Valentine's Day charity show of Kaun Banega Crorepati along with her brother Farhan Akhtar . She also appeared in
9563-475: The coming-of-age film Dil Chahta Hai (2001), receiving critical acclaim for portraying realistic modern Indian youth, and winning the National Award for Best Hindi Film and Filmfare Awards for Best Film (Critics) and Best Screenplay . He then directed the war film Lakshya (2004), the action thriller Don (2006) and its sequel Don 2 (2011). As an actor, Akhtar made his screen debut with
9694-663: The conventions which were once strictly associated with parallel cinema. "Bollywood" is a portmanteau derived from Bombay (the former name of Mumbai ) and "Hollywood", a shorthand reference for the American film industry which is based in Hollywood , California . The term "Tollywood", for the Tollygunge -based cinema of West Bengal , predated "Bollywood". It was used in a 1932 American Cinematographer article by Wilford E. Deming, an American engineer who helped produce
9825-535: The country into the Republic of India and Pakistan , which precipitated the migration of filmmaking talent from film production centres like Lahore and Calcutta , which bore the brunt of the partition violence. This included actors, filmmakers and musicians from Bengal , Punjab (particularly the present-day Pakistani Punjab ), and the North-West Frontier Province (present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ). These events further consolidated
9956-730: The country, each offering films in diverse languages and styles. In 2017, Indian cinema produced 1,986 feature films, of which the largest number, 364 have been in Hindi. In 2022, Hindi cinema represented 33% of box office revenue, followed by Telugu and Tamil representing representing 20% and 16% respectively. Hindi cinema is one of the largest centres for film production in the world. Hindi films sold an estimated 341 million tickets in India in 2019. Earlier Hindi films tended to use vernacular Hindustani , mutually intelligible by speakers of either Hindi or Urdu , while modern Hindi productions increasingly incorporate elements of Hinglish . The most popular commercial genre in Hindi cinema since
10087-542: The creation of a national movement against colonial rule in India, while simultaneously leveraging the popular political movement to increase their own visibility and popularity. Themes from the Independence Movement deeply influenced Bombay film directors, screen-play writers, and lyricists, who saw their films in the context of social reform and the problems of the common people. Before the Partition,
10218-576: The crime thriller web series Dahaad starring Sonakshi Sinha , Gulshan Devaiah , Vijay Varma and Sohum Shah in lead roles. The series premiered on Amazon Prime Video and received positive reviews from critics upon release. It also became the first ever Indian web series to premiere at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival , where it will compete for the Berlinale Series Award. Akhtar next directed
10349-405: The decade were Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001), Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001), Lagaan (2001), Koi... Mil Gaya (2003), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Veer-Zaara (2004), Rang De Basanti (2006), Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), Dhoom 2 (2006), Krrish (2006), and Jab We Met (2007), among others, showing the rise of new movie stars. During
10480-678: The decade with films such as Zanjeer (1973) and Deewaar (1975). Salim-Javed reinterpreted the rural themes of Mehboob Khan 's Mother India (1957) and Dilip Kumar 's Gunga Jumna (1961) in a contemporary urban context, reflecting the socio-economic and socio-political climate of 1970s India and channeling mass discontent, disillusionment and the unprecedented growth of slums with anti-establishment themes and those involving urban poverty, corruption and crime. Their "angry young man", personified by Amitabh Bachchan , reinterpreted Dilip Kumar's performance in Gunga Jumna in
10611-409: The drama Luck By Chance (2009), starring her brother Farhan and Konkona Sen Sharma in lead roles. The film tells the story of a struggling actor who breaks into the industry. It opened to widespread critical acclaim from critics, with high praise directed towards its novel concept, story, screenplay and dialogues; however, the film had an underwhelming performance at the box-office. It earned Akhtar
