Masala film - Revision history

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	== History ==		== History ==
	According to a number of critics and scholars, the masala film was pioneered in the early 1970s by filmmaker [[Nasir Hussain]],<ref>{{Cite news \|first=Poorva \|last=Joshi \|date=30 March 2017 \|title=How film-maker Nasir Husain started the trend for Bollywood masala films \|language=en \|work=[[Hindustan Times]] \|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/how-film-maker-nasir-husain-created-the-prototype-for-bollywood-masala-films/story-ckL6zPLHJFDYoupjFBtbfN.html}}</ref><ref name="Chaudhuri" /><ref name="bhaumik"/> along with screenwriter duo [[Salim–Javed]], consisting of [[Salim Khan]] and [[Javed Akhtar]].<ref name="Chaudhuri" /> ''[[Yaadon Ki Baaraat]]'' (1973), directed by Hussain and written by Salim-Javed, has been identified by many as the first masala film.<ref name="bhaumik">Kaushik Bhaumik, [https://thewire.in/24564/an-insightful-reading-of-our-many-indian-identities/ An Insightful Reading of Our Many Indian Identities], [[The Wire (Indian web publication)\|The Wire]], 12 March 2016</ref><ref>{{Cite book \|last=Chaudhuri \|first=Diptakirti \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT58 \|title=Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters \|date=1 October 2015 \|publisher=[[Penguin Books\|Penguin UK]] \|isbn=9789352140084 \|page=58 \|language=en}}</ref> However, critic S. Shankar has claimed the genre has existed in [[Tamil cinema]] as early as the 1950s, citing ''[[Parasakthi (film)\|Parasakthi]]'' (1952) and ''[[Enga Veettu Pillai]]'' (1965) as examples.<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Shankar \|first=S. \|date=27 May 2014 \|title=Tamil Cinema: Ten Essential Titles for New Fans of Indian Movies Who Want to Venture beyond Bombay \|url=https://sshankar.net/2014/05/27/tamil-cinema-ten-essential-titles-for-new-fans-of-indian-movies-who-want-to-venture-beyond-bombay/ \|access-date=22 September 2020 \|website=Sshankar.net}}</ref> After ''Yaadon Ki Baaraat'', Salim-Javed went on to write more successful masala films in the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="Chaudhuri">{{Cite book \|last=Chaudhuri \|first=Diptakirti \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ \|title=Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters \|date=1 October 2015 \|publisher=[[Penguin Books\|Penguin UK]] \|isbn=9789352140084 \|language=en}}</ref> A landmark for the masala film genre was ''[[Amar Akbar Anthony]]'' (1977),<ref name="Dwyer2005">{{Cite book \|last=Rachel Dwyer \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4EBNAQAAIAAJ \|title=100 Bollywood films \|publisher=Lotus Collection, Roli Books \|year=2005 \|isbn=978-81-7436-433-3 \|page=14 \|access-date=6 August 2013}}</ref~~><ref name="bhaumik" /~~> directed by [[Manmohan Desai]] and written by [[Kader Khan]]. Manmohan Desai went on to successfully exploit the genre in the 1970s and 1980s.		According to a number of critics and scholars, the masala film was pioneered in the early 1970s by filmmaker [[Nasir Hussain]],<ref>{{Cite news \|first=Poorva \|last=Joshi \|date=30 March 2017 \|title=How film-maker Nasir Husain started the trend for Bollywood masala films \|language=en \|work=[[Hindustan Times]] \|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/how-film-maker-nasir-husain-created-the-prototype-for-bollywood-masala-films/story-ckL6zPLHJFDYoupjFBtbfN.html}}</ref><ref name="Chaudhuri" /><ref name="bhaumik"/> along with screenwriter duo [[Salim–Javed]], consisting of [[Salim Khan]] and [[Javed Akhtar]].<ref name="Chaudhuri" /> ''[[Yaadon Ki Baaraat]]'' (1973), directed by Hussain and written by Salim-Javed, has been identified by many as the first masala film.<ref name="bhaumik">Kaushik Bhaumik, [https://thewire.in/24564/an-insightful-reading-of-our-many-indian-identities/ An Insightful Reading of Our Many Indian Identities], [[The Wire (Indian web publication)\|The Wire]], 12 March 2016</ref><ref>{{Cite book \|last=Chaudhuri \|first=Diptakirti \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT58 \|title=Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters \|date=1 October 2015 \|publisher=[[Penguin Books\|Penguin UK]] \|isbn=9789352140084 \|page=58 \|language=en}}</ref> However, critic S. Shankar has claimed the genre has existed in [[Tamil cinema]] as early as the 1950s, citing ''[[Parasakthi (film)\|Parasakthi]]'' (1952) and ''[[Enga Veettu Pillai]]'' (1965) as examples.<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Shankar \|first=S. \|date=27 May 2014 \|title=Tamil Cinema: Ten Essential Titles for New Fans of Indian Movies Who Want to Venture beyond Bombay \|url=https://sshankar.net/2014/05/27/tamil-cinema-ten-essential-titles-for-new-fans-of-indian-movies-who-want-to-venture-beyond-bombay/ \|access-date=22 September 2020 \|website=Sshankar.net}}</ref> After ''Yaadon Ki Baaraat'', Salim-Javed went on to write more successful masala films in the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="Chaudhuri">{{Cite book \|last=Chaudhuri \|first=Diptakirti \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ \|title=Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters \|date=1 October 2015 \|publisher=[[Penguin Books\|Penguin UK]] \|isbn=9789352140084 \|language=en}}</ref> A landmark for the masala film genre was ''[[Amar Akbar Anthony]]'' (1977),<ref name="bhaumik" /><ref name="Dwyer2005">{{Cite book \|last=Rachel Dwyer \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4EBNAQAAIAAJ \|title=100 Bollywood films \|publisher=Lotus Collection, Roli Books \|year=2005 \|isbn=978-81-7436-433-3 \|page=14 \|access-date=6 August 2013}}</ref> directed by [[Manmohan Desai]] and written by [[Kader Khan]]. Manmohan Desai went on to successfully exploit the genre in the 1970s and 1980s.

