Unlike Hollywood, there's no "Bollywood Boulevard." But the Mumbai-based film industry is among the largest in the world.
The first feature-length Indian film, Raja Harishchandra, was released in 1913.
But many consider the true birth of Bollywood to be 1931, with the release of the first Hindi-language "talkie." As production increased, Indian cinema segmented into different languages, including Bengali, Tamil, and Telugu.
After India gained independence from Britain in 1947, movies began to reflect the optimism and patriotism of the newly independent country, as well as the struggles of this transitionary period.
As more films were produced across India, the era became known as the Golden Age of Bollywood.
The Golden Era of Bollywood — along with the industry's rising stars — became a critical nation-building tool, introducing the world to independent India.
In 1957, Mother India became the first Indian movie nominated for an Academy Award for best foreign language film.
In the 1970s, Bollywood saw the rise of masala movies, which combined romance, comedy, and action with extravagant musical numbers and dramatic plots.
One such film, Sholay, is considered the ultimate Bollywood movie.
It combines classic Bollywood themes with the iconic imagery of Westerns, and it became the highest-grossing Bollywood film for almost 20 years.