10742-409: The emergence of a genre known as Mumbai noir: urban films reflecting the city's social problems. This led to a resurgence of parallel cinema by the end of the decade. The films featured actors whose performances were often praised by critics. The 2000s saw increased Bollywood recognition worldwide due to growing (and prospering) NRI and South Asian diaspora communities overseas. The growth of
10873-400: The film Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. , directed by debutant Reema Kagti and starring Abhay Deol , Minissha Lamba , Shabana Azmi and Boman Irani . The music for the film was composed by Vishal–Shekhar , marking their first collaboration with him. Akhtar was supposed to make his acting debut with the film, but he had to be replaced by Abhay Deol as he was involved with Don . The film
11004-558: The film emerged as a commercial failure at the box-office. Akhtar next directed the ensemble family comedy-drama Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), which told the story of a dysfunctional Punjabi family. The film starred an ensemble cast , with Anil Kapoor as an egotistical industrialist, Shefali Shah as his bitter socialite-wife, and Priyanka Chopra and Ranveer Singh as their children. The film also featured Anushka Sharma and Farhan Akhtar as love interests of Singh and Chopra. The film opened to positive reviews from critics, and emerged as
11135-424: The film seemed to be "clearly designed by Farhan Akhar as his own acting debut and he doesn't let himself down. Lending voice to all his songs helps him to get into his character with effortless ease. One could certainly overlook the lisp in his dialogue delivery." Manish Gajjar of BBC wrote of his performance: "Director-turned-actor, Farhan Aktar surprises all with his superb, flawless performance, transforming from
11266-452: The film was composed by Anu Malik and consisted of a mixture of Hindi songs , West Side Story , Fiddler on the Roof and Grease . In 2006, Akhtar directed, produced and wrote the screenplay of Don starring Shah Rukh Khan in the title role alongside Priyanka Chopra , a remake of Don (1978), starring Amitabh Bachchan and Zeenat Aman . It marked his first project holding
11397-401: The film, which told the story of the relationship between a bachelor ( Neil Bhoopalam ) and his maid ( Bhumi Pednekar ), received positive reviews. In 2019, Akhtar directed the musical drama Gully Boy starring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt in lead roles. The film was loosely based on the lives of Mumbai rapper Naezy . It received positive reviews from critics upon release, and emerged as
11528-829: The films starring Aamir Khan, from Taare Zameen Par (2007) and 3 Idiots (2009) to Dangal (2016) and Secret Superstar (2018), have been credited with redefining and modernising the masala film with a distinct brand of socially conscious cinema. Most stars from the 2000s continued successful careers into the next decade, and the 2010s saw a new generation of popular actors in different films. Among new conventions, female-centred films such as The Dirty Picture (2011), Kahaani (2012), and Queen (2014), Pink (2016), Raazi (2018), Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022) started gaining wide financial success. Moti Gokulsing and Wimal Dissanayake identify six major influences which have shaped Indian popular cinema: Sharmistha Gooptu identifies Indo-Persian - Islamic culture as
11659-560: The first diwan of Mirza Ghalib on his request and later became a figure during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 in his native Khairabad . She is the great-granddaughter of Urdu poet Muztar Khairabadi , granddaughter of poet Jan Nisar Akhtar , niece of Daisy Irani , and cousin of directors Farah Khan and Sajid Khan . Akhtar grew up in an agnostic environment and along with her brother Farhan and father Javed, and does not believe in any religion. Akhtar started her career as
11790-619: The first Indian sound picture. "Bollywood" was probably invented in Bombay-based film trade journals in the 1960s or 1970s, though the exact inventor varies by account. Film journalist Bevinda Collaco claims she coined the term for the title of her column in Screen magazine. Her column entitled "On the Bollywood Beat" covered studio news and celebrity gossip. Other sources state that lyricist, filmmaker and scholar Amit Khanna
11921-455: The first masala film and the first quintessentially "Bollywood" film. Salim-Javed wrote more successful masala films during the 1970s and 1980s. Masala films made Amitabh Bachchan the biggest star of the period. A landmark of the genre was Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), directed by Manmohan Desai and written by Kader Khan , and Desai continued successfully exploiting the genre. Both genres (masala and violent-crime films) are represented by