	''[[Sholay]]'' (1975), directed by [[Ramesh Sippy]] and written by Salim-Javed, also falls under the masala genre. It is sometimes called a "[[Curry Western]]", a play on the term [[Spaghetti Western]]. A more accurate genre label is the "[[Dacoit Western]]", as it combined the conventions of Indian [[dacoit film]]s such as ''[[Mother India]]'' (1957) and ''[[Gunga Jumna]]'' (1961) with that of Spaghetti Westerns. ''Sholay'' spawned a subgenre of "Dacoit Western" films in the 1970s.<ref name="Teo">{{Cite book \|last=Teo \|first=Stephen \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pi8lDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA122 \|title=Eastern Westerns: Film and Genre Outside and Inside Hollywood \|date=2017 \|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] \|isbn=978-1-317-59226-6 \|page=122 \|language=en}}</ref>		''[[Sholay]]'' (1975), directed by [[Ramesh Sippy]] and written by Salim-Javed, also falls under the masala genre. It is sometimes called a "[[Curry Western]]", a play on the term [[Spaghetti Western]]. A more accurate genre label is the "[[Dacoit Western]]", as it combined the conventions of Indian [[dacoit film]]s such as ''[[Mother India]]'' (1957) and ''[[Gunga Jumna]]'' (1961) with that of Spaghetti Westerns. ''Sholay'' spawned a subgenre of "Dacoit Western" films in the 1970s.<ref name="Teo">{{Cite book \|last=Teo \|first=Stephen \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pi8lDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA122 \|title=Eastern Westerns: Film and Genre Outside and Inside Hollywood \|date=2017 \|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] \|isbn=978-1-317-59226-6 \|page=122 \|language=en}}</ref>

