Witchcraft

Not all Witches (people who practice witchcraft) consider themselves Wiccan or Neopagan, and vice versa. For lists of the best, consult the various web sites devoted to Bollywood, where critics list their choices or readers vote for their favorites. Psychology and medical research have shown that beliefs have an effect on one's perception of reality, and that beliefs and perception appear to effect behaviorial and other quantifiable physical changes; one well known example is the placebo effect. Popularity is less open to debate. For neopagans who take a purely psychological approach to witchcraft, the power of a ritual is in the way its symbolism speaks to the unconscious mind. These are not necessarily the best films produced by Bollywood; even attempting to make a list of the 'best' would be controversial. Thus, to affect change on a higher, spiritual level, a practitioner may employ rituals and symbolism that speak to the 'lower' mind. Foreigners interested in sampling Indian cinema may wish to consult this List of popular Bollywood films.

A common theme amongst philosophies that describe three aspects of self is the idea that the unconscious acts as an intermediary between the consciousness and the superconsciousness. However, filmmakers may be moving towards accepting some box-office segmentation, between films that appeal to rural Indians, and films that appeal to urban and overseas audiences. It differs from Starhawk's model in that it assigns a place for the physical body in and of itself as part of a "whole" human being's spiritual existence. It was believed that aiming for a broad spectrum would maximize box office receipts. This is also similar to the Eastern Christian trichotomy of the Greek words σώμα (soma), ψυχή (psyche), and νους (nous), wherein the soma is the living body, psyche is the "mind" as we normally use the term, and nous is the faculty capable of apprehending the Divine. The Indian film industry has preferred films that appeal to all segments of the audience (see below), and has resisted making films that target narrow audiences. Many similar models exist in the fields of psychology and magic, such as the ego, id and superego of Freud, or the Qabalistic concept of three parts of the self, being the Ruach (intellect and ego), the Nephesch (body, lower instinct and subconscious) and the Neschamah (the highest divine self). In the early 1990s, the pendulum swung back towards family-centric romantic musicals with the success of such films as Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994) and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995).

Wiccan author Starhawk, in her book Spiral Dance, describes these as the Talking Self (the conscious mind), the Younger Self (the unconscious mind) and the Higher Self (the soul, also called the Divine Self); the unconscious (Younger Self) is non-verbal and does not understand speech, but understands and responds to symbolism. Amitabh Bachchan, the star known for his "angry young man" roles, rode the crest of this trend. Many neopagan witches subscribe to a model of three parts of the self, or three aspects of consciousness. In the 1970s and 1980s, romantic confections made way for gritty, violent, films about gangsters and bandits. Others believe instead that the power of witchcraft comes about primarily through psychological and psychosomatic effects, rather than any divine or paranormal means. Lavish romantic musicals and melodramas were the staple fare at the cinema. This view also implies ethical considerations, for harming another is, at a certain level, harming oneself. In the late 1950s, Bollywood films moved from black-and-white to color.

Some subscribe to the idea that all of reality is at some level interconnected, forming a single universal 'self' or 'oneness', and that by becoming conscious of this connection people can directly influence things around them. Most Bollywood films were unabashedly escapist, but there were also a number of filmmakers who tackled tough social issues, or used the struggle for Indian independence as a backdrop for their plots. Their belief is sometimes very similar to the belief of Christians in prayer, that the Divine will acknowledge and grant answers to a ritual given in a Deity's name. The 1930s and 1940s were tumultuous times: India was buffeted by the Great Depression, World War II, the Indian independence movement, and the violence of the Partition. Some neopagans believe that witchcraft should be used for good, and eschew any evil usages (See the Wiccan Rede and the Rule of Three (Wiccan)). There was clearly a huge market for talkies and musicals; Bollywood and all the regional film industries quickly switched to sound filming. Of these three categories the thakatha is almost exclusively female, the sangoma is usually female, and the inyanga is almost exclusively male. The first Indian sound film, Ardeshir Irani's Alam Ara (1931), was a super hit.

The inyanga's job is to heal illness and injury and provide customers with magical items for everyday use. By the 1930s, the industry was producing over 200 films per annum. The inyanga is often translated as "witch doctor" (though many Southern Africans resent this implication, as it perpetuates the mistaken belief that a "witch doctor" is in some sense a practitioner of witchcraft). The movie industry was well established by 1920, producing an average of 27 films every year. She also practices some degree of medicine. The first indigenous silent feature film was Raja Harishchandra, released in 1913 and directed by Dadasaheb Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, who is considered the father of Indian cinema. The sangoma is a diviner, somewhere on a par with a fortune teller, and is employed in detecting illness, predicting a person's future (or advising them on which path to take), or identifying the guilty party in a crime. Following this, there were several attempts to film staged plays and imported films were shown in the first decade of the 20th century.