12052-414: The first two examples. Awaara presented the city as both nightmare and dream, and Pyaasa critiqued the unreality of urban life. Mehboob Khan 's Mother India (1957), a remake of his earlier Aurat (1940), was the first Indian film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film ; it lost by a single vote. Mother India defined conventional Hindi cinema for decades. It spawned
12183-503: The flm. The film emerged as a box-office success. Akhtar's final release of the year was the rock musical drama Rock On 2 , a sequel to Rock On!! (2008). He reprised his role of Aditya Shroff, the lead singer of his band. The film was Akhtar's attempt to bring Northeast India into popular culture. In 2017, Akhtar essayed the role of a Dawood Ibrahim -alike mafia don Maqsood in Daddy , co-starring Arjun Rampal . His next release
12314-473: The important barrier of one crore (10 million) rupees, made on a budget of only two lakh (200,000) rupees. The film tackled contemporary issues, especially those arising from the Indian Independence movement, and went on to become "the longest running hit of Indian cinema", a title it held till the 1970s. Film personalities like Bimal Roy, Sahir Ludhianvi and Prithviraj Kapoor participated in
12445-480: The inaugural Filmfare Award for Best Debut Director , tying for the award with Ayan Mukerji for Wake Up Sid . In 2011, she achieved her breakthrough with the coming-of-age comedy-drama Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara , which starred an ensemble cast of Hrithik Roshan , Farhan Akhtar , Abhay Deol , Katrina Kaif and Kalki Koechlin in lead roles. The film opened to widespread critical acclaim, with praise for its novel concept, storyline and setting. It emerged as
12576-419: The late 1960s and early 1970s, the industry was dominated by musical romance films with romantic-hero leads. By 1970, Hindi cinema was thematically stagnant and dominated by musical romance films . The arrival of screenwriting duo Salim–Javed ( Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar ) was a paradigm shift, revitalising the industry. They began the genre of gritty, violent, Bombay underworld crime films early in
12707-619: The latter's commercial success paved the way for Indian neorealism and the Indian New Wave (synonymous with parallel cinema). Internationally acclaimed Hindi filmmakers involved in the movement included Mani Kaul , Kumar Shahani , Ketan Mehta , Govind Nihalani , Shyam Benegal , and Vijaya Mehta . After the social-realist film Neecha Nagar received the Palme d'Or at the inaugural 1946 Cannes Film Festival , Hindi films were frequently in competition for Cannes' top prize during
12838-408: The lead role. He was cast in the film after being deemed as a "perfect choice" for it. The story of the film revolved around a struggling actor who arrives in Mumbai to become a movie star . It was released on 30 January 2009. Though failing to do well at the box office and being declared a "flop", the film received widespread critical acclaim. Neil Genzlinger from The New York Times said: "It
12969-422: The musical drama Rock On!! (2008), for which he won a second National Film Award for Best Hindi Film (as producer) as well as the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut . He starred in, wrote the dialogues for, and produced the buddy-road film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), which won him Filmfare Awards for Best Film , Best Supporting Actor and Best Dialogue . Akhtar then portrayed athlete Milkha Singh in
13100-634: The nine judges in the beauty pageant Femina Miss India (2002). He was the judge on the first season of the dance-reality show Nach Baliye (2005). He hosted a TV show on NDTV Imagine , called Oye! It's Friday! in the same year. He has endorsed several brands as a part of his career, especially after the release of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara . These include Hindustan Unilever 's water purifier product titled Pureit, Chivas Regal , Britannia Nutri Choice Biscuits, IndusInd Bank , Dulux Paint , Titan Industries and Crocin+2 . Men Against Rape and Discrimination , or MARD ( lit. ' Man ' ),
13231-499: The only female director to win the award twice. The same year, Akhtar and Kagti created the romantic comedy-drama web series Made in Heaven , alongside Nithya Mehra , Reema Kagti and Alankrita Srivastava which told the story of two wedding planners in New Delhi . The series, which stars an ensemble cast of Arjun Mathur , Sobhita Dhulipala , Jim Sarbh , Shashank Arora , Kalki Koechlin and Shivani Raghuvanshi in lead roles,