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{{Short description|Film genre}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2020}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2013}}
'''Masala films''' of [[Cinema of India|Indian cinema]] are those that mix genres in one work. Typically these films freely mix [[Action film|action]], [[Comedy film|comedy]], [[Romance film|romance]], and [[Drama (film and television)|drama]] or [[melodrama]]. They also tend to be [[Musical film|musicals]] that include songs, often filmed in picturesque locations.<ref name="Ganti2004">{{Cite book |last=Tejaswini Gantiv |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GTEa93azj9EC |title=Bollywood: a guidebook to popular Hindi cinema |publisher=Psychology Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-415-28854-5 |page=139 |access-date=26 April 2011}}</ref><ref name="Masala vs. genre">{{Cite news |last=Sebastian |first=Pradeep |date=16 August 2002 |title=Masala vs. genre |language=en-IN |work=[[The Hindu]] |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/masala-vs-genre/article28571381.ece |access-date=29 September 2020}}</ref> The genre is named after the [[Spice mix|masala]], a mixture of [[spice]]s in [[Indian cuisine]].<ref>Nelmes, Jill. [https://books.google.com/books?id=jcCADouuE_UC&printsec=frontcover# ''An introduction to film studies'']. p. 367.</ref> According to ''[[The Hindu]]'', masala is the most popular genre of Indian cinema.<ref name="Masala vs. genre" /> Masala films have origins in 1970s [[Bollywood]] films, and are most common in Bollywood and [[Cinema of South India|South Indian films]].

== History ==
According to a number of critics and scholars, the masala film was pioneered in the early 1970s by filmmaker [[Nasir Hussain]],<ref>{{Cite news |first=Poorva |last=Joshi |date=30 March 2017 |title=How film-maker Nasir Husain started the trend for Bollywood masala films |language=en |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/how-film-maker-nasir-husain-created-the-prototype-for-bollywood-masala-films/story-ckL6zPLHJFDYoupjFBtbfN.html}}</ref><ref name="Chaudhuri" /><ref name="bhaumik"/> along with screenwriter duo [[Salim–Javed]], consisting of [[Salim Khan]] and [[Javed Akhtar]].<ref name="Chaudhuri" /> ''[[Yaadon Ki Baaraat]]'' (1973), directed by Hussain and written by Salim-Javed, has been identified by many as the first masala film.<ref name="bhaumik">Kaushik Bhaumik, [https://thewire.in/24564/an-insightful-reading-of-our-many-indian-identities/ An Insightful Reading of Our Many Indian Identities], [[The Wire (Indian web publication)|The Wire]], 12 March 2016</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Chaudhuri |first=Diptakirti |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT58 |title=Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters |date=1 October 2015 |publisher=[[Penguin Books|Penguin UK]] |isbn=9789352140084 |page=58 |language=en}}</ref> However, critic S. Shankar has claimed the genre has existed in [[Tamil cinema]] as early as the 1950s, citing ''[[Parasakthi (film)|Parasakthi]]'' (1952) and ''[[Enga Veettu Pillai]]'' (1965) as examples.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shankar |first=S. |date=27 May 2014 |title=Tamil Cinema: Ten Essential Titles for New Fans of Indian Movies Who Want to Venture beyond Bombay |url=https://sshankar.net/2014/05/27/tamil-cinema-ten-essential-titles-for-new-fans-of-indian-movies-who-want-to-venture-beyond-bombay/ |access-date=22 September 2020 |website=Sshankar.net}}</ref> After ''Yaadon Ki Baaraat'', Salim-Javed went on to write more successful masala films in the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="Chaudhuri">{{Cite book |last=Chaudhuri |first=Diptakirti |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ |title=Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters |date=1 October 2015 |publisher=[[Penguin Books|Penguin UK]] |isbn=9789352140084 |language=en}}</ref> A landmark for the masala film genre was ''[[Amar Akbar Anthony]]'' (1977),<ref name="Dwyer2005">{{Cite book |last=Rachel Dwyer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4EBNAQAAIAAJ |title=100 Bollywood films |publisher=Lotus Collection, Roli Books |year=2005 |isbn=978-81-7436-433-3 |page=14 |access-date=6 August 2013}}</ref><ref name="bhaumik" /> directed by [[Manmohan Desai]] and written by [[Kader Khan]]. Manmohan Desai went on to successfully exploit the genre in the 1970s and 1980s.

