Bollywood has always been more than just song, dance, and drama, it’s a mirror to India’s evolving society. One of the most vivid mirrors is the production design and set decoration that bring each story’s world to life on screen. From opulent palaces of historical epics to humble village scenes and slick urban landscapes, Bollywood’s set designs have evolved alongside India’s own cultural journey. These sets are not mere backdrops; they reflect changing lifestyles, architectural trends, and the mood of the nation in different eras. Iconic film sets etched in public memory, whether the shimmering Sheesh Mahal of Mughal-e-Azam or the dusty rural hamlet of Sholay, all showcase how Bollywood has captured the spirit of the times beyond the screen. In this deep dive, we explore how set designs in Hindi cinema have transformed over decades, mirroring societal shifts and historical moments in India’s story.
Contents
- Grand Escapism in Early Bollywood (1940s–1960s)
- Reflecting a Changing Nation (1970s–1980s)
- Liberalization and Lavish Dreams (1990s)
- Period Epics and Global Influence (2000s)
- Authenticity and Diversification (2010s)
- Modern Marvels and Future Innovations (2020s and Beyond)
- A Reflection in Every Frame
Grand Escapism in Early Bollywood (1940s–1960s)
In the 1940s and 50s, as India fought for freedom and emerged as an independent nation, Bollywood offered escapist spectacles that celebrated the subcontinent’s rich heritage. Many films of this era were lavish historical dramas set in princely courts and legendary kingdoms. Filmmakers mounted big-budget grand sets with magnificent detailing – sprawling darbars (royal courts), ornate palaces, and ornate costumes – to transport audiences to a glorified past. This was no accident. At a time when the country was recovering from World War II hardships and the struggle for independence, such visuals provided uplifting entertainment that deflected attention from contemporary troubles. Films like Anarkali (1953) and Humayun (1945) recreated the Mughal era with imperial grandeur, presenting a nostalgic vision of India’s history. By disguising modern social themes in period settings, these movies could inspire national pride without directly confronting political controversies.
One pinnacle of this grand escapism was K. Asif’s Mughal-e-Azam (1960), renowned for its opulent sets. The film’s production design (led by art director M. K. Syed) constructed the legendary Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors) of Emperor Akbar’s court using specially crafted Belgian glass pieces from Firozabad and ornate Mughal-style detailing. With gleaming mirror mosaics, gold-painted statues, and towering domes, the set embodied the splendor of the Mughal empire on screen. The interiors featured carved wooden furnishings, sparkling chandeliers, and even working fountains, creating a regal atmosphere fit for a prince. Such set extravagance, unprecedented at the time, enthralled audiences and symbolized pride in India’s cultural past. It’s said that the iconic song sequence “Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya” was filmed in this mirror-studded hall, forever imprinting the image of Anarkali dancing amid reflections on generations of viewers.
While grand historical sets offered fantasy and pride, other films of the 1950s tackled the new nation’s social realities, often by contrasting rural and urban settings. Post-independence India grappled with modernity versus tradition, and cinema captured this tension. Villages were idealized as repositories of moral values, whereas cities were portrayed as corrupting influences. The iconic epic Mother India (1957) exemplified this with its poignant depiction of rural life. Though largely shot on location, it recreated the hardships and earthy beauty of an Indian village, from mud huts to crop fields, to tell the story of a resilient mother embodying the nation’s values.
You May Also Like to Read
The authenticity of the village setting – complete with a small community temple and the unforgiving landscape, struck a chord with audiences. In contrast, films like Shree 420 (1955) and Awara (1951) used set designs to represent bustling urban environments and slum alleys, highlighting issues of poverty and class. These early social dramas built simple, realistic sets (or cleverly designed studio backdrops) to resemble city streets, chawls (housing tenements), or courthouse interiors, depending on the story’s needs. By today’s standards these sets were modest, but they effectively reflected everyday Indian life and the challenges of modernization in the Nehruvian era.
It’s worth noting that early set construction relied on basic materials like plywood, cloth, and plaster. Studios in the 1950s began establishing permanent indoor stages, yet the painted backdrops and theatrical style still influenced the look. Nonetheless, whether it was a painted skyline behind a palace or a courtyard built on a soundstage, these sets of the 1940s–60s laid the foundation for how Bollywood visually balanced escapism and realism. They gave audiences both the glory of India’s past and relatable snapshots of independent India’s present, setting the stage (quite literally) for the decades of cultural storytelling to come.
