Cinema India: The Art of Bollywood

26 June - 6 October 2002

Featuring works from pre-independent India to the present day, this exhibition charted the historical, political and cultural changes experienced by the country, as seen through the eyes of the Indian film industry.

The exhibition brought together some of the most remarkable examples of Indian cinema art, from large-scale hoardings and posters to photo cards, booklets and original film trailers. Posters from many classic films were represented: the Oscar nominated epic 'Mother India', 'Sholay' (with its distinctive and influential typography) and recent blockbusters such as 'Lagaan' and 'K3G'.

The extraordinary talent of the hoarding artist was highlighted, with artists from India specially commissioned to demonstrate their unique art. Three works were hand-painted on site at the V&A, providing a rare opportunity to see this fascinating technique first-hand.

Leading Cinema India film stars

Amitabh Bachchan

Nicknamed 'Big B', Bachchan is the undisputed superstar of India popular cinema. Since entering the business in the late 1960s, he has made more than 70 films, many of which have become classics of the India cinema such as 'Sholay' and 'Deewaar'. His portrayal of the angry young man struggling in Indian society, struck a chord in the turbulent political times of the 1970s.

He left acting to go into politics in the 1980s but returned to movie-making, producing and narrating films soon after. He is devoted to making Indian movies and culture prominent throughout the world and has founded an entertainment company in order to use his status to help that cause.

Dilip Kumar

Along with Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar was one of the India film industry's brightest stars of the 1950s and 1960s, gaining fame for roles in 'Andaz', 'Devdas' and 'Mughal-e-Azam', amongst others.

Praised for his natural manner on screen, Kumar excelled at showing anguish and defeat and was crowned 'The King of Tragedy.' His roles as the love struck loner drew upon the social climate of post-independence India and remain an inspiration for contemporary actors.

Although his career has slowed down considerably, Kumar remains in the public eye. In 1982 he starred alongside current Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan in the critically acclaimed 'Shakti', proving his star qualities.

Waheeda Rehman

Rehman gained fame starring in many of director Guru Dutt's most acclaimed films including 'Pyaasa' and 'Kaagaz Ke Phool'. Her beauty and dancer's grace had mass appeal and her most famous role was in 'Guide' made in 1965 for which she won a Best Actress Filmfare Award. She continues to act in movies today starring alongside Bollywood stars like Amitabh Bachchan.

 

Meena Kumari

Kumari began acting at the age of six in 'Leatherface' and found success as a child star known as Baby Meena. Later she was renamed Meena Kumari and began to appear in comedies. However she found fame portraying innocent lovestruck women who go through much suffering in films like 'Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam'. This element of misfortune was paralleled in her own life in which she fell into alcoholism and endured a difficult marriage to Kamal Amrohi who had directed her in many of her most popular roles. After a long term separation the two were reunited to film 'Pakeezah' and Kumari died shortly after the release of the film.