''[[Sholay]]'' (1975), directed by [[Ramesh Sippy]] and written by Salim-Javed, also falls under the masala genre. It is sometimes called a "[[Curry Western]]", a play on the term [[Spaghetti Western]]. A more accurate genre label is the "[[Dacoit Western]]", as it combined the conventions of Indian [[dacoit film]]s such as ''[[Mother India]]'' (1957) and ''[[Gunga Jumna]]'' (1961) with that of Spaghetti Westerns. ''Sholay'' spawned a subgenre of "Dacoit Western" films in the 1970s.<ref name="Teo">{{Cite book |last=Teo |first=Stephen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pi8lDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA122 |title=Eastern Westerns: Film and Genre Outside and Inside Hollywood |date=2017 |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |isbn=978-1-317-59226-6 |page=122 |language=en}}</ref>

Masala films helped establish many leading actors as superstars in the 1970s and 1980s, such as [[Dharmendra]], [[Amitabh Bachchan]], [[Sridevi]] achieved stardom in their early [[Bollywood]] career with masala movies. Since the 1990s, actors such as [[Salman Khan]] (Salim Khan's son), [[Akshay Kumar]] and [[Ajay Devgn]] in [[Bollywood]], [[N. T. Rama Rao|NTR]], [[Chiranjeevi]], [[Mahesh Babu]], [[Allu Arjun]], [[Jr. NTR]], [[Nagarjuna (actor)|Nagarjuna]] and [[Pawan Kalyan]] in [[Telugu cinema|Tollywood]], [[M.G. Ramachandran]], [[Suriya Sivakumar]], [[Joseph Vijay|Vijay]], [[Ajith Kumar]] and [[Rajinikanth]] in [[Tamil cinema|Kollywood]], [[Vishnuvardhan (actor)|Vishnuvardhan]], [[Ambarish]], [[Darshan (actor)|Darshan]], [[Puneeth Rajkumar]] , [[Sudeep]] and [[Yash (actor)|Yash]] in [[Kannada cinema]], [[Dev (Bengali actor)|Dev]], [[Jeet (actor)|Jeet]] and [[Ankush Hazra]] in [[Cinema of West Bengal|Bengali cinema]] and others have all tasted success in this format.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Noor|first=Arifa|date=2021-08-03|title=Films and reality|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1638513|access-date=2021-08-05|website=DAWN.COM|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Adlakha|first=Siddhant|date=2021-07-09|title=Stream Three Great Performances by the Bollywood Star Dilip Kumar|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/09/movies/stream-three-great-performances-by-the-bollywood-star-dilip-kumar.html|access-date=2021-08-05|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

This style is used very often in [[Hindi]] ([[Bollywood]]) and [[Cinema of South India|South Indian films]], as it helps make them appeal to a broad variety of viewers. Famous masala filmmakers include [[David Dhawan]], [[Anees Bazmee]], [[Farah Khan]] and [[Prabhu Deva]] in [[Bollywood]] ; [[Shaji Kailas]] and [[Joshiy]] in [[Malayalam Cinema]] ; [[Raja Chanda]], [[Raj Chakraborty]], [[Sujit Mondal]], [[Rajiv Kumar Biswas]] and [[Rabi Kinagi]] in [[Cinema of West Bengal|Bengali cinema]]; [[S. S. Rajamouli]], [[Puri Jagannadh]], [[Trivikram Srinivas]], [[Boyapati Srinu]] and [[Srinu Vaitla]] in [[Telugu cinema]]; [[S. Shankar]], [[Hari (director)|Hari]], [[Siruthai Siva]], [[Pandiraj]], [[AR Murugadoss]], [[K. V. Anand]], [[N. Lingusamy]] and [[K. S. Ravikumar]] in [[Cinema of Tamil Nadu|Tamil cinema]]; and in [[Cinema of Karnataka|Kannada cinema]] it was [[V. Somashekhar]] and [[K. S. R. Das]] in the 1970s; K. V. Raju, [[A. T. Raghu]] and [[Joe Simon (film director)|Joe Simon]] in the 1980s; [[Om Prakash Rao]] and Shivamani in the 1990s; and K. Madesh and [[Harsha (director)|A. Harsha]] in the 2000s.