13362-497: The purpose of the project, Akhtar stated that "Just as a social stigma, many people believe that an HIV patient should be isolated. They also have certain misconceptions about dealing with the disease. And since India has a lot of joint families, it becomes very important for them to understand the value of support to the person who has acquired this disease. This is exactly what Positive talks about." The film had its background score composed by Ram Sampath but had no soundtrack. It
13493-404: The rest of Indian cinema) it has become part of the "Indian story". In India, Bollywood is often associated with India's national identity. According to economist and Bollywood biographer Meghnad Desai , "Cinema actually has been the most vibrant medium for telling India its own story, the story of its struggle for independence, its constant struggle to achieve national integration and to emerge as
13624-575: The ribs." Kaveree Bamzai of India Today called his acting "sensitive, soulful", further saying that he was "perfectly capable of reading out his father's poetry." The film made ₹ 1.53 billion (equivalent to ₹ 3.2 billion or US$ 38 million in 2023) worldwide and was declared a major commercial success at the box office. It also became one of the highest grossing Bollywood films overseas, earning around US$ 7.25 million. It won two National Awards for Best Choreography and Best Audiography . Following Don 2 , his next acting venture
13755-415: The same year, Akhtar directed Positive , a film produced by Shernaz Italia and Frenzy Kodaiji, starring Boman Irani and Shabana Azmi . It was a short film running for 12 minutes. Dealing with a family's attitude towards a person suffering from HIV-AIDS , the film was shot in Mumbai and aimed at creating awareness about the problem. It also introduced Arjun Mathur in the film industry. Speaking about
13886-495: The script and also produced. The film was directed by Abhishek Kapoor , and co-starred Prachi Desai , Arjun Rampal and Purab Kohli . As he had been learning guitar ever since the start of his directing career, he had been well-versed with it and used it for the film. He played the role of Aditya, the lead singer of the rock band "Magik". He sang five songs for the soundtrack album. Rock On!! received critical acclaim upon release. Gaurav Malani of The Economic Times wrote that
14017-491: The script isn't doing it for him. Perhaps it's his innate filmmaker instinct." The film had a good opening at the box office, as it was targeted towards the youth of the multiplexes. However, it failed to do well at the box office and became a "below average" grosser. Akhtar produced and appeared as one of the three leads in his sister, Zoya Akhtar 's coming-of-age film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara along with Hrithik Roshan , Abhay Deol , Katrina Kaif and Kalki Koechlin . He
14148-400: The script of the neo-noir thriller Talaash: The Answer Lies Within . His production work was followed by the comedy films Fukrey (2013), Bangistan (2015) and Fukrey Returns (2017), the time-travel romance Baar Baar Dekho (2016) and the action film Raees (2017). In 2008, Akhtar made his solo acting and singing debut in the musical drama Rock On!! , for which he wrote
14279-467: The status of a remake. The character of Don became iconic and popular. Despite this, he noted that he did not mean to be a "torchbearer of the remake brigade" and did not feel comfortable with being credited for the trend of remakes in the film industry. The film released on 20 October 2006 and was declared a "hit" at the box office, grossing around ₹ 1.05 billion (equivalent to ₹ 3.4 billion or US$ 40 million in 2023) worldwide. The film
14410-574: The success of Bruce Lee films (such as Enter the Dragon ) in India, Deewaar (1975) and other Bollywood films incorporated fight scenes inspired by 1970s martial arts films from Hong Kong cinema until the 1990s. Bollywood action scenes emulated Hong Kong rather than Hollywood, emphasising acrobatics and stunts and combining kung fu (as perceived by Indians) with Indian martial arts such as pehlwani . Perhaps Hindi cinema's greatest influence has been on India's national identity, where (with
14541-414: The turning points came with such films as Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988), presenting a blend of youthfulness, family entertainment, emotional intelligence and strong melodies, all of which lured audiences back to the big screen. It brought back the template for Bollywood musical romance films which went on to define 1990s Hindi cinema. Known since the 1990s as "New Bollywood", contemporary Bollywood