Reflecting a Changing Nation (1970s–1980s)
By the 1970s and 80s, India was undergoing intense social and political change – from the Green Revolution and rising urban migration to the Emergency and economic challenges. Bollywood’s set designs responded by moving away from the fairy-tale palaces of earlier years towards more realistic and diverse environments. Filmmakers increasingly shot on real locations or constructed sets that closely imitated real locations, signaling a shift in aesthetic. Grand fantasy was out; gritty realism and contemporary settings were in. This era saw everything from rural dacoit villages to urban discos and even villainous lairs, showcasing the country’s changing landscape and influences.
One of the landmark productions of the 1970s was Sholay (1975), which famously brought to life a rugged North Indian village named Ramgarh on screen. Instead of using an existing village, the team built an entire authentic village set from scratch in Ramanagara, near Bangalore. Under art director Ram Yedekar’s supervision, the set featured dusty roads, modest homes, a village well, a temple courtyard, and even a small mosque and marketplace – all nestled in a rocky terrain that gave the film its Wild West aura. Locals recall that it took almost a year for this large outdoor set to be constructed. The effort paid off in an immersive environment where Jai and Veeru’s adventures, Gabbar Singh’s reign of terror, and the villagers’ life unfolded believably. Iconic scenes like the water tank comedy or the village Holi festival were grounded in a set that felt like a real community.
Decades later, art directors still hail Sholay’s production design as a benchmark in seamlessly integrating set with story – nothing looked out of place in that world. It demonstrated how careful research and attention to local detail (from the architecture of the Thakur’s haveli down to the texture of brick walls in the jail) could recreate rural India faithfully on film. This trend of authenticity signaled Bollywood’s growing desire to reflect real Indian locales and lifestyles more honestly during the 70s.
Urban settings also took center stage as cities grew. Crime dramas and social films depicted the grittiness of metropolitan life with sets representing docks, factories, and crowded bazaars. The “angry young man” films of Amitabh Bachchan often used actual locations in Bombay for mills and slums, but when sets were used, they were designed to look unpolished and functional, conveying the era’s angst. For example, Deewaar (1975) featured a dockyard godown and under-construction skyscrapers as backdrops, reflecting an industrializing city. Even family dramas in the 70s showed middle-class living rooms or offices in a fairly minimalist way compared to later opulence. Overall, set design in this period leaned towards understated realism, ensuring nothing was overly glamorous in stories that addressed poverty, corruption or revenge.
Of course, the 1980s weren’t all gritty realism – this decade also had its flamboyant streak influenced by global pop culture. As television and Western music made inroads, Bollywood embraced disco fever and action extravaganzas, and along came sets to match. A new genre of masala films featured elaborate dance club sets, complete with shimmering dance floors, neon lights and spinning mirror balls, reflecting India’s fascination with disco culture. Movies like Karz (1980) showed a now-famous revolving stage during a musical performance, while Disco Dancer (1982) included flashy concert stages and psychedelic lighting in its design. These weren’t everyday settings in India, but they represented a youthful, modern energy sweeping through the audience, a sign of India opening up to global trends even before the economy liberalized.
Similarly, many 80s action films came with the trope of the villain’s lair – an over-the-top set often featuring high-tech gadgets, luxurious décor, and sometimes absurd elements like pet tigers or indoor pools. The most iconic example is perhaps Mr. India (1987), where the antagonist Mogambo’s lair was a gigantic throne room with marble platforms, global maps, and a pit of acid for traitors – a set that visually established his power and twisted grandeur. Such creative set pieces, while far from reality, mirrored an escapist appetite of the audience and a blend of Hollywood influences in Bollywood.
By the late 1980s, dedicated studio facilities and art departments in Bombay were more established, enabling quicker set construction. Yet many low to medium-budget films opted to shoot at actual bungalows, hotels, or streets to save costs. This practical shift meant viewers were more frequently seeing real Indian environments – from government offices to college campuses – which in turn documented the look of Indian society at the time (furniture styles, architecture, etc.). Whether it was a dusty village or a glitzy club, the sets of the 70s and 80s reflected a nation in churn: grounded in its realities but eager to experiment with new cultural influences.