Beyond Indian cinema, [[Danny Boyle]]'s [[Academy Award]]–winning film ''[[Slumdog Millionaire]]'' (2008), based on [[Vikas Swarup]]'s [[Exclusive Books Boeke Prize|Boeke Prize]] winning novel ''[[Q & A (novel)|Q & A]]'' (2005), has been described by several reviewers as a "masala" movie,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sudhish Kamath |date=17 January 2009 |title=The great Indian dream: Why 'Slumdog Millionaire', a film made in India, draws crowds in New York |url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2009/01/17/stories/2009011751051300.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126180319/http://hindu.com/mp/2009/01/17/stories/2009011751051300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 January 2009 |work=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=22 January 2009}}</ref> due to the way the film combines "familiar raw ingredients into a feverish masala"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scott Foundas |date=12 November 2008 |title=Fall Film: Slumdog Millionaire: Game Show Masala |url=http://www.laweekly.com/2008-11-13/film-tv/game-show-masala-in-slumdog-millionaire |access-date=22 January 2009 |website=[[LA Weekly]]}}</ref> and culminates in "the romantic leads finding each other."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Greg Quill |date=21 January 2009 |title=Slumdog wins hearts here |url=https://www.thestar.com/Entertainment/article/574394 |access-date=22 January 2009 |website=[[Toronto Star]]}}</ref> This is due to the influence of the Bollywood masala genre on the film.<ref name="Hindu">{{Cite web |date=11 January 2009 |title='Slumdog Millionaire' has an Indian co-director |url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200901110925.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325234357/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200901110925.htm |archive-date=25 March 2009 |access-date=23 January 2009 |website=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=21 January 2009 |title=All you need to know about Slumdog Millionaire |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/all-you-need-to-know-about-slumdog-millionaire-1452119.html |access-date=21 January 2009 |website=[[The Independent]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lisa Tsering |date=29 January 2009 |title=''Slumdog'' Director Boyle Has 'Fingers Crossed' for Oscars |url=http://www.indiawest.com/readmore.aspx?id=860&sid=5 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302235319/http://www.indiawest.com/readmore.aspx?id=860&sid=5 |archive-date=2 March 2009 |access-date=30 January 2009 |publisher=IndiaWest}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Anthony Kaufman |date=29 January 2009 |title=DGA nominees borrow from the masters: Directors cite specific influences for their films |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |url=https://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=awardcentral&jump=contenders&id=director&articleid=VR1117999259&cs=1 |access-date=30 January 2009}}</ref> According to [[Loveleen Tandan]], ''Slumdog Millionaire'' screenwriter [[Simon Beaufoy]] "studied Salim-Javed's kind of cinema minutely."<ref name=Hindu /> The influence of Bollywood masala films can also be seen in Western [[musical film]]s. [[Baz Luhrmann]] stated that his successful musical film ''[[Moulin Rouge!]]'' (2001) was directly inspired by Bollywood musicals.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Baz Luhrmann Talks Awards and 'Moulin Rouge' |url=http://movies.about.com/library/weekly/aa030902a.htm}}</ref>

