|
| |
India's Cinema: From World War II to Independence
From: The Victoria and Albert Museum
| By:
Divia Patel |
EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION |
The Indian film industry is the largest in the world, producing films that range from regional-language cinema to art house. 'Bollywood' describes the Hindi-language cinema of Bombay (Mumbai). Viewed across the country, it is regarded as the national cinema of India. Here, V&A curator Divia Patel explores how film advertising--posters, hoardings, lobby cards, song booklets--from World War II to India's independence played a large part in fashioning that nation's self-image. |
 inema marked the beginning of a period of great change in India. The processes of industrialisation, urbanisation, the fight for independence from British rule and subsequent developments were all reflected in films. Today, film advertising illustrates those social, economic and political changes, reflecting different phases of Indian history. |
Advertisements have always had to communicate across regional, religious and linguistic boundaries. Visual impact is therefore essential with key elements of the film being expressed through bold designs, bright colours, inventive typography and minimal text. |
Images of nationalism
 | |
| Samadhi (Moment of Remembrance), directed by Ramesh Saigal and produced by Filmistan (1950). | |
India's call for independence intensified when the nation was brought into World War II by the British. The resulting effects, which included millions of deaths in the 1943 Bengal Famine, led to growing discontent and the rise of the 'Quit India' movement. Beginning in the 1940s a series of films was made to stir patriotic fervour, which included stories of war heroes such as Dr. Kotnis and Subash Chandra Bose. |
Samadhi recalls the popular nationalist hero, Subash Chandra Bose, who fled to Singapore where he raised the Indian Independence army from prisoners held in Japanese camps. This army fought the British alongside the Japanese in Burma. In this film, the hero abandons his wealth to join Bose's army and helps to capture British spies. Here, the many different images together convey the nationalist theme of the film. |
The glory of India
 | |
| Sahib Bibi Aur Gulam (King, Queen, Knave), directed by Guru Dutt and produced by Guru Dutt Films (1962). | |
During the 1940s and 1950s many films depicted historical or princely India. These were big budget spectaculars with grand sets, magnificent costumes and memorable music. The stories were a combination of fact and myth. They provided visually stunning, escapist entertainment deflecting attention away from the hardships of war and the fight for independence. Set in Calcutta at the turn of the century, Sahib Bibi Aur Gulam focuses on the decline of the Zaminders (land-owning classes) and the trials of one family within that process. |
Some films, particularly those set in the great Mughal past, such as Anarkali and Humayun, portrayed historical figures and created a nostalgic representation of imperial grandeur. These films reinforced nationalist aspirations. At a time of political conflict between Hindus and Muslims over the government of India, filmmakers were reluctant to explore contemporary political issues for fear of censorship and disguised them by setting them in the past. As a consequence, the Mughal period was represented as the golden age of racial and religious understanding. |
These films inspired an emerging nation by creating an image of India based on the glory of its past. The advertisements captured the public imagination by reflecting that glory. |
India after independence
 | |
| Mother India, directed by Mehboob Khan and produced by Seth Studios (1957). | |
In 1947 India gained independence from British rule. The country was caught between the need to modernise and continue the technological advances of the last two decades, and the need to maintain traditional moral values and avoid cultural decline. |
Cities were at the centre of many social and economic changes. Seen as the source of employment and wealth, they attracted thousands of migrant workers from the villages. In this period of transition, films looked at the question of national identity and the meaning of being Indian. They explored issues of modernity versus tradition, of urban life versus the rural ideal. Cities were projected as corrupt and evil, while villages were seen to preserve social and moral values. |
The most important film of its time and now a national epic, Mother India portrayed rural life as the true 'essence' of India. The heroine, Radha, embodied the moral values and social customs that form the basis of traditional Indian society. She stood as a symbol of Indian womanhood and a new independent nation. |
The original poster for Mother India portrays an image of a mother cradling her baby. This is a later copy of that image and encapsulates the theme of the film: a tale of a mother, her children and the land on which she lives. |
|
| |