Liberalization and Lavish Dreams (1990s)
The 1990s brought seismic shifts to India with economic liberalization, the rise of satellite television, and a new middle class flush with purchasing power. Bollywood in the 90s mirrored these changes by upping the glamour and scale of its set designs to suit the mood of aspiration and consumerism. After years of gritty realism, the pendulum swung back towards opulence – but this time, it was modern opulence. Big studios and filmmakers began catering to an audience that wanted to escape into a world of affluence, romance and feel-good family values. The result was a decade of lavish indoor sets, grand mansions, and destination song sequences that reflected the fantasies of wealth and lifestyle dreamed by India’s growing middle class.
A standout example is the blockbuster family film Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994). This movie, centered around wedding festivities in an extended family, was a trendsetter for its sumptuous set decor. The production featured a large, picturesque mansion courtyard and elaborate banquet-hall style settings decked with flower garlands, chandeliers and rich drapery for the numerous song sequences and rituals. The art directors recreated the feel of an extravagant North Indian wedding, with set pieces like a beautifully adorned stage for ceremonies and detailed props (piles of gifts, traditional gharonda decorations, etc.). As one analysis notes, this film highlighted wedding celebrations through sets that looked like lavish banquet halls, setting a template for many 90s family dramas to follow.
Audiences, many of whom were experiencing rising incomes or at least new aspirations, were delighted to see grand homes and celebratory spaces that offered an escape from their ordinary middle-class surroundings. The success of this formula led to a wave of similar productions where the family home set was practically a character itself, spotless, expansive living rooms, ornate staircases, and opulent bedrooms became common, signaling prosperity and happiness.
Simultaneously, Yash Chopra and Karan Johar films in the late 90s embraced a globe-trotting aesthetic, bringing foreign locations and designs into Bollywood’s fold. While earlier decades occasionally shot songs abroad, the 90s made it a staple: Swiss mountains, London streets, and Egyptian pyramids all featured as backdrops to romantic songs. When actual travel wasn’t feasible, sets would be designed to evoke those exotic locales. For instance, if a script demanded Paris but budgets were tight, an artfully constructed Parisian café set with French posters and façades might do the trick on a studio lot.
You May Also Like to Read
In Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), much of the film was shot on location in Europe and Punjab, but the trend it set – of overseas romance – influenced set design for years. Karan Johar’s Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) went so far as to create a candy-colored summer camp setting in the film’s second half, complete with a lakeside, cabins, and carnival-like props, all built in India to resemble a Western vibe. Though a far cry from any Indian reality, it reflected how the post-liberalization generation was increasingly attuned to international culture and yearned for that experience, even if it was through cinema.
Another facet of the 90s was the portrayal of Westernized urban lifestyles. We began to see slick college campus sets, modern coffee shops, and swanky bachelor pads in films – environments that were relatively new to Hindi cinema. For example, the college in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai featured bright murals, benches and a feel more akin to an American high school musical than an Indian university, symbolizing the infusion of MTV-era youth culture. Likewise, the nightclub or party scenes in 90s movies had neon-lit set designs and international music, mirroring the rise of nightclubs in real Indian metros. All these contemporary sets illustrated how India’s urban middle and upper classes in the 90s were embracing global trends in fashion, architecture, and social life – and Bollywood eagerly reflected that on screen.
Despite the modern settings, Indian tradition was not left behind. Grand ancestral mansions with Rajput-style or Mughal-inspired architecture made appearances in some dramas, marrying heritage with wealth (for instance, the Rai family mansion in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) – technically early 2000s – was filmed at a British estate but styled to appear as a palatial Indian home). These design choices signified that even as India modernized, there was pride and interest in its traditional aesthetics, now presented with a richer veneer. Overall, the 1990s in Bollywood set design can be seen as a fusion of the traditional and the modern, fueled by newfound economic confidence. Movies offered a rose-tinted view of Indian life where even problems looked pretty against well-designed interiors. It was a decade of lavish dreams on screen, aligning with an India that was liberalizing and looking outwards for inspiration.
Period Epics and Global Influence (2000s)
The 2000s took Bollywood’s set design ambitions to new heights. With the turn of the millennium, Indian cinema grew bolder in both budget and vision, partly influenced by Hollywood blockbusters and partly enabled by advances in technology. This period saw a renaissance of the period epic in Bollywood – films that went all-out to reconstruct historical eras or literary worlds – as well as a continuous portrayal of contemporary stories but with more polish than ever. Set designers and art directors became stars behind the scenes, pouring research and creativity into building immersive worlds. At the same time, computer-generated imagery (CGI) and visual effects started transforming how sets were created, blending real and virtual like never before.
