Lollywood Tales artwork

Lollywood Tales

9 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 1 rating

The incredible untold story of the Pakistani movie industry.

Film History TV & Film Arts Visual Arts lollywood lahore pakistan pakistani films south asia bollywood filmi desi world cinema
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Episodes

Romance and Action

September 30, 2021 11:00 - 37 minutes - 25.6 MB

This episode explores what sort of movies were shown in Lahore in the 1920s. Most were American/Hollywood pictures. But Indian movies were more popular.

1920s Cinemas and Movies (Part 1)

August 26, 2021 01:00 - 34 minutes - 23.6 MB

This episode is in two parts. The first traces the emergence of the movie culture in Lahore and focuses on the growth of cinema halls in the city.

Lahore is Lahore

July 18, 2021 00:00 - 1 hour - 43.6 MB

Lahore is a city with an ancient pedigree. It's history goes back to the very beginnings of Hindu India. But when the British took control of Punjab in 1849 the city was mostly in ruins and long past its glory days.  Over the next 100 years the British transformed Lahore into one of the most important and culturally dynamic and vibrant places in India. The perfect place for new ideas and technologies to take off--the movie making.

Punjabi Mud

June 14, 2021 13:00 - 58 minutes - 40.5 MB

Punjab is home to one of the most dynamic, diverse and ancient cultural traditions in South Asia. And it is this rich cultural heritage of stories, music and drama that gave rise to the film industry in Lahore. 

Sons of Zarathustra

May 31, 2021 14:00 - 1 hour - 50 MB

How the Parsi community, refugees from Zoroastrian Persia, landed up in India and went on to become a major force in the development of early South Asian film industry.

Of Opium and Tea

May 02, 2021 00:00 - 51 minutes - 35.3 MB

How two botanical products fueled the rise of Bombay and allowed it to become, eventually, South Asia's main film producing city. 

An Invention Without a Future

April 04, 2021 12:00 - 31 minutes - 21.6 MB

Even though the men who invented the movie camera and the first films didn't believe it had any commercial future, they sent a Frenchman to Australia--via Bombay--to show their new magical toy.   By the time the Frenchman left--several weeks later--India was changed for ever. In this episode we look at how and when movies first were exhibited in India and introduce you to some of the early adopters who played a pivotal role in establishing cinema in South Asia.

Introduction

March 25, 2021 22:00 - 14 minutes - 10.2 MB

The Partition of British India in August 1947 that created the new country of Pakistan seemed to signal the end of the movie making dream for the city of Lahore.    For the city's biggest film mogul, Roop Kishore Shorey, the events of that summer were almost too much to bear.

Lollywood Tales: The Trailer

March 25, 2021 06:00 - 3 minutes - 2.53 MB

Join me for a unique history podcast that traces the fascinating, untold story of Pakistani movie industry based in and around the city of Lahore.