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Arts

How Many Movies Does Bollywood Release per Year?

India’s film industry, commonly referred to as Bollywood, releases more than 1,000 films per year. That is more than double the number of films released by its American counterpart, Hollywood. Bollywood, which is based in Mumbai, began in 1913 and spread in popularity in India and nearby countries, such as Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Indian films also are popular in countries that have large Indian or Pakistani communities, such as the United Kingdom. Although Bollywood makes more films than Hollywood, Bollywood's ticket prices and audience sizes are smaller, so its annual profit is less than 10% of Hollywood's, on average.

More about Bollywood:

  • Since 1954, Bollywood movies generally have not featured kissing, because of protests by women who claim that it would corrupt viewing audiences.
  • The average Bollywood film costs $1.5 million US Dollars (USD) to produce — a fraction of the average Hollywood film budget of more than $45 million USD.
  • Only about 4% of the estimated 1.2 billion people in India actually go to the movies on a regular basis.

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Discussion Comments

By anon1000634 — On Nov 02, 2018

Well, anon998251, you watched an old 80s movie. Try watching a new one because they're different.

Please watch "Dangal".

By anon998251 — On May 02, 2017

I have watched some Indian movies back to the 80s. Well guys, it's nothing of what you could imagine. If I had to describe it in one word, it would be "grotesque": a kind of silly, ridiculous parody. Imagine if something like "Hot Shots" or “Naked Gun” were presented as a serious movie? And put in there people who are singing and dancing every 5 minutes, and you'll get a typical Indian movie. They are all made by the same stereotypes: rape, dishonor, vendetta, etc. It's the silliest thing you can imagine - Bollywood is for Hollywood, what is Hollywood for a real good cinema. So you can imagine how bad it is. It's only good if you want to laugh - instead of taking a comedy - look for a Bollywood tragedy - you'll be dead!

If you think there is something from a different culture, it would mean you think bad about Indians and their culture. Most don't look that idiotic.

I watched one or two good Indian movies in the 90s, but I believe they were international co-productions, or independent studio products. I have no doubt that the only reason why Bollywood exists the way it is: 1) to steal public money (different donations for the cultural development) 2) to wash the "dirty" money.

Think also about the fact that the actors in Indian movies will always represent only a few "high" castes, and never the majority of Indians ( it's a multinational and multi cultural country). This is a synthetic "nation" made by the Anglo-Saxon colonists, and got independence by and for the lobby of private financial forces with a help of an impostor, pedophile and racist - an opportunistic lawyer: a homosexual from a "high" caste named Mohandas Gandhi ("Mahatma" (saint) is a name given by the occidental sects (Blavatsky) , and not by Indians.

By RoyalSpyder — On Feb 28, 2014

Has anyone here watched Indian films? And if so, how much do they differ from ours? Besides, having better standards than Hollywood. I have a feeling that if I were to watch a Bollywood film, I'd get a sense of culture shock, since Indian culture is so much different from ours. It almost makes me wonder what they think of our films.

By Chmander — On Feb 27, 2014

@Viranty - I agree with you. I mean, just look at Hollywood, which is completely shameless. It's a corrupted industry filled with sex, drugs, money, and violent scenes. Also, I noticed how in the article, it says that Bollywood movies don't have kissing. I find this to be kind of funny because as I just stated, it's the exact opposite in the realm of Hollywood.

This is just my opinion, but I feel that as Americans, we have become completely desensitized to what's going on around us, and to violent movies in general. This is a great article that indirectly compares and contrasts Bollywood and Hollywood.

By Viranty — On Feb 27, 2014
Because I don't live in India, I'm not all that familiar with the concept of "Bollywood". Maybe I should watch one of their movies someday. After reading this article, I can clearly see how their standards are different than ours, especially in reference to Hollywood. Also, why is it that so few people go to the movies in India? That's really quite odd.
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