When we think of Bollywood, we simply cannot omit music and musicals. Music is an integral part of almost every Indian movie. It can even be said that its essence without which the film would not have succeeded.
Songs and music are what can make a movie prettier and closer – or it can completely spoil it and distort our impression. Yet, when it comes to blockbusters, this rarely happens. Therefore, Bollywood musicals are popular not only in India but also outside this country.
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Early Beginning Of Musicals In Bollywood
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Bollywood and Indian cinema have always had a very clear stance when it comes to music. It is an essential part of any film and a companion to the power of moving images. One of the first famous musicals was the 1931 Alam Ara, which was directed by Ardeshir Irani. Once known and popular and nowadays almost forgotten – this movie also had a famous commercial with the slogan “Everyone sings, everyone dances” and had seven songs. The famous song De De Khuda Ke Naam Per – at that time was almost a real phenomenon of the whole nation.
The Golden Age Of Bollywood And The Musicals
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The combination of music, images, and movement has hit the foundations of further filmmaking in which Bollywood will prove its very rapid progress and revolutionize the film and music world. With the further evolution of Indian cinema, song and dance will become and remain an integral part of almost every film. Just like in Hollywood – in the 1940s and 1950s, they were marked as the golden age of film. It was around this time that some very popular titles such as Andaz (1949) and Mother India (1957) came out. Despite the good screenplays – Bollywood films still used music as one of the important instruments for conveying the story itself and the atmosphere of the film. Even then, music was a very important narrative tool that actors and directors used to achieve the film’s success. This was not easy, because at that time hyper-production was already starting to take place in Bollywood, and therefore the competition was getting fiercer.
Popularity Of Musicals In Hollywood And Bollywood
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Music is truly a unique category no matter where you come from. People from different parts of the world can understand almost the whole story told by the music – even when they do not know the language in which the song was sung. It just proves that music is universal art accessible to anyone who loves it and can understand it. Although the genre of the musical was very different in Hollywood and Bollywood – some similarities are still visible. They relate precisely to understanding and loving music. While Hollywood masters were making typical musicals, in Bollywood they found a way to get music through almost every movie genre. So it’s no surprise that several songs have been inserted into the action thriller Dhoom (2004). A similar situation is with the movie My Name Is Khan from 2010. It is a very serious drama in which the title role is interpreted by the famous Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan who interprets the character of a man with Asperger’s syndrome. However, this movie also had some great soundtracks that followed it – and even more beautifully conveyed this story to us.
The Musical Made Music That Loves And Remains Remembered
Source: wikipedia.org
When it comes to Bollywood musicals, the situation has changed over the years of their existence. In the beginning, most of the actors were not singing – but were doing so-called playbacks. Playbacks were sung by singers who were less known to the public in earlier times. However, some years later – the situation changed, so singers who once backstage became big stars in India. Asha Bhosle is considered to be almost the real national legend in India – and for many years her hits remained and kept remembered. With the advent of the new Millenium and more modern production, some changes have taken place again. First of all, there are plenty of actors who are also singers at the same time. That doesn’t mean playback is gone – on the contrary.
And here are the musicals, in our opinion, marked a decade behind us
1. 3 Idiots
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This interesting movie is a bit like American movies because the story is located on a university campus. The film is about three student friends, one of whom will mysteriously disappear after his graduation. His disappearance will almost get a mythical status in the eyes of his friends. They are trying to reflect on what might happen to him. The song that marked this soundtrack is the Zoobi Doobi. It was performed by Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor. This song has become extremely popular and the whole movie is a true memento to the musicals.
2. My Name Is Khan
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A great movie with a great soundtrack. The very talented music trio of Shankar, Ehsaan and Loi managed to bring every emotion from the film to their beautiful music. After the movie itself and listening to music, you will look at your whole life experience from a different perspective.
3. RockStar
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We hardly need to comment on this fantastic album. The whole story is the result of AR Rahman’s collaboration with the very energetic and dynamic Mohit Chauhan. This musical has certainly been one of the most popular at the beginning of the last decade.
4. Aashiqui 2
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A song that became a hymn to many, this musical ticked all the boxes. The intriguing chemistry between the lead couple, with new age music in the background, was perfect for tired romantics.
5. Bombay Velvet
Source: variety.com
Jazzy album with very interesting and humorous lyrics and great music. This album received great reviews from all lovers of good music. However, despite the good music, the movie story didn’t quite live up to the expectations of the demanding audience, so Bombay Velvet is better for the jukebox than for the big screen.