South Asian cinema

South Asian cinema refers to the cinema of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.^[1][2][3] The broader terms Asian cinema, Eastern cinema and Oriental cinema in common usage often encompass South Asia as well as East Asia and Southeast Asia.^[2]

Cinema is prominent in South Asia, with the Bollywood (representing the most-spoken language in the region of Hindi) and South Indian film industries being the most dominant.^[4][5] Pakistan's Lollywood also is growing,^[6] while historically, Bengali cinema was highly acclaimed by international film circles.^[7][8]

Styles and genres

The scope of South Asian cinema is huge and takes in a wide array of different film styles, linguistic regions, and genres. South Asian cinema is particularly famous in the West for:

• Melodramatic films
  • Action films
  • Curry Westerns
  • Escapism
  • Musicals
  • Romance films
  • Masala films
• Parallel cinema
  • Drama films
  • Thriller films
  • Art films
  • Indian neo-noir
  • Neorealism
• Heroic bloodshed
• Historical drama

Regional industries

Bangladeshi cinema

Bangladeshi film industry, is the Bengali language film industry based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The industry often generally referred to as Dhakai Cinema or Dhallywood, has been a significant film industry since the early 1970s. The 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and the first half of the 1990s were the golden years for Bangladeshi films as the industry produced many successful films. The industry has recently begun receiving international acclaim and many Bangladeshi films are getting released internationally.

Indian cinema

India contains many state languages which have film industries centered on them. Although Hindi is the official language of government business in northern regions of India, its often-used dialect Hindustani is the most widespread language but covers only 40% of the total population, and English is widely understood irrespective of region, the state languages are preserved for official use by different states in India, and many have as many speakers as an average European nation. Regional industries have also tended to produce a higher percentage of serious art films and political films. Bangladeshi cinema is filmed in Bengali and Sri Lankan cinema is filmed in Sinhala and Tamil.

• Hindi Cinema, popularly known as Bollywood, is based in Mumbai. This film industry is the most prolific and popular in South Asia.
• South Indian cinema, which in recent years has become on par with Bollywood in terms of box office revenue^[9]
  • Telugu cinema, popularly known as Tollywood, which comes from the mixture of Hollywood and Telugu, based in Hyderabad, Telangana. It was formerly located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
  • Tamil cinema- The Tamil film industry (also known as Kollywood) based in the Kodambakkam area of Chennai (formerly Madras).
  • Kannada cinema, based in Bangalore, Karnataka. The industry is known for churning out parallel and commercial movies with equal success.
  • Malayalam Cinema, Malayalam film industry, sometimes known as Mollywood, based in Kochi and Trivandrum in Kerala. Several of its directors such as Shaji N. Karun have also received international acclaim.
• Marathi cinema, based in Mumbai and Pune.
• Bhojpuri cinema, based in Bihar and Bhojpuri Language speaking regions of Bihar and Jharkhand.
• Bengali Cinema-long centered in the Tollygunge area of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). This film industry is known for producing many internationally acclaimed films by directors such as Satyajit Ray, Budhhadeb Dasgupta, Mrinal Sen, and Ritwik Ghatak.
• Gujarati cinema, based in Gujarat.
• Haryanvi cinema, Haryanvi language cinema, based in Haryana
• Chhollywood, the Chhattisgarhi language based film industry based in the state of Chhattisgarh.
• Dogri cinema, Dogri Language cinema of Jammu region.
• Kashmiri cinema, Kashmiri Language cinema of Kashmir valley.
• Cinema of Rajasthan, Based in Rajasthan
• Cinema of Odisha, the Odia language film industry based in Bhubaneshwar and Cuttack.
• Punjabi film industry, based in Punjab, India, popularly known as Pollywood
• Manipuri film industry, based in Manipur and produces mostly Meitei language films. It is the biggest film industry of North East India.
• Assamese film industry, based in Assam.
• Tulu cinema Tulu language-speaking regions of Karnataka viz. Tulu Nadu based in Mangalore.
• Santali cinema Santali speaking regions on Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha & Assam

Nepali cinema

• Nepali film industry, the Nepali film industry based in Kathmandu, has recently begun receiving international acclaim with films such as The Black Hen (2015), Kagbeni (2006), <i>Dying Candle</i> (2016) and others.
• Tharu Cinema based in Terai, Tharuhat is the home of the Tharu languages cinema.

