There are many different film industries around the globe entertaining global as well as region specific audiences.
Among them, only a few film industries get as much recognition as Hollywood. And, Bollywood is among those film industries.
The basic reason why any region specific film industry like Bollywood stands out is the dance, music and the dramatic sequences displayed universally in all the films produced in the industry.
Shah Rukh Khan, the king of Bollywood, once said that “If Chinese have martial arts, Bollywood has music and dance,” and hence it is evident that music and dance are the main USPs for this Indian film industry.
However, over the years, Bollywood has moved to a whole new level in terms of filmmaking, storytelling, and more importantly, the use of technology to create special effects. Despite such a transition, music and dance still remain the main elements of a Bollywood film even today.
But, during this transition towards modern day cinema, some of the most widely featured as well as popular trends in Bollywood have vanished from the modern day cinema. Most of them were too cliché, while some vanished as new trends jumped in.
Vanished Bollywood Trends
Irrespective of the reason, true Bollywood fanatics would definitely miss the vanished Bollywood trends as follows:
Love Story between Rich and Poor
The true essence of a love story or a romantic film in Bollywood used to be the rift between the rich and the poor. However, with time and new themes, this typical romance theme has left Bollywood forever as it seems.
Whether it is the classic Mughal-E-Azam (1960), the bold Bobby (1973), or the innocent Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), all these films from different eras featured the romance between the rich and the poor. Well, not as frequently as earlier, but we would love to see this trend return to Bollywood.
Reincarnation
No matter how superstitious it may sound, reincarnation theme was hugely popular in Indian films before the new millennium. Well, it is hard to get this theme back into Bollywood, thanks to the modern day audience, but then, these modern day audiences do enjoy Hollywood films based on Urban Legends.
Hollywood Urban Legends are quite similar to superstition themes in India, especially Bollywood. Some of the well-known films featuring reincarnation are Karan Arjun (1995), Karz (1980), Mehbooba (1976), and Neel Kamal (1968) to name a few.
Lost and Found Theme
The 70s and the 80s era of Bollywood saw the lost and found theme as one of the most trending themes of all time.
Films based around this theme always featured a typical Indian family with kids, who are lost and separated from one another and the film takes a leap of 20-some years and by the end, all of them are reunited for a happy ending.
The first film I watched featuring this theme was Waqt (1965). Then, there are also blockbuster films like Yaadon Ki Baraat (1973) and Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), which makes it to the list of best Bollywood films based on Lost and Found theme.
Family Drama
Unlike other trends listed above that were widely used throughout the different eras of Bollywood, Family Drama films were at the peak during the 80s.
I am not sure what triggered such films, but the action drama trend launched by Amitabh Bachchan took a step back during the 80s, with Family Drama films taking over.
All the major stars in the 80s like Rajesh Khanna, Rekha, Jeetendra, Jaya Prada, Govinda, Sri Devi, Anil Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor and many others were seen featured in such family drama films. However, the trend was only active during the 80s and got lost as Romance genre took over in the 90s.
Homosocial Theme
One of the most exciting themes in Bollywood and the ultimate illustrations for true friendship are the Homosocial Theme films. Whether it is Jai-Veeru of Sholay (1975), Kishan-Bishan of Yaraana (1981), or Dharam-Veer of Dharm Veer (1977); all these films defined friendship in different ways.
In addition to friendship as the base for Homosocial theme, the brotherhood was also widely used in films like Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Parvarish (1977), Waqt (1965), Trishul (1978), Suhaag (1979), and more.
Few other films featuring this trend were Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978), Yaadon Ki Baraat (1973), Khudgarz (1987), Mohra (1994), Hera Pheri (1976 & 2000), Karan Arjun (1995), and others.
Hardcore Villains
Gone are the days for hardcore villains like Gabbar Singh, Shakaal, Lion, Bad Man or Mogambo in Bollywood. Most of the scripts, today, are featured highly on the image of the main lead in the film, rather than the main antagonist.
Irrespective of the fact that these are some hardcore negative characters, we sort of miss them in Bollywood.
The main reason not being the favoritism towards negative characters, but the fact that if the Hero or the main lead wins over such a hardcore villain, it boosts our morale and features the Hero much stronger.
Over to you!
Well, these are my memorable trends in Bollywood that is forgotten in the modern day cinema. What are yours?
Let us know in the comments below!