The thakathi is usually translated into English as "witch", and is a spiteful person who operates in secret to harm others. Three years later, Harishchandra Bhatvadekar shot and exhibited two short films. In Southern African traditions, there are three classifications of somebody who uses magic. Cinema first came to India in 1896, when the Lumiere Brothers’ Cinematographe showed six short films in the Watson Hotel. Combining Roman Catholic beliefs and practices and traditional West African religious beliefs and practices are several syncretic religions in the Americas, including Voudun, Obeah, Candomblé, and Santería. These awards are handed out at an annual ceremony presided over by the President of India. The term witch doctor, often attributed to African inyanga, has been misconstrued to mean "a healer who uses witchcraft" rather than its original meaning of "one who diagnoses and cures maladies caused by witches". The DFF screens not only Bollywood films, but films from all the other regional movie industries and independent/art films.

African Christians typically accept Christian dogma as do their counterparts in Latin America and Asia. Since 1973, the Indian government has sponsored the National Film Awards, awarded by the government run Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF). Africans have a wide range of views of traditional religions. Most of these award ceremonies are lavishly staged spectacles, featuring singing, dancing, and lots of stars and starlets. See also: Christian views on witchcraft. Some of the other popular awards are:. Several references on these subjects include Ellen Cannon Reed's book "The Witches Qabala: The Pagan Path and the Tree of Life", "The Hebrew Goddess", by Raphael Patai, and the forthcoming book "Magickal Judaism: Blending Pagan and Jewish Practice", by Jennifer Hunter. Lately, other companies, such as Stardust Magazine, Zee TV, etc have joined the movie award bandwagon.

These individuals and groups either borrow from existing Jewish magical traditions or reconstruct rituals based on Judaism and NeoPaganism. Like the Oscars, they are frequently accused of bias towards commercial success, rather than artistic merit. (See "The Witches Qabalah", in the list of references below.) These practitioners tend to identify with Judeo-Paganism (also known as Jewish Paganism), and/or practice Jewitchery, or Jewish Witchcraft. However, unlike the Oscars, voting is not restricted to members of a specific club or academy, but is open to all people. Some Neopagans study and practice forms of magery based on a syncretism between classical Jewish mysticism and modern witchcraft. Modeled after the poll-based merit format of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, individuals may submit their votes in seperate categories; The awards are presented at a glamorous, star-studded ceremony. Since the Enlightenment, most Jewish people have abandoned a belief in the Kabbalah, although it is currently becoming popularized by some Jewish groups such as Chabad-Lubavitch and Jewish Renewal. The Indian screen magazine Filmfare started the first Filmfare Awards in 1953.

It should be noted that some Orthodox Jews study Kabbalah (Jewish esoteric mysticism) which contains magical elements; however, their practices use terminology that varies greatly from witchcraft. Surprisingly, the exposé resulted in insignificant public outrage. For instance, Rabbi Rabbah created a person and sent him to Rabbi Zera, and Rabbi Hanina and Rabbi Oshaia studied every Sabbath evening together and created a small calf to eat (Sanhedrin 65b). Those accused by the show vehemently denied these accusations, and most of the Bollywood establishment have supported them. However, some of the Rabbis practiced magic themselves. This ploy would not be, of course, unique to Bollywood moguls; film industry figures worldwide have long been rumored to subject actresses to the casting couch. The one who creates the illusion of picking cucumbers should not be condemned, only the one who actually picks the cucumbers through magic. In 2005, the India's Most Wanted show on India TV ran an exposé that accused several Bollywood figures (including Shakti Kapoor and Aman Verma) of seeking sexual favors from young actresses.

Rabbis of the Talmud also condemned magic when it produced something other than illusion, giving the example of two men who use magic to pick cucumbers (Sanhedrin 67a). Blatant plagiarism may have diminished -- however, there is no general agreement that it has. According to Traditional Judaism, it is acknowledged that while magic exists, it is forbidden to practice it on the basis that it usually involves the worship of other gods. While copyright enforcement in South Asia is still hit or miss, Bollywood and Hollywood are much more aware of each other now, and Indian audiences are more familiar with foreign movies and music. Jewish law views the practice of witchcraft as being laden with idolatry and/or necromancy; both being serious theological and practical offenses in Judaism. Audiences also may not have been aware of the plagiarism, since many in the Indian audience were unfamiliar with Western films and tunes. There is some debate, however, as to whether the word used in Galatians and Revelation, Pharmakeia, is properly translated as "sorcery", as the word was commonly used to describe malicious use of drugs as in poisons, contraceptives, and abortifacients. As for the Western sources, the Bollywood film industry was largely unknown to Westerners, who would not even be aware that their material was being copied.

