Based in Bombay, Bollywood studios produce nearly 1,600 films each year!

Indians discovered the magic of cinema thanks to the Lumière brothers. In 1896, a first screening in a grand Bombay hotel captivated audiences. Less than twenty years later, the first feature film directed by an Indian was born.

The first filmed adaptation drawn from the celebrated Mahabharata (an epic of Hindu mythology), it inaugurated what would become Indian cinema. Hovering between musical comedy and grand melodrama, scripts often surrender to popular sentimentality. Filming locations span across India: the diversity of landscapes provides every conceivable backdrop.

While much of the film production never crosses national borders, great directors have achieved international success. Attending a cinema screening in India offers a truly immersive experience: the spectacle unfolds as much within the hall as it does on screen.