Asian Art Resource Room

The Physical Beauty in the Muslim Culture

Film production began in the Indian subcontinent during British colonial rule in the 1920s in the major cities, in the Indian cities of Bombay (present-day Mumbai) and Calcutta (present-day Kolkata), and Lahore (a city presently in northern Pakistan). Independent from Britain from 1947, the film industry was in its heyday in the 1960s and 70s when over a hundred films were made a year and many star actors/actresses appeared. The Pakistani popular film industry became known as ‘Lollywood,’ a blend of Lahore and Hollywood. Billboards and posters were mass produced to accompany the hugely popular films, but this publicity material was made from hand painted originals by specialist artists who developed their skills through an apprenticeship system. Alongside the film production companies based in Royal Park, Lahore, print houses also settled, poster production at first used lithograph and later switched to off-set printing. In recent years the diversification of entertainment and technology has led to a reduction in the film industry and the demand for poster art has decreased.