14672-541: The ultimate symbol of cool in Hindi filmdom." On the contrary, Manish Gajjar from BBC wrote, in his positive review: "Young Farhan Akhtar, proves yet again that he is one of the finest directors Bollywood has to date. He has paid full attention to the script and the technical aspects, giving rise to a polished product". Meanwhile, Akhtar wrote the English lyrics of Gurinder Chadha 's Hollywood film Bride and Prejudice (2004), along with his sister, Zoya Akhtar , after being recommended by his father . The music for
14803-651: Was a part of the "AIDS JaaGo" ("AIDS Awake"), a series of four short films, directed by Mira Nair , Santosh Sivan , Vishal Bhardwaj and himself, in a joint initiative of Mira Nair 's Mirabai Films , voluntary organisations Avahan and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation . Akhtar's first project in 2011 as a writer and producer was the mystery thriller Game , directed by Abhinay Deo . The lead cast consisted of Abhishek Bachchan , Kangana Ranaut , Boman Irani and Jimmy Shergill . The film received highly negative reviews post release, with critics panning almost all
14934-481: Was about "finding oneself". He also believed that if the same characters and situation were set elsewhere, the main core of the story would remain the same as the film was not about war, as it had been reported. Post-release, the film failed to make a mark at the box office and became a commercial failure. Parul Gupta of The Times of India gave it a negative review and explained that "It's hard to reconcile to such triviality when it comes from Farhan Akhtar, considered
15065-492: Was also credited as the scriptwriter for the film. He was the first actor to be cast in the film, and described his role as a "fun character" and a "guy who for the longest time takes nothing seriously". His real life father, Javed Akhtar wrote poetry for the film, which he performs as a voice-over . His performance received widespread critical acclaim, with Shaikh Ayaz of Rediff.com highlighting his lines as "gentle, they won't make you ROFL; they are more like tender dig in
15196-465: Was also released that year. By 1983, the Bombay film industry was generating an estimated annual revenue of ₹700 crore ( ₹ 7 billion, $ 693.14 million ), equivalent to $ 2.12 billion ( ₹12,667 crore , ₹ 111.33 billion) when adjusted for inflation. By 1986, India's annual film output had increased from 741 films produced annually to 833 films annually, making India the world's largest film producer. The most internationally acclaimed Hindi film of
15327-588: Was buffeted by the Great Depression , World War II , the Indian independence movement , and the violence of the Partition . Although most early Bombay films were unabashedly escapist , a number of filmmakers tackled tough social issues or used the struggle for Indian independence as a backdrop for their films. Irani made the first Hindi colour film, Kisan Kanya , in 1937. The following year, he made
15458-617: Was coined during the 1970s, when the conventions of commercial Hindi films were defined. Key to this was the masala film , which combines a number of genres ( action , comedy , romance , drama , melodrama , and musical ). The masala film was pioneered early in the decade by filmmaker Nasir Hussain , and the Salim-Javed screenwriting duo, pioneering the Bollywood- blockbuster format. Yaadon Ki Baarat (1973), directed by Hussain and written by Salim-Javed, has been identified as
15589-513: Was finalised on 24 April 2017, with Bhabani having custody of their children. Akhtar started dating VJ Shibani Dandekar in 2018. On 19 February 2022, they got married in a non-religious ceremony at his Khandala farmhouse. Akhtar worked as an apprentice in film distribution and direction for Yash Chopra 's Lamhe (1991) when he was 17 years old and later moved to an advertisement production house named "Script Shop" to spend an approximate 3 years there. He also assisted Pankaj Parashar as
15720-410: Was financed and funded by Exim Bank. This was the first time Excel Entertainment collaborated with a different director as all their previous projects had been involving Akhtar as a director. The story of the film revolved around six couples who went to Goa on a honeymoon. The film opened up on 23 February and received mixed reviews from critics, and ended up with an "average" box office result. In
15851-400: Was his first action role as an actor, and for which he went through intense physical training and put on eight kilograms of weight. Raja Sen in his review called him "pretty good [..] in the initial portions, but his performance starts to unravel once the film hits hysterical gear and he is required to do more than frown." Akhtar also sang the duet "Atrangi Yaari" with Amitabh Bachchan for