One of the defining films of the early 2000s was Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas (2002). This tragic romance, set in early 20th-century Bengal, was a magnum opus of art direction that stunned viewers with its extravagant, detailed sets. The film’s key locations – Paro’s ancestral mansion and Chandramukhi’s grand kotha (courtesan’s salon) – were constructed on a massive scale at Film City in Mumbai. Bhansali’s team incorporated elements like huge stained-glass windows casting colorful light, magnificently carved pillars and doorways, marble floors with intricate patterns, and period-appropriate antiques and furniture.
Chandeliers imported from abroad glittered in every frame, and in Chandramukhi’s dance hall set, dozens of mirrors and oil lamps created a dreamlike aura. In fact, around 2,500 light fixtures were used on Devdas’ sets, managed by hundreds of technicians, to achieve the lavish visual effect of the bygone era. This commitment to opulence paid off – Devdas’ set design not only earned awards but also kicked off a trend of elaborate period dramas in Bollywood. Audiences were captivated by the sheer grandeur on screen, and it rekindled a national interest in vintage architecture and interior styles (like the jharokha windows of havelis, art deco elements, etc., which even influenced home décor trends).
Around the same time, Lagaan (2001) transported viewers even further back – to an 1890s village during the British Raj. Director Ashutosh Gowariker chose to build the fictional village of Champaner from scratch in rural Gujarat, since an authentic 19th-century village setting was hard to find preserved. The set included a cluster of mud huts with thatched roofs, a functioning village square and temple, and surrounding crop fields – all made to look as if a real village had been there for years. Additionally, a British cantonment with colonial-style buildings, a cricket ground and pavilion was created to stage the epic cricket match central to the film. The production even sourced period-accurate props and farming equipment to enhance realism. The result was an enormously convincing portrayal of colonial India’s rural life and architecture, helping Lagaan become a global success. This demonstrated Bollywood’s growing capability to handle large-scale historical reconstructions on par with international productions.
The mid-2000s continued this streak of grand storytelling. Jodhaa Akbar (2008) took historical sets to another level – its art director Nitin Desai famously constructed an entire replica of a Mughal city for the film. Desai’s team built, inch by inch, parts of Agra Fort as it would have looked in the 16th century, including the Diwan-i-Aam (public audience hall), Diwan-i-Khas (private royal hall), royal courtyards, gardens, and even markets and streets bustling with costumed extras. The scale was awe-inspiring – reportedly the sets were as tall as a seven-story building in places.
Using a mix of materials like stone, fiberglass, wood, and fabric, the filmmakers achieved an authentic texture, from the red sandstone walls of the fort to the ornate jaali (lattice) windows of Jodhaa’s palace. Not only did this reflect a commitment to historical accuracy, it also showcased India’s architectural legacy in a way that made Indian audiences proud. Similarly, movies like Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005) recreated the milieu of 1857 India with forts, barracks and villages, while Veer-Zaara (2004) built detailed sets of a Punjabi village and a Pakistani haveli to serve its cross-border romance narrative.
In parallel to historical opulence, the 2000s also saw contemporary dramas with increasingly stylish and cosmopolitan sets. As Indians experienced globalization, Bollywood films began depicting the lives of affluent urban Indians with unprecedented slickness. Apartments and homes in films were now chic and modern, often dressed by professional designers. For instance, Farhan Akhtar’s Dil Chahta Hai (2001) – though shot largely on real locations – featured trendy bachelor pads and a swanky Goa beach house, reflecting the new millennium urban youth lifestyle. Corporate offices in movies like Guru (2007) or Page 3 (2005) were made to look convincingly like the glass-and-steel spaces of modern Mumbai and Delhi.
Upscale malls, five-star hotel lobbies, and foreign locales became common sights. The production design of these films paid attention to contemporary details: minimalistic furniture, international brand signage, and realistic city backdrops, which indicated how Indian metro life had evolved. The architecture in cities was changing with glass high-rises and modern suburbs, and Bollywood’s sets/backgrounds changed accordingly to maintain credibility with audiences who lived in that new reality.
Importantly, the 2000s saw the rapid adoption of technology in set design. Filmmakers started to rely on CGI and green screens for extending physical sets or creating fantasy elements. A film like Om Shanti Om (2007) paid tribute to the 1970s by building extravagant retro film studio sets (including a grand filmy award show stage and vintage Bollywood production offices), but it also seamlessly used CGI to enhance those sets and later transition them to a modern look. Small set pieces could be duplicated or extended digitally to look like huge crowds or endless rows of buildings. This meant that even if a production couldn’t afford to build an entire palace courtyard full-scale, they could build part of it and let visual effects fill in the rest – thus raising the visual scale without proportional cost.
