Author: Shabbir Chunawalla

Bhanu Athaiya

She is celebrated for her costumes for Gandhi (1982). She designed way back in 1955 for Shree 420. Chopra’s Waqt in 1956 had her costume designs. In Shree 420, she designed sexy cholis for Nadira. In Waqt she gave a new look to salwar-kameez. She gave an oomphy look to pouty Mumtaz in Brahmachari in 1968. Mumtaz wore an orange sari with hipster style, and a short pallu.She have won an Oscar for Gandhi.

Mani Rabadi

Known for dressing the dancing queen Helen. In Shalimar (1978), Zeenat was in exotic plunge neck, figure hugging dresses.

Leena Daru

She designed for Chandni. Sridevi was seen in white churidar and kurta with leheriya dupatta. She designed multi-coloured slashed-panelled skirt and shimmering bodice for Madhuri Dixit to sing Ek Do Teen in Tezaab (1988).

Xerxes Bhathena

He is the first male costume designer in Hindi films.His forte is Western creations. In Namak Halal (1982), he designed a slinky back shimmering gown for the late Parveen Babi.

Neeta Lulla

She gave a glamorous look to Juhi Chawala in Aaina. Juhi wore an off-the-shoulder blouse.In Devdas, she designed the puffed sleeved cholis.

Anna Singh

Stylish Indian look of Madhuri Dixit in Hum Aap Ke Hain Kaun (1994). There was a purple sari and backless blouse.

Manish Malhotra

Most celebrated costume designer. His flirty, frothy minis of Urmila Matondkar in Rangeela (1995) are still remembered.He designed for Dil Wale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge in 1995. Lehnga, choli and dupatta of Kajol were designed by him.He gave a look to Shah Rukh Khan in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). He brought about an image change for Karisma Kapoor in Raja Hindustani (1996). Kareena’s look in Jab We Met (2007) draped in salwar with a tee-shirt was given by him.Kareena’s dazzling red jump suit which was a one piece outfit was desined by him for Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum (2001).

Aki Narula

Bunty and Bubbly (2005). Styling of Rani Mukherjee. Wide salwars with short shirt kurta and an embroidered jhola.

Rockys

Macho look of Akshay and look of Shilpa Shetty in Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994).

Sabyasachi Mukherjee

He took Vidya Balan under his wing. He designed block prints, rustic Anarkalis and dual toned saris.

Four films directed by Sergio Leone — his  Dollars trilogy with Clint Eastwood and his epic, Once upon a Time in the West. There is the rest of the Italian western sub-genere, which may include as many as 500 films. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, every European producer must have at least one western on the runway. Most of these were all-Italian, shot in the studios just outside Rome. Some were big scale with international casts, outdoors in Spain, finance from Germany and shot in American studios. The themes were treasure hunt, revenge stories. The cheaper Italian westerns seemed more original and far more bizarre. Spaghetti westerns very visually extremely striking, aurraly distinctive, wonderfully acted, violent, mystifying, perversely inspirational. The surreal Spanish desert is the hovel of cowboys.

Sooni Taraporewalla broke the ice with Salaam Bombay in 1988. Rajashree Ojha has written and directed Chaurahe. Juhi Chaturvedi has background in advertising. She wrote Vicky Donor. She has agreed to write a script for Shekhar Kapur. Mega Ramaswamy, an FTII graduate, co-wrote Shaitan. Honey Irani is an established writer. ( Darr, Krrish ). Kamna Chandra has written Chandni and Kareeb. Urmi Juvekar wrote the script of Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!. Ila Bedi Datta wrote Agneepath. Bhawani Iyer scripted Black and Guzaarish. Ritu Bhatia composed dialogues for Aisha and London, Paris, New York. Nora Ephron who wrote  When Harry Met Sally died recently. Nina Arora scripted for Page 3 ten years ago. 

According to Rajesh Mapuskar, who wrote and directed Ferrari Ki Sawaari, how to write a scene that is really tight on screen is to be  learnt. He was told by Vidhu Vinod Chopra that if you want to make a scene 5 minutes long on screen, then write only two pages of dialogues, which correspond to two minutes. The remaining time can be used for the treatment of the scene. The tighter the scenes, the faster a film moves and the less time the audience has to think.

1913-30

 

Raja Harishchandra was released on May 3, 1913. One year prior to this on 18th May, 1912, Dadasaheb Torne had released Pundalik. Pundalik was photographed from a play by Johnson, a British cinematographer.The silent films were made till 1930. Some hits from this period are Lanka Dahan (1917) and Kalia Mardan (1919).