15982-433: Was inspired by two 1970s Bollywood songs : "Ye Mera Dil Yaar Ka Diwana" from Don (1978) and "Ae Nujawan Hai Sub" from Apradh (1972). Both songs were composed by Kalyanji Anandji , sung by Asha Bhosle , and featured the dancer Helen . The Kronos Quartet re-recorded several R. D. Burman compositions sung by Asha Bhosle for their 2005 album, You've Stolen My Heart: Songs from R.D. Burman's Bollywood , which
16113-464: Was its creator. It is unknown if it was derived from "Hollywood" through "Tollywood", or was inspired directly by "Hollywood". The term has been criticised by some film journalists and critics, who believe it implies that the industry is a poor cousin of Hollywood. In 1897, a film presentation by Professor Stevenson featured a stage show at Calcutta 's Star Theatre. With Stevenson's encouragement and camera, Hiralal Sen , an Indian photographer, made
16244-603: Was nominated for Best Contemporary World Music Album at the 2006 Grammy Awards. Filmi music composed by A. R. Rahman (who received two Academy Awards for the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack ) has frequently been sampled by other musicians, including the Singaporean artist Kelly Poon , the French rap group La Caution and the American artist Ciara . Many Asian Underground artists, particularly those among
16375-426: Was particularly noted for its dialogues. However, critics predominantly condemned Akhtar's direction and screenplay. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama said Akhtar had "climbed the ladder as far as craftsmanship is concerned [every frame is well decorated and makes a spellbinding impact] but despite a readymade classic at his disposal, the storyteller just doesn't get it right this time." In 2007, Akhtar produced
16506-480: Was produced by Tiger Baby Films and Excel Entertainment, and premiered on Amazon Prime Video . The first season of the series released in 2019, followed by the second season in 2023, after several delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India . The series received widespread critical acclaim, with high praise for its dark take on the Big Fat Indian Wedding. She was also invited to be a member of
16637-465: Was produced in the Hindustani language, four years after Hollywood's first sound film, The Jazz Singer (1927). Alongside commercial masala films, a distinctive genre of art films known as parallel cinema has also existed, presenting realistic content and avoidance of musical numbers. In more recent years, the distinction between commercial masala and parallel cinema has been gradually blurring, with an increasing number of mainstream films adopting
16768-471: Was the biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), based on the Indian athlete Milkha Singh , popularly known as 'the Flying Sikh'. His performance received critical acclaim and earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor . He also had to prepare his looks to depict a 17-year-old army recruit and endure an on-the-spot preparation at an army cantonment . In 2014, Akhtar starred alongside Vidya Balan in
16899-503: Was the prison drama Lucknow Central , co-starring Diana Penty , Gippy Grewal and Deepak Dobriyal . The film was about a prison escape drama planned by a group of prisoners who also form a music band and was inspired by a real incident. Lucknow Central was released on 15 September 2017 and met with mixed reviews and low financial returns. Akhtar's next release, the biographical drama The Sky Is Pink (2019), co-starring Priyanka Chopra, Zaira Wasim and Rohit Saraf , premiered at
17030-477: Was the war drama Lakshya (2004), a film about an aimless youngster finally setting a goal for himself, starring Amitabh Bachchan , Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta . It was shot in Ladakh , Dehra Dun and Mumbai , and marked the beginning of the collaborations between Akhtar and Roshan. He had to research the army before writing the script and directing the venture. The theme of the film, as stated by Akhtar,
17161-538: Was very young when his parents divorced; his father married actress Shabana Azmi in 1984. His mother retained the family home in Bandra Bandstand and raised her children there. Akhtar studied at Maneckji Cooper School in Mumbai and then pursued a law degree at HR College , also in Mumbai. Akhtar's father, a Muslim by birth and culture, is a socialist and has described himself as an atheist; Akhtar's mother, born into an Irani Zoroastrian family in India,
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