What is Bollywood?

Bollywood (Hindi: बॉलीवुड, Urdu: بالی وڈ) is the informal name given to the popular Mumbai-based Hindi-language film industry in India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema. Bollywood is only a part of the Indian film industry.

The name is a portmanteau of Bombay (the former name for Mumbai) and Hollywood, the center of the American film industry. Though some deplore the name, arguing that it makes the industry look like a poor cousin to Hollywood, it seems likely to persist and now has its own entry in the Oxford English Dictionary.

Bollywood is commonly referred to as Hindi cinema, even though Hindustani, the substratum common to both Hindi and Urdu, might be more accurate.

Check our our Bollywood tributes:

DRAMA: You've never seen Drama till you've experienced it Classic Bollywood style.

http://www.cbaz.com/womens_drama.html

COOL GUY: Dishum! Dishum! the ultimate in "Bollywood Hero"

http://www.cbaz.com/mens_coolguy.html