Bollywood

Where did the last movie you saw come from? Most of you would probably say either Hollywood or maybe Spain or France. However, if you asked an Indian the same question, the answer would be completely different. They would say, off course, that it was made in Bollywood.

Bollywood is the name given to the Mumbai-based Hindi-language film industry in India, a word formed by substituting the “H” of Hollywood with the “B” of Bombay. It is also known as “Hindi cinema”, although (aunque) many of the films are in Hindustani, a dialect spoken in Northern India and Pakistan. Songs often use Urdu vocabulary, and English is increasingly (cada vez más) heard in dialogues and songs. It is fashionable (de moda) to speak English, while a majority of the urban middle-class are educated in English schools and speak it as their native language. It is not uncommon to find bilingual or trilingual Indians in the cities, and a mixture of English and an Indian language (usually Hindi) is often used at work. As a result, Bollywood reflects this language mix (mexla de idiomas) and incorporates English words and phrases, and even whole sentences in its dialogues.

        

Song and Dance

Film music in India is called filmi. While many actors can dance, few of them can sing well. Songs are generally pre-recorded (pre-grabados) by professional singers with actors miming (cantando una canción haciendo playback) the words while dancing. Playback singers are prominently featured in the opening credits and have their own fans that will watch a mediocre movie to hear their favourites. The composers of film music, known as music directors, are also well-known, and their songs can determine a film’s success.

The dancing in old Bollywood films is usually modelled on Indian dance, such as classical dance styles, dances from Northern Indian or folk dances. In modern-day films, Indian dance is often combined with Western dance styles that are seen on MTV or in Broadway musicals. 

 

Dialogues and Lyrics

The film script (guión de la película) and the song lyrics are often written by different people. Music directors often prefer working in a two-man team with certain lyricists. The resulting dialogues are usually written in Hindi or Hindustani.

The Bollywood song lyrics, however, mostly use a combination of Urdu or Hindustani vocabulary and include many elegant and poetic Arabic and Persian words. The song lyrics are usually about love. Here are a few lines from the 1983 film Hero, written by the great lyricist Anand Bakshi:

Hindi lyrics	English Translation
Bichhdey abhi to hum, bas kal parso,	We just got separated, only a day or two back,
Jiyoongi main kaisey, is haal mein barson?	How am I going to live this way for years?
Maut na aayi, teri yaad kyon aayi,	Death doesn’t come, but your memory does
Haaye, lambi judaayi!	Why?

Now, listen to a fragment of a typical Bollywood song, and enjoy it!!