Pakistani cinema

• Balochi cinema, based in Quetta, Balochistan is the home of Balochi language film productions.
• Lollywood, based in Lahore, Punjab for Punjabi cinema and Karachi, Sindh for Urdu cinema.
• Pashto cinema, based in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the home of Pashto language film productions.
• Sindhi cinema, based in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan is the home of the Sindhi language film productions.

Others

• Sri Lankan cinema
• Sri Lankan Tamil cinema
• Bhutanese cinema

Some figures of South Asian cinema

Directors

• A. R. Murugadoss – Tamil director (Ghajini, Ghajini, Thuppakki, Kaththi, Sarkar, Darbar)
• Abu Shahed Emon
• Adoor Gopalakrishnan – Malayalam director (Elippathayam, Swayamvaram).
• Alamgir Kabir
• Amitabh Reza Chowdhury
• Anurag Kashyap - (Gangs of Wasseypur, Black Friday)
• Aparna Sen – Indian Bengali actress and director (36 Chowringhee Lane, Mr. and Mrs. Iyer).
• Ashutosh Gowariker – Contemporary Hindi actor, director and producer (Lagaan).
• Asoka Handagama - recognized as the pioneer of Sri Lankan cinema's ‘ third revolution’
• Balu Mahendra – Sri Lanka-born Tamil and Malayalam director (Sandhya Raagam, Veedu).
• Basu Chatterjee – (Chitchor).
• Bharathiraja – Tamil director who captured village life (Muthal Mariyathai, Vedham Pudhithu).
• Bimal Roy – Hindi film director (Devdas, Do Bigha Zameen).
• Boyapati Srinu
• Budhhadeb Dasgupta – Uttara, internationally acclaimed filmmaker known for surrealism and magical realism.
• Chashi Nazrul Islam
• Dasari Narayana Rao
• Deepa Mehta – Indian-born Canadian director best known for her "elements trilogy". Fire, Earth, Water).
• Dharmasena Pathiraja - Widely recognized as the pioneer of Sri Lankan cinema's ‘second revolution’
• Ehtesham
• EVV Satyanarayana
• Fateh Lohani
• Girish Karnad – (Anand Bhairavi).
• Govind Nihalani – Cinematographer and director.
• Gurinder Chadha – British director (Bend It Like Beckham, Bride and Prejudice).
• Guru Dutt – Hindi actor, director and producer of the 1950s and '60s (Mr. & Mrs. '55, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Pyaasa).
• Hrishikesh Mukherjee – Hindi film director known for (Anand, Abhimaan).
• Humayun Ahmed – One of the most successful writers and directors of Bangladesh.
• K. Asif – Mughal-e-Azam
• K. Balachander – Tamil director.
• K. Raghavendra Rao
• K. S. Ravikumar – Tamil film director (Muthu, Padayappa, Dasavathaaram)
• K. Viswanath – Telugu director known for films like Sankarabharanam, Swathi Muthyam, Swayam Krushi.
• Kamal Amrohi – Mahal Pakeeza Razia Sultan
• Kamar Ahmed Saimon
• Ketan Mehta – (Bhavni Bhavai, Maya Memsaab).
• Khan Ataur Rahman
• Krishna Vamsi
• Lester James Peries - Considered as the father of Sri Lankan cinema
• Madhur Bhandarkar – Director and screenwriter (Page 3, Chandni Bar).
• Malaka Dewapriya - is a contemporary young Sri Lankan filmmaker
• Mahboob
• Mani Ratnam – Generally works in Tamil films but has worked in Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada industries. (Kannathil Muthamittal, Guru).
• Mani Shankar – Director of Bollywood action thrillers (16 December, Tango Charlie)
• Manmohan Desai – (Parvarish, Amar Akbar Anthony).
• Mira Nair – (Monsoon Wedding, Salaam Bombay!).
• Morshedul Islam
• Mostofa Sarwar Farooki
• Mrinal Sen – Bengali film director, has won awards at major film festivals (Baishey Shravan, Bhuvan Shome).
• Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar – (America! America!!, Amruthadhaare).
• Narayan Ghosh Mita
• Nasir Hussain – (Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak)
• Nischal Basnet – (Loot, Loot 2)
