Commercial cinema is the most popular form of cinema
in India. Ever since its inception the commercial Indian movies have
seen huge following. Commercial or popular cinema is made not only in
Hindi but also in many other regional languages of East and South India.
Let's look at some of the general conventions of commercial films in
India. Commercial films, in whatever languages they are made, tend to be
quite long (approx three hours), with an interval. Another important
feature of commercial cinema in India is music.
The action in commercial movies is periodically interrupted by
song-and-dance sequences. Good movies use the routines to move the story
forward; mediocre movies incorporate them to woo the audience. Songs are
sung by professional play-back singers and lip-synched by dancing actors
and actresses. The popular cinema in India is a mix of melodrama and
sentiments. These movies have a mix of romance, comedy, action and
suspense.
