1930’s
Indian Film songs trace their origin to as long back as the 1930s for it was in that era that India’s first sound motion picture was born. The first-ever Indian feature film was ‘Alam Ara’ – it formed a whole new mode of entertainment that was both visual and audio in context. And while the city of Mumbai made films to cater nationally, Madras and Calcutta provided for regional entertainment (There were three film centres in India at that time – Mumbai, Calcutta, Madras).
The first decade of Hindi cinema contributed 931 Hindi feature films – with an average of ten songs per film. B. Irani and Feroz Mistry thus created history by being the first music composers of Indian cinema (popularly called ‘talkie’ at that time). And today when we see actors sing their own songs, be it an Aamir Khan or a Sunjay Dutt, it would be interesting to note that Wazir Khan the first Hindi actor sang a song ‘De De Khuda Ke Naam Pyaare’ in ‘Alam Ara.’ Today’s trend was mandatory then, actors and actresses were their own playback singers (e.g. Bal Gandharva, Baburao Pendharkar, etc.) and many were cast in films taking into consideration their singing abilities.
The first most prominent singer belonging to the year of the 30s was K.L. Saigal, renowned for his ghazals, bhajans, classical and film songs. Some of his works include ‘Ek bangla bane nyara from the film, ‘President’; ‘Do naina matware tihare, Hum par zulm kare’ from the film ‘My Sister’; ‘ Jab dil hi toot gaya, hum jeeke Kya karenge from ‘Shahjahan’. And the popular lyricists at that time were Pandit Sudarshan, Aarzoo Lucknowi, Kidar Sharma and D N Madhok.

1940’s
The music style of the 1940s made a progression when Naushad (of ‘Pakeeza’ fame) contributed the ‘delay’ effect (or the ‘echo’ effect), to Indian music. Also, ‘playback’ singing was introduced. This decade saw a great number of singers (e.g Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh Manna Dey to name just a few), music directors (e.g. S.D. Burman, Naushad Ali, Ramachandra, etc) and lyricists (e.g. Pandit Indra, Swami Ramanand, Agha Kashmiri, etc.)

1950’s
This decade is called the ‘harvest years’ of Hindi cinema. Melody and rich lyrics were the order of the day, talent was at its peak. Filmmaking went independent. The era marked the official launches of several film companies and the twenty-year old film industry progressed from a primitive stage to civilization. It was a decade that brought about several changes – changes in method of work and outlook. Music direction became a profession that gained respect; instruments such as the gitar, saxophone, drums, dholak, dhol and dafli were introduced and folk songs and dances were ‘en vogue’. It thus brought together several cultures, be it the Rajasthani folk songs or Gujarati Gharbas, the Rabindra sangeet or a westernised dhun. Some of the popular films with popular music were Mother India, Paigham, Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, Taxi Driver, Jailor, Howrah Bridge, Bazaar, etc.

1960’s
The 1960’s marked the decade of a revolutionary in the style of music wherein entered fast-paced beaty music to cater to the encroaching influence of pop-culture on the younger generations. The actresses were chosen on the basis of energy levels that they exhibited on screen, and thus the voices behind the bodies had also to be as energetic and enthusiastic. It was at this time that singers like Shankar Jaikishen reigned supreme. And a new music director duo in the form of Laxmikant Pyarelal was launched, not to forget the priceless contributions of R.D. Burman (‘Teesri Manzil’), S D Burman (‘Aradhana’).

1970’s
The 1970’s was known more for its technological development, when the Govt. of India introduced the televison (more for educational purposes rather than entertainment).

1980’s and 1990’s
It was only in the 1980’s that under economic and political pressure did television open up to a number of private investors. The effect of this medium was far and wide, and the entire medium of ‘visuals at home’ seemed more appropriate and viable to production houses to advertise their product and for investors to invest their money. It was the beginning of a ‘more commercial’ era. It is true when one says that Mumbai monopolised the Hindi film industry, however due to the multiple problems of costs and trade unions, this industry dispersed its authority, and today even smaller towns are involved in producing films.
The film music style during this time continued to cater to fresh youth. Indi-pop set a trend of its own and re-mixes of the old popular Hindi songs blasted from every tape recorder. The cable networs/sattelite were big enough reason for Indian music having gone abroad.