We see this clearly in movies like Ra.One (2011) and Krrish (2006), where futuristic labs and villain hideouts combined real props with digital extensions to create sci-fi environments new to Bollywood. By the end of the decade, audiences were witnessing spectacles like never before – be it a battle with hundreds of warriors in Asoka (2001) achieved via CGI crowds, or a city under attack by a superhero with buildings toppling (as in Ra.One). Bollywood was confidently blending the real and the virtual. Set designers had to now collaborate closely with VFX teams, marking a transformation in how movies were made. Yet, even in these CGI-heavy films, the cultural elements remained – for example, Krrish includes a traditional Hindu temple scene amid its modern action, shot on a set that looks like a tranquil hill shrine, grounding the narrative in Indian ethos.
By 2010, Bollywood had proven it could produce sets that rival Hollywood in complexity, while still reflecting Indian culture and history. The stage was set (pun intended) for an interesting next decade where authenticity and innovation would both thrive.
Authenticity and Diversification (2010s)
In the 2010s, Bollywood set design took two seemingly opposite directions simultaneously – towards painstaking authenticity on one hand, and towards larger-than-life fantasy on the other. What unites these trends is an underlying desire to push the boundaries of realism and imagination in depicting India’s many stories. This decade saw a diversification of genres: biopics, regional stories, period dramas, offbeat indie films, and mega-franchise entertainments all coexisted. Production designers rose to the challenge by tailoring sets to be as true to the script’s world as possible, whether that world was a small village in Uttar Pradesh or a royal court in the 1700s. The result was some of the most detailed and impressive set work Bollywood has ever seen.
On the side of gritty realism and authenticity, filmmakers placed new emphasis on research and cultural accuracy. Period films in the 2010s, for example, strove to avoid anachronisms and get the details right. When Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) recreated India of the 1950s–60s to tell the story of athlete Milkha Singh, the production built sets of partition-era refugee camps and 1960s Indian Army barracks with careful attention to signage, costumes, and even the aging of walls to look historically worn. For Mary Kom (2014), which follows a boxer from Manipur, the set designers constructed a believable Manipur village setting and training camp, after studying real locations and local architecture for reference. Such biopics aimed to immerse the audience in a real time and place, often using local artisans to source region-specific props (like traditional woven stools, old-style posters, etc.). This represented a shift from older “period” films that took liberties; now there was pride in getting it right.
Contemporary social dramas also showcased authentic environments. Dangal (2016), about a wrestling family in Haryana, made use of real locations but also built an akhada (wrestling pit) set and a village home set that were indistinguishable from the actual villages nearby. Similarly, Gully Boy (2019) was shot in the slums of Mumbai to capture the hip-hop subculture at its rawest, but any interior sets (like the cramped family home of the protagonist or the makeshift recording studio) were dressed down to the smallest detail – peeling paint, low ceilings with a fan, wall calendars – to match the surrounding reality. Production designers in these films often collaborated with locals and studied photographs to ensure even written materials and signboards appeared in correct regional languages and dialects. For instance, in Masaan (2015), which takes place in Benares, the team took care that any hoardings or posters on their ghats (riverside steps) set used authentic Hindi and reflected the local culture. This level of detail reflected a broader trend: Bollywood acknowledging the rich diversity within India and trying to portray each milieu with respect and accuracy.
On the other side of the spectrum, the 2010s also delivered opulent historical fantasies and high-budget spectacles that continued the tradition of jaw-dropping sets. Sanjay Leela Bhansali, for one, contributed multiple entries to this list. His Bajirao Mastani (2015) featured over 20 massive sets recreating 18th-century Maratha palaces, courts, and war fronts. Extensive research into Maratha architecture led to building a grand court with 50-foot high columns and intricately carved wooden walls to represent the Shaniwar Wada fort of Pune. Another set in the film, the Aaina Mahal (Hall of Mirrors), involved sourcing countless mirror pieces from Jaipur to create a shimmering palace chamber for a dance sequence.