   

1931-50

Alam Ara of Ardeshir Irani — the first talkies was released in 1931. Some hits of this period are Achut Kanya (1935), Devdas of Sehgal (1935), Rattan (1944).

1951-60

A decade dominated by the trio of Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand. Some hits from this period are Mother India (1957), Naya Daur (1957), Mughal-e-Azam (1960).

1961-70

Shammi Kapoor and Rajendra Kumar were prominent heroes. Rajesh Khanna emerged as a super star. Some hit movies are Sangam (1964), Ganga Jamna (1961), Mere Mehboob (1963).

1971-80

Parallel cinema movement started. Amitabh Bachchan emerged as a star. Some hits are Sholay (1975), Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978).

1981-90

Movies face piracy. Some hits are Kranti (1981), Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985).

1991-2000

Family dramas. Some hits are Hum Aapke Hai Kaun (1994), Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995).

2001-14

Corporatisation appears in Hindi film industry. Films are released in mutiplexes. Some hits are Gadar (2001), Three Idiots (2009), Dabang (2010), Robot (2010), PK (2014).

N.B.

Hiralal Sen was a contemporary of Phalke who made short films between 1898 and 1913. Even before the release of Pundalik, Hiralal Sen and his brother Motilal Sen has produced five silent films between 1901 and 1905 in Kolkata. Alibaba from Parasi stage was picturised by them as Scenes from Alibaba (1901) and then as Alibaba and Forty Thieves (1903).

On 7th July, 1896, a rainy Tuesday, an audience of Europeans paid a rupee each to watch a show which is branded as the Marvel of the Century  — the motion pictures or living photographic pictures. This debut was made in India at Watson Hotel, the swankiest hotel of Bombay, as Mumbai was called then. It is situated in the heart of south Mumbai and is now called Esplanade Mansion and is in ruin.

Ardeshir Irani produced 250 films, out of which 150 were silent films. He produced first talkie Alam Ara (1931), first colour film Kisan Kanya (1937), first Parsi film Duravatre Lore (1933), first English film Noorjahan (1932). He also recorded the first song for a film.

Between 1913 and 1937, Dadasaheb Phalke produced 50 plus films in a period of 24 years.

 

Raja Harishchandra was released on April 21, 1913 for a select audience at the Olympia Theatre in Mumbai. It was later released commercially on May 3, 1913. It means  the Indian feature films have entered their 100th year in April, 2012. Dada Saheb Phalke was the first Indian to make a feature film. Prior to the release of Raja Harishchandra, Torane’s film Pundalik was released on 18th May, 1912 at the Coronation Theatre.However, film historians take Raja  Harishchandra as the first Indian film because Pundalik was photographed from a play.There is no evidence of an independent script, shot division at different places and editing. The makers also employed a British cinematographer. Raja Harishchandra, as Phalke himself put it, was fully swadeshi.

Raja Harishchandra was a mythological based on the popular legend of the righteous king Harishchandra. Phalke followed it up by other mythologicals, Lanka Dahan (1917), Shri Krishna Janma (1918) and Kaliya Mardan (1919).Raja Harishchandra was a 40-minute film.

Cinema as a medium emerged in Maharashtra. There was a history of about seventy years prior to this which nurtured a conducive cultural climate for cinema. Vishnudas Bhave stayed the first Marathi drama in Sangli in 1843. Music till then was the sole entertainer. In 1880, the musical dramas started in Maharashtra.When cinema appeared in 1912, people were used to assembling in the auditorium for seeing a drama. In a sense, cinema as the medium of story telling was being handled previously in the form of stage plays.They in fact are precursors of movies.

Juhi Chaturvedi has written Vicky Donor narrating the story of a sperm donor. Sanjay Chouhan wrote Paan Singh Tomar. Rajat Arora wrote Once upon a Time in Mumbai and The Dirty Picture. Advaita Kala wrote Kahanni. Hindi films are star-driven, but all producers cannot afford the stars, and a massive budget. The market is opening up for small budget films. Here the driving forces are the story and dialogue. As John Abraham the producer of Vicky Donor puts if, ‘ Juhi Chartuvedi is the hero of my film.’ In a way a story can be told in a line. The way the story is written is of prime importance. The dialogue too plays a key role. Juhi recently wrote another good story — Piku.