• Partho Sen-Gupta – Avant-garde independent director (Hava Aney Dey).
• Prakash Jha – Contemporary Hindi director (Gangaajal, Apaharan).
• Prakash Mehra – (Zanjeer, Hera Pheri).
• Prashanta Nanda – Oriya film director who won most of the National Awards for his contribution for Oriya Film Industry.
• Prashanta Nanda - recognized as the pioneer of realistict cinema at third generation in the Sri Lankan cinema.’
• Puri Jagannadh
• Puttanna Kanagal – (Belli moda).
• Rajkumar Santoshi – (Ghayal, Andaz Apna Apna).
• Rakesh Roshan – (Karan Arjun, Krrish).
• Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra – Director and screenwriter (Aks, Rang De Basanti).
• Ram Gopal Varma – (Shiva, Rangeela).
• Ramesh Sippy – (Sholay, Andaz)
• Ritwik Ghatak – Bengali film director, (Nagarik, Meghe Dhaka Tara).
• S. S. Rajamouli – Telugu film director, (Baahubali: The Beginning, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, RRR).
• S. Shankar – Tamil director and producer (Gentleman, Indian, Mudhalvan, Anniyan, Sivaji: The Boss, Enthiran, I, 2.0)
• Saawan Kumar
• Sanjay Gupta – (Zinda)
• Sanjay Leela Bhansali – (Devdas, Black)
• Santosh Sivan – Award-winning cinematographer and director (The Terrorist, Asoka).
• Satyajit Ray – Bengali film director, widely regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema (Apu trilogy).
• Shekhar Kapur – British India-born director and producer (Elizabeth, Bandit Queen).
• Shyam Benegal – Important part of the New India Cinema movement (Ankur, Bhumika).
• Sonali Gulati – contemporary independent filmmaker, activist, and feminist who has made award-winning documentary and experimental films.
• Subhash Dutta
• Sudhir Mishra – Contemporary director and screenwriter (Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, Chameli).
• Sukumar
• S.V. Krishna Reddy
• Tanvir Mokammel
• Tareque Masud
• Trivikram
• Tulsi Ghimire – Nepali movie director (Known for Kusume Rumal, Lahure, Darpan Chaya)
• Upendra – (A, Om).
• V. Shantaram – Hindi director and actor (Do Aankhen Barah Haath).
• Vidhu Vinod Chopra – (An Encounter with Faces, 1942: A Love Story).
• Vijay Anand – Bollywood actor, director, and producer mainly during the 1960s and '70s. (Johnny Mera Naam, Jewel Thief)
• Vikram Bhatt – (Inteha, Deewane Huye Pagal).
• Yash Chopra – Veteran producer and director (Waqt, Deewaar).
• Yograj Bhat – (Mungaru Male).
• Zahir Raihan
• Tulsi Ghimire – Nepali movie director (Known for Kusume Rumal, Lahure, Darpan Chaya)

Actors

Actresses

South Asian influence on other film industries

Indonesian cinema

Last but not least is Indonesian cinema. In the beginning, Indonesian cinema grew after World War I, rooted in the Folk Theater Drama called Dardanela. Under Usmar Ismail, Indonesian cinema became the new entertainment from 1950 to 1980. Hundred of film stars were born, such as Citra Dewi (1960), and Tanty Yosepha (1970). Yenny Rachman and Christine Hakim (1980) and Dian Sastro (the late 1990s). Teguh Karya was one of the leading Film directors in Indonesia after the era of Usmar Ismail. Now, with the popularity of television, the film is replaced with electronic cinema which is popular as sinetron. This industry has made the Indian-born producer, Raam Punjabi, a tycoon of sinetron in Indonesia.

See also

• Cinema of the world
• Music of South Asia
• Alpavirama South Asian Short Film Festival (Alpavirama)
• Asian cinema
• World cinema
• Sambalpuri Cinema
• List of Hollywood-inspired nicknames
• East Asian cinema
• Southeast Asian cinema

Further reading

• Contemporary Asian Cinema, Anne Tereska Ciecko, editor. Berg, 2006. ISBN 1-84520-237-6

References

This page was last edited on 23 April 2024, at 14:41