You May Also Like to Read
Likewise, Padmaavat (2018) showcased contrasting worlds through its sets: the graceful Rajput palace of Chittor versus the Persian-inspired halls of Alauddin Khilji’s palace in Delhi. The Chittor segments had yellow sandstone facades, jharokha balconies and Rajput-era frescoes, while the Delhi sets were darker, with detailed Islamic arches, domes and ornate carpets – visually conveying the cultural clash at the heart of the story. These films were essentially period pieces as visual feasts, and their popularity indicated that Indian audiences still cherished grandiose depictions of their historical legends when done with authenticity and creativity.
Beyond history, even horror and fantasy in this decade benefited from elaborate set design. The sleeper-hit Tumbbad (2018), a horror-fantasy rooted in folklore, earned acclaim in part for its eerie, rain-drenched village setting and the terrifying underground lair of a demon. Remarkably, the makers of Tumbbad avoided using any VFX for the environment – they shot on physical sets and locations under real rain and low light to get an authentic gloomy atmosphere. The fictional village of Tumbbad was made to look perpetually muddy and weather-beaten, with old stone wells and twisted trees, pulling the audience into its curse. This commitment to practical effects and real sets, in an age where digital shortcuts are available, showed that sometimes the old ways can be very effective in storytelling.
Meanwhile, advances in digital effects and set technology were still marching on. By late 2010s, Bollywood heavily incorporated VFX in epic action films. Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (2020) is a prime example where the war-torn forts of 17th-century Maharashtra were brought to life through a marriage of minimal physical sets and extensive CGI. The production team built only essential portions of the forts and a basic wall, then used detailed 3D scans and moulds of actual rock textures from Maharashtra’s Sinhagad fort to digitally create expansive fortifications and realistic landscapes around the actors. The result was a seamless visual of huge cliffs and fort walls, while in reality the actors might have been performing on a small set piece with green screens.
Similarly, films like Baahubali (though a Telugu production, it had a pan-India impact) demonstrated how imaginary cities and waterfalls could be rendered with a mix of models, sets, and computer graphics to amaze viewers. The celebrated designer Sabu Cyril, who worked on Baahubali and later on RRR (2022), often created large physical models of palaces and towns which were then magnified and extended using VFX. This technique ensured a base of authenticity (real textures and designs) that was then layered to achieve mythical scale. The 2010s therefore proved to be the decade when Bollywood truly mastered blending authentic set craftsmanship with digital painting, depending on the story’s demand.
Another trend in the 2010s was the influence of streaming platforms (OTT series) on set quality. Big-budget web series and prestige television, such as Sacred Games or The Forgotten Army, put as much effort into set design as films, knowing that discerning global audiences were watching. This healthy competition pushed Bollywood films to maintain high standards. By 2020, even a modest drama film would ensure the sets and locales looked convincing and well-designed, because viewers had grown used to a certain visual richness in all content.
The 2010s in Bollywood set design were characterized by extreme care for detail. Whether it was to accurately mirror a real place and time, or to create an immersive fantasy world, production designers became the custodians of credibility. They ensured that when a viewer stepped into the theater (or onto their couch) to watch a film, they would be transported to a fully realized environment – be it a tiny Varanasi lane or a majestic ancient battlefield. This laid the groundwork for the latest phase, where technology and tradition continue to interplay.
Modern Marvels and Future Innovations (2020s and Beyond)
As we move into the 2020s, Bollywood set design finds itself at an intersection of technology, efficiency, and creativity. The current decade is already seeing the emergence of new techniques like virtual production, even as filmmakers carry forward the legacy of detailed physical sets. The overarching goal remains the same: to convincingly tell India’s diverse stories on screen, whether they are grounded in reality or flights of fantasy. What’s changing is how those sets are created and the possibilities now available to reflect any cultural setting with precision.
One significant shift is the increasing use of digital set extensions and virtual sets to streamline production. Green screens and computer graphics have been common for a while, but now Indian studios are experimenting with technologies like LED wall backdrops (pioneered in Hollywood) that can display realistic 3D environments in camera. This means an actor could be performing on a small studio floor, but appear to be in the middle of the Himalayas or on the Mumbai sea-front at sunset, without ever leaving the set. The benefits of such virtual production include more control over weather and lighting, and cost savings on travel and building large structures. Industry experts predict that in the coming years, Bollywood will extensively adopt these methods, LED walls, game-engine rendered backgrounds, and motion-capture – to create grand settings efficiently.