2000 - 2002
The millenium year marked the introduction of computers, that give a global presence. And with films having made it to international festivals, film music has indeed gone a long way. Today, music directrs from india (e.g. A.R. Rehmna) are called abroad for working on international scripts. Andrew Lloyd Weber’s ‘Bombay Dreams’ remains just one example. And hind music has managed to create a huge market for itself. We wonder if that’s what they mean by “When it ‘rains’ it pours.” And Hindi music remains immortal.
The introduction of the VCR and the satellite / cable networks has also impacted the film Industry. Unlike the standard TV, the satellite / cable networks are all private sector undertakings. Curiously enough the introduction of the satellite has had the effect of internationalizing both the production and consumption of film style commercial music. There are other factors to shake the industry. Overproduction of cinema houses in the 70's and 80's coupled with ever increasing entertainment taxes have made it difficult for many theatre owners to survive. This has shaken the distribution networks.
The result is that the nature of "filmi sangeet" is not as well defined as it once was. The creation of alternative media along with the decimation of the traditional Indian film industry has produced an interesting business and artistic environment. It appears that film music is in the process of spawning a number of new and related genre. However the definition is not yet clear. Music directors such as Pankaj Mullick, Keshavrao Bhole, and Anil Biswas are a few who spring to mind.

Lata Mangeshkar (circa 1990)
The 60's and 70's represented a time of relative stability. It is true that there was an ever increasing standard of recording quality as technical advances were made. It is also true that a few artists would come and go.
But for the most part, the playback singers such as Lata, Hemant, Asha and others of the previous decade had locked themselves into such a secure position that there was very little room for others to enter. However there were a few new music directors to make it big. Kalyanji Anandji, R.D. Burman and Lakshmikant-Pyarelal are a few who would make their way into the business in a big way during this period.

Indian Recording Studio
THE RECENT SHAKEUP The film industry was again shaken in the 80's and 90's. Many new developments would both adversely effect traditional businesses, yet present new opportunities for others.
The television has had a tremendous effect on this genre. In the 1970's the Indian Government began a project to introduce the TV throughout India. Unlike many other countries, the TV (known as "Doordarshan") is owned by the Government. The widespread introduction was originally for "educational purposes" (i.e., propaganda) and was not very inspiring. The original programming was not a commercial threat to the Indian film industry. However during the 80's and 90's, under political and economic pressure, the television began to open up to private productions.
Such independent productions proved to be very popular and began to adversely effect cinema attendance. It also gave the music producers an alternative outlet for their musical productions. Other factors effecting Indian film songs were the problems within the Bombay film world. For many decades Bombay monopolized the Hindi film industry and therefore controlled the lion's share of India's film music. However, increased cost of production, rising trade unionism and organized extortion rackets working under the ruling Siv Sena Party have decimated this industry. Today a large number of Hindi films and film songs are being produced in Madras where conditions are more favorable. This shift has given a major boost to Madras based music directors such as A. R. Rahman and playback singers such as S. P. Balasubrahmanyam. The introduction of the VCR and the satellite / cable networks has also impacted the film Industry. Unlike the standard TV, the satellite / cable networks are all private sector undertakings. Curiously enough the introduction of the satellite has had the effect of internationalizing both the production and consumption of film style commercial music. There are other factors to shake the industry. Overproduction of cinema houses in the 70's and 80's coupled with ever increasing entertainment taxes have made it difficult for many theatre owners to survive. This has shaken the distribution networks.
The result is that the nature of "filmi sangeet" is not as well defined as it once was. The creation of alternative media along with the decimation of the traditional Indian film industry has produced an interesting business and artistic environment. It appears that film music is in the process of spawning a number of new and related genre. However the definition is not yet clear.