[[Aamir Khan]] (Nasir Hussain's nephew), who debuted as a child actor in the first masala film ''Yaadon Ki Baraat'',<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cain |first=Rob |date=3 October 2017 |title=Aamir Khan's 'Secret Superstar' Could Be India's Next ₹1,000 Crore/$152M Box Office Hit |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robcain/2017/10/03/aamir-khans-secret-superstar-could-be-indias-next-₹1000-crore160m-box-office-hit/ |website=[[Forbes]] |language=en}}</ref> has been credited for redefining and modernising the masala film with his own distinct brand of socially conscious cinema in the early 21st century.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rangan |first=Baradwaj |date=8 January 2017 |title=Masala redux |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/Masala-redux/article17007881.ece |access-date=8 January 2017 |website=[[The Hindu]] |language=en-IN}}</ref> His films blur the distinction between commercial masala films and realistic [[parallel cinema]], combining the entertainment and production values of the former with the believable narratives and strong messages of the latter, earning both commercial success and critical acclaim, in India and overseas.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 November 2017 |title=Secret Superstar: A moving slice of life |work=[[The Asian Age]] |url=http://www.asianage.com/entertainment/bollywood/021117/secret-superstar-a-moving-slice-of-life.html}}</ref>

== Influences ==
While the ''masala'' film genre originated from Bollywood films in the 1970s, there have been several earlier influences that have shaped its conventions.<ref>{{Cite web|last=India|first=The Hans|date=2021-08-05|title=The enduring magic of cinema in India|url=https://www.thehansindia.com/hans/opinion/news-analysis/the-enduring-magic-of-cinema-in-india-699952|access-date=2021-08-05|website=www.thehansindia.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Bitter ‘Haqeeqat’, Bollywood Is No ‘Shershaah’ Of War Movies With Masala And Melodrama|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/entertainment-news-bitter-haqeeqat-bollywood-is-no-shershaah-of-war-movies-with-masala-and-melodrama/389407|url-status=live|access-date=2021-08-05|website=outlookindia.com}}</ref> Examples of this influence include the techniques of a [[side story]], [[back-story]] and [[story within a story]]. Indian popular films often have plots that branch off into sub-plots; such narrative dispersals can clearly be seen in the 1993 films ''[[Khalnayak]]'' and ''[[Gardish]]''. The second influence was the impact of ancient [[Sanskrit drama]], with its highly stylised nature and emphasis on spectacle, where [[Classical Indian music|music]], [[Classical Indian dance|dance]] and gesture combined "to create a vibrant artistic unit with dance and mime being central to the dramatic experience." Sanskrit dramas were known as ''[[Natya Shastra|natya]]'', derived from the root word {{lang|sa|nrit}} (dance), characterising them as spectacular dance-dramas which has continued in Indian cinema. The third influence was the traditional folk [[theatre of India]], which became popular from around the 10th century with the decline of Sanskrit theatre. These regional traditions include the [[Jatra (theatre)|Jatra]] of [[Bengal]], the [[Ramlila]] of [[Uttar Pradesh]], and the [[Terukkuttu]] of [[Tamil Nadu]]. The fourth influence was [[Parsi theatre]], which "blended [[Realism (arts)|realism]] and [[fantasy]], music and dance, narrative and spectacle, earthy dialogue and ingenuity of stage presentation, integrating them into a dramatic discourse of [[melodrama]]. The Parsi plays contained crude humour, melodious songs and music, sensationalism and dazzling stagecraft."<ref>{{Cite book |last=K. Moti Gokulsing |first=K. Gokulsing, Wimal Dissanayake |title=Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change |publisher=Trentham Books |year=2004 |isbn=1-85856-329-1 |page=98 }}</ref>