For example, a future war epic might not build a full battlefield; instead, a portion with real soil and props will be made, and the rest – hundreds of soldiers, distant fortresses, sky – will be filled in digitally in real time. This doesn’t mean the end of physical sets, but their role will adapt. We may see fewer enormous, wasteful set constructions, and more focus on modular, barebone structures that can be enhanced via CGI later. In fact, sustainability is a concern driving some of this change – reusing digital assets or modular sets is greener than repeatedly hammering down and throwing away tons of set materials for each film.
Even as technology takes over the heavy lifting for spectacle, the essence of cultural reflection in set design remains crucial. We can expect even more precise cultural recreation using a mix of old and new techniques. For instance, if a film in 2025 wants to depict ancient Takshashila or a lost Harappan city, researchers and archaeologists might be consulted to create a historically accurate digital model, which can then be rendered on screen. Already, films like RRR (2022) have shown British-era Delhi and colonial mansions in intricate detail with the help of digital art teams combined with physical décor. As computing power grows, any historical or futuristic vision can be brought to life visually. The challenge will be to maintain that element of human touch and creativity in design, so that these virtual worlds still feel lived-in and resonant.
Current films continue to strike that balance. For example, a recent production like Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022) recreated 1950s Mumbai (specifically the Kamathipura neighborhood) on a huge set – complete with retro building facades, trams, and neon signs – but also used CGI to extend streets and add city skylines when needed. Director Sanjay L. Bhansali drew on his childhood memories of Bombay to ensure the architecture (Art Deco styles, old wooden railings, colonial-era street lamps) felt authentic, proving that technology is most powerful when guided by personal experience and research.
On the other hand, we have movies like Brahmāstra (2022) that dove headlong into creating an entirely mythological present-day world using heavy visual effects – ancient astras (weapons) flying through modern cities – an ambitious experiment in full digital world-building for Bollywood. Reception to such attempts shows that while audiences are open to high-tech visuals, they still deeply appreciate well-crafted real sets. In fact, when Adipurush (2023), a mythological film, relied almost solely on CGI and omitted the tactile quality of physical sets, it received criticism for looking like a video game – a reminder that blending real craftsmanship with VFX tends to yield the best results in audience eyes.
You May Also Like to Read
Looking forward, Bollywood’s set design is likely to continue reflecting the cultural zeitgeist in new ways. As India changes, so too will the on-screen homes, offices, and public spaces. For instance, themes of digital India or startup culture might be echoed in ultramodern office sets in future films, whereas growing awareness of environmental issues could see more stories set in natural landscapes (with an effort to depict them authentically). One could imagine a film about the pandemic lockdowns – its sets might recreate a typical apartment building floor-by-floor, capturing how Indians live in close quarters yet find community, a very current cultural observation. Whatever the scenario, production designers will remain key storytellers. They will decide if a scene in 2030 should have the characters meet in a quaint Irani café with vintage decor (to evoke nostalgia), or in a sleek metro station (to signify fast-paced urban life) – choices that subtly communicate context to the audience. In Bollywood, these visual cues have always spoken volumes.
Crucially, the core principles learned over decades will guide the future: do the research, respect the story’s setting, and craft details that enrich the narrative. As one veteran art director put it, “Every place has its own culture and it has to be depicted precisely”. This ethos ensures that even as methods evolve, the heart of Bollywood set design – creating a believable world for the story – remains intact. The next time you marvel at a grand ballroom in a Bollywood period piece or feel the authenticity of a tiny village home in a social drama, remember that it’s the result of over a hundred years of evolving craft. From hand-painted backdrops to digital set extensions, Bollywood’s set designs will continue to be a fascinating canvas reflecting India’s cultural evolution, both past and future.
A Reflection in Every Frame
Bollywood’s journey through set design is essentially the journey of India itself – a story of change, continuity, and creative adaptation. Over the decades, as India grew and transformed, the movies mirrored each step: the grand palaces and divine courtyards echoed a newly independent nation’s pride in its heritage, the gritty city streets and village squares reflected social realities and unrest, while the dazzling mansions and foreign locales showcased rising ambitions in a globalizing era. Every era’s societal shifts found expression in the art direction of its films. The lifestyles people aspired to, the architecture that surrounded them, and the histories they remembered – all of it found its way into the canvas of Bollywood sets.
