Though the majority of Bollywood movies is in the language Hindi, use of Urdu and English words is very common.

The first Bollywood movie Raja Harishchandra was released in 1913. Raja harishchandra was a silent movie in black and white. And the first Indian audible movie was Alam Ara released in 1931.

The colored movies started in the late 1950s in India.

The cost of Bollywood movies is in million dollars, around 10 million dollars. Bollywood movies are liked and watched by people all around the world. It is most popular in south-asian countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Many Pakistanis enjoy bollywood movies but have some limitations by law. The Indians in South Africa, Nigeria and Morocco form a huge audience for these Hindi movies.

Bollywood has served the Soviet Union those times when there was no other source of entertainment. Hollywood movies were banned there. Hindi films were dubbed and shown in popular movie theatres like Mosfilm and Lenfilm.

The majority of the profits come from the United States.

Bollywood films in the United States earn around $100 million a year through theater screenings, video sales and the sale of movie soundtracks. In other words, films from India do more business in the United States than films from any other country. During the last decade, Bollywood films filmed in North America have largely been shot in New York, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Toronto.

Bollywood films do well in the U.K also. Many films, such as Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham have been set in London, the U.K. is also one of the most filmed locations for Bollywood films, however there is no official report claiming this as there are many Indian films shot in the U.K., yet no mention of the U.K. itself in the film. Bollywood is also appreciated in Germany as well as France. Various Bollywood movies are dubbed in German and shown on the German Television channel RTL II on a regular basis.

Bollywood is not as popular in South American countries, however it has its recognition in Caribbean nations with large Indian diasporas, such as Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago — all of which have people of Indian descent as a majority of their population. Bollywood culture and dance has also been recognised in Peru. In 2006, Dhoom 2 became the first Bollywood film to be shot in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Bollywood is not as successful in Oceanic Countries such as New Guinea and Indonesia. However, it ranks second to Hollywood in countries such as Fiji, Australia and New Zealand. Nowadays, Australian locations are also becoming more important to the plot of Bollywood films.

The Filmfare Awards ceremony is one of the most prominent film events given for Hindi films in India. The Indian screen magazine Filmfare started the first Filmfare Awards in 1954, and awards were given to the best films of 1953. The ceremony was referred to as the Clare Awards after the magazine's editor. Modelled after the poll-based merit format of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, individuals may submit their votes in separate categories. A dual voting system was developed in 1956. Like the Oscars, the Filmfare awards are frequently accused of bias towards commercial success rather than artistic merit.

As the Filmfare, the National Film Awards were introduced in 1954. Since 1973, the Indian government has sponsored the National Film Awards, awarded by the government run Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF). The DFF screens not only Bollywood films, but films from all the other regional movie industries and independent/art films. These awards are handed out at an annual ceremony presided over by the President of India. Under this system, in contrast to the National Film Awards, which are decided by a panel appointed by Indian Government, the Filmfare Awards are voted for by both the public and a committee of experts.

Additional ceremonies held within India are:

Stardust Awards

Star Screen Awards

Ceremonies held overseas are:

Bollywood Movie Awards - Long Island, New York, United States

Global Indian Film Awards - (different country each year)

IIFA Awards - (different country each year)

Zee Cine Awards- (different country each year)

Most of these award ceremonies are lavishly staged spectacles, featuring singing, dancing, and lots of stars and starlets.