A major foreign influence was [[Hollywood]], where [[musical film|musicals]] were popular from the 1920s to the 1950s, though Indian filmmakers departed from their Hollywood counterparts in several ways. "For example, the Hollywood musicals had as their plot the world of entertainment itself. Indian filmmakers, while enhancing the elements of fantasy so pervasive in Indian popular films, used song and music as a natural mode of articulation in a given situation in their films. There is a strong Indian tradition of narrating mythology, history, fairy stories and so on through song and dance." In addition, "whereas Hollywood filmmakers strove to conceal the constructed nature of their work so that the realistic narrative was wholly dominant, Indian filmmakers made no attempt to conceal the fact that what was shown on the screen was a creation, an [[illusion]], a [[fiction]]. However, they demonstrated how this creation intersected with people's day to day lives in complex and interesting ways."<ref>{{Cite book |last=K. Moti Gokulsing |first=K. Gokulsing, Wimal Dissanayake |title=Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change |publisher=Trentham Books |year=2004 |isbn=1-85856-329-1 |pages=98–99 }}</ref>

[[Javed Akhtar]], a pioneer of masala films, was also greatly influenced by [[Urdu literature|Urdu novels]] by Pakistani author [[Ibn-e-Safi]], such as the ''[[Jasoosi Dunya]]'' and [[Imran series|''Imran'' series]] of detective novels.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chaudhuri |first=Diptakirti |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT26 |title=Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters |date=2015 |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |isbn=9789352140084 |pages=26–27}}</ref> They inspired, for example, famous Bollywood characters such as [[Gabbar Singh (character)|Gabbar Singh]] in ''[[Sholay]]'' (1975) and Mogambo in ''[[Mr. India (1987 film)|Mr. India]]'' (1987).<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 July 2011 |title=Urdu pulp fiction: Where Gabbar Singh and Mogambo came from |work=[[Daily News and Analysis]] |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/review-urdu-pulp-fiction-where-gabbar-singh-and-mogambo-came-from-1564148 |access-date=3 June 2019}}</ref>

During the 1970s, commercial Bollywood masala films drew from several foreign influences, including [[New Hollywood]], [[Hong Kong martial arts cinema]], and Italian [[exploitation film]]s.<ref name="funky">{{Cite book |last=Stadtman |first=Todd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T0DXoQEACAAJ |title=Funky Bollywood: The Wild World of 1970s Indian Action Cinema |date=2015 |publisher=FAB Press |isbn=978-1-903254-77-6}}</ref> Following the success of [[Bruce Lee]] films such as ''[[Enter the Dragon]]'' in India,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Khalid Mohammed |author-link=Khalid Mohammed |date=15 September 1979 |title=Bruce Lee storms Bombay once again with Return Of The Dragon |work=[[India Today]] |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-the-arts/films/story/19790915-bruce-lee-storms-bombay-once-again-with-return-of-the-dragon-822544-2014-02-21 |access-date=20 January 2015}}</ref> Bollywood films starting with ''[[Deewaar]]'' (1975) up until the 1990s often incorporated fight sequences inspired by 1970s [[martial arts film]]s from [[Hong Kong cinema]].<ref name="Heide">{{Cite book |last=Heide |first=William Van der |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k3HTdu1HuWQC&pg=PA148 |title=Malaysian Cinema, Asian Film: Border Crossings and National Cultures |date=2002 |publisher=[[Amsterdam University Press]] |isbn=9789053565803}}</ref> Rather than following the Hollywood model, Bollywood action scenes tended to follow the Hong Kong model, with an emphasis on acrobatics and [[Stunt performer|stunts]], and combined [[kung fu]] (as it was perceived by Indians) with [[Indian martial arts]] (particularly [[Pehlwani|Indian wrestling]]).<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Morris |first1=Meaghan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DdrHAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA149 |title=Hong Kong Connections: Transnational Imagination in Action Cinema |last2=Li |first2=Siu Leung |last3=Chan |first3=Stephen Ching-kiu |date=2005 |publisher=[[Hong Kong University Press]] |isbn=978-1-932643-19-0 |page=149}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Parallel cinema]]
*[[Bourekas film]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Film genres}}

[[Category:Film genres]]
[[Category:Cinema of India]]
[[Category:Masala films| ]]