What makes this especially powerful is how these set designs have influenced and been influenced by the audience’s own perceptions. Generations of Indians recall iconic scenes and their settings: the opulent allure of Mughal-e-Azam’s court, the warmth of the family home in Hum Aapke Hain Koun, the realistic chaos of Mumbai’s slums in newer films. These images don’t just entertain; they shape how we visualize our past and present. In turn, as societal norms and architectural styles changed in real life – say, the move from joint-family havelis to nuclear-family apartments – Bollywood organically incorporated those into its storytelling. It’s a two-way dialogue between reel and real.
You May Also Like to Read
The evolution continues today at a faster clip than ever, with technology opening new frontiers for set design. Yet, the essence remains that a compelling set is one that resonates with truth – emotional or historical – and enhances the story being told. Whether it’s achieved with timber and paint or pixels and processors, Bollywood’s best set designs are those that feel authentic to the film’s world and time. They transport viewers beyond the screen into the heart of the narrative. In doing so, they quietly document India’s cultural evolution – one film frame at a time.
To visualize this journey, here’s a brief overview of how Bollywood’s set designs have reflected different eras of India:
| Era & Films | Predominant Set Styles and Features | Cultural Reflection |
|---|---|---|
| 1950s–1960s (e.g. Mughal-e-Azam, Mother India) | Grand palace interiors, historic courts, theatrical painted backdrops; or rustic village scenes shot on location. | Pride in ancient heritage; escapism from post-independence challenges; idealization of rural values as nation’s moral core. |
| 1970s–1980s (e.g. Sholay, Deewaar, Disco Dancer) | Realistic outdoor village sets (Sholay’s entire Ramgarh), gritty urban environments, functional sets for factories/police stations; plus neon-lit disco clubs and flamboyant villain lairs in the 80s. | Reflection of social turmoil and realism (poverty, crime, justice); emergence of Western pop influence and a desire for modern entertainment during late 70s–80s (disco, gadgetry). |
| 1990s (e.g. Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge) | Lavish family homes with luxurious interiors, elaborate wedding and festival sets, college campuses with modern touches; frequent use of foreign locales or sets mimicking abroad. | Aspirational lifestyle of India’s new middle class post-liberalization; emphasis on family grandeur and consumerist fantasy, showcasing wealth and global outlook. |
| 2000s (e.g. Devdas, Lagaan, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham) | Extravagant period sets (Victorian-era mansions, Mughal forts) built with fine detail; contemporary settings more polished and cosmopolitan (swanky apartments, malls). Growing blend of physical sets and CGI (green-screen backdrops, set extensions). | Renewed interest in historical roots and costume epics (reflecting cultural pride/global cinema trends); also displays India’s modern urban sheen and integration of technology in life. |
| 2010s (e.g. Bajirao Mastani, Dangal, Tumbbad) | Hyper-authentic historical sets with intensive research (replicating forts, period cities); simple realistic sets for social dramas (villages, small-town homes) with local detail; continued use of VFX for scale and fantasy (mythological kingdoms, large battle scenes). | Desire for authenticity and representation of India’s diversity; Bollywood as cultural archivist (documenting regions, eras accurately); concurrently, a flair for majestic storytelling in a globally competitive market. |
| 2020s & beyond (e.g. Gangubai Kathiawadi, RRR) | Hybrid production: detailed physical sets (retro streets of Mumbai or Delhi) enhanced by digital environments for flexibility; experimentation with virtual sets (LED screens) and minimal physical builds. Emphasis on sustainable, efficient set design. | Embracing cutting-edge technology while preserving storytelling authenticity; ability to recreate any time or place virtually – reflecting India’s forward-looking approach and the global stage Bollywood occupies. |
As this table encapsulates, Bollywood’s set designs have grown from simple stage-bound creations to complex hybrid worlds, all while echoing India’s cultural beats. It underlines an important point: Bollywood has been a chronicle of India’s evolving lifestyle and architecture in its own right. The changes in housing designs, from courtyards to high-rises, the shift from princely décor to minimal modernism, the infiltration of Western aesthetics, and the resurgence of traditional motifs – cinema sets have shown it all, often before our very eyes realized it was history in the making.
In closing, Bollywood’s magic lies beyond the star performances and catchy music – it resides in the painstaking art that constructs the universes we get lost in. Next time you watch a Hindi film, take a moment to appreciate the background sets: the colour of the walls, the style of furniture, the skyline outside a window. They are silent storytellers, placed there by design, to reflect a piece of culture or history. From the silver-screen splendour of yesteryears to the high-tech visual fables of tomorrow, Bollywood’s set designs will continue evolving, just as India does – forever beyond the screen, and ever at the heart of the story.