Bollywood
What is Bollywood?
Bollywood is the name of the Indian film industry (产业). It’s nearly the same as Hollywood, but the “B” comes from Bombay, the biggest city in India, now called Mumbai (孟买). Bollywood makes nearly 800 films a year: that’s twice the number of films made in Hollywood. The films are made very quickly and some actors are in three or four films at the same time.
Bollywood: Past
People made the first Bollywood film in 1899. At first, the films were silent and then in the 1930s they made films with sound. The first color film started in the 1950s, which showed the beauty of the Indian clothes and costurnes (装束) often worn in Bollywood productions. Traditional Bollywood films included a lot of singing and dancing, but action films also became popular in the 1970s. At first people only watched the films in India, but since the year 2000 Bollywood films have become popular all over the world.
Bollywood: Present
Mumbai is the home of the Indian film industry. Thousands of people work there as actors, cameramen, directors and extras (临时演员). It is common now for directors to make Bollywood films in other countries, such as the US, France and China as Indian audiences (观众) are very interested in other countries. However, international cinema has also come to Bollywood.
Bollywood: Future
The future is good. Big American film companies (公司) like Warner Bros, and Twentieth Century Fox are opening offices in India. This means more color, more dancing and definitely (确定地) more Bollywood.
【小题1】How many films are made in Hollywood every year now?【小题2】Why is it common now for directors to make Bollywood films in other countries?
【小题3】If you want to be an international actor or actress, which place will you go to? Why?