Supposing that the belief in witchcraft were held to be an idle superstition, it would be strange that the suggestion should nowhere be made that the evil of these practices only lay in the pretending to the possession of powers which did not really exist. Copyright enforcement was lax in South Asia. The prohibitions of sorcery in the New Testament leave the same impression (Galatians 5:20, compared with Revelation 21:8; 22:15; and Acts 8:9; 13:6). In past times, this could be done with impunity. From Leviticus 20:27: "A man or woman in whom there is a pythonical or divining spirit, dying let them die: they shall stone them: Their blood be upon them", we should naturally infer that the divining spirit was not believed to be a mere imposture. They copy ideas, plot lines, tunes or riffs from sources close at hand (Pakistani [3] and Tamil films and songs) or far away (Hollywood and other Western movies, Western pop hits). However, the witch responds with shocked surprise at the manifestation, denoting that the witch had actually expected something different -- presumably either nothing real at all or a lying ("familiar") spirit. Constrained by rushed production schedules and small budgets, some Bollywood writers and musicians have been known to resort to plagiarism.

The whole narrative of Saul's visit to the witch of En Dor (I Samuel 28) implies belief in the reality of the witch's evocation of the shade of Samuel. The old hand-painted posters, once regarded as ephemera, are becoming increasingly collectible as folk art. "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live".) Many bible scholars have noted that in the original hebrew the word "M'khasephah"(translated in the King James as "witch") means "someone who malevolently uses spoken curses to hurt people", which the modern Wiccan Rede specifically forbids of its practitioners to do. Now, the majority of the huge and ubiquitous billboards in India's major cities are created with computer-printed vinyl. (See Deuteronomy 18:11-12; Exodus 22:18, "wizards thou shalt not suffer to live" - A.V. Human labor was cheaper than printing and distributing publicity material. In the Bible references to witchcraft are frequent, and the strong condemnations of such practices which we read there do not seem to be based so much upon the supposition of fraud as upon the "abomination" of the magic in itself. Many Indian artists used to make a living hand-painting movie billboards and posters.

In modern Hindi, a witch is called chudail or Daayan, and is greatly feared even today as a potential harm by many of the illiterate villagers. Bollywood sold 3.6 billion tickets and had total revenues (theater tickets, DVDs, television etc) of US$1.3 billion (USD), whereas Hollywood films sold 2.6 billion tickets and generated total revenues (again from all formats) of US$51 billion. One of the four holy Vedas of the Hindus, the Atharva Veda, itself contains semi-magical incantations, chiefly against such sorcerors meaning harm to the Aryan peoples. It shows tickets sold in 2002 and total revenue estimates. In the Vedic Age, witches were recognized and called yoginīs (masc.: yogin), and wrongful magic was called abhichāra. For an interesting comparison of Hollywood and Bollywood financial figures, see this chart: [2]. It is there prescribed,. 'Foreign' audiences—in Asian and Western countries—are also growing, if more slowly.

It will be sufficient to quote a short section from the Code of Hammurabi (about 2000 B.C.). As more Indians migrate to these countries, they form a growing market for upscale Indian films. Both in ancient Egypt and in Babylonia it played a conspicuous part, as existing records plainly show. Balanced against this are the increasing returns from theatres in Western countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States, where Bollywood is slowly getting noticed. The belief in witchcraft and its practice seem to have been widespread in the past. In the past, most Bollywood films could make money; now fewer tend to do so. See for example:. Satellite TV, television and imported foreign films are making huge inroads into the domestic Indian entertainment market.

Powers typically attributed to European witches include turning food poisonous or inedible, flying on broomsticks, casting spells, and creating fear and local chaos. The availability of illegal copies of movies on the Internet also contributes to the piracy problem. Present-day beliefs about the witches of history attribute to them elements of the folklore witch, the charmer, the cunning man or wise woman, the diviner and the astrologer. regularly stock tapes and DVDs of dubious provenance, while consumer copying adds to the problem. The long-term result of this amalgamation of distinct types of magic-worker into one is the considerable present-day confusion as to what witches actually did, whether they harmed or healed, what role (if any) they had in the community, whether they can be identified with the "witches" of other cultures and even whether they existed as anything other than a projection. and the U.K. The important distinction is that there are records of the populace reporting alleged witches to the authorities as such, whereas cunning folk were not so incriminated; they were more commonly prosecuted for accusing the innocent or defrauding people of money. Small convenience stores run by members of the Indian diaspora in the U.S.

When a person was known to be a witch, the populace would still seek to employ their healing skills; however, as was not the case with cunning-folk, members of the general population would also hire witches to curse their enemies. Films are frequently broadcast without compensation by countless small cable TV companies in India and other parts of South Asia. In addition, it appears that much of the populace was willing to approach either of these groups for healing magic and divination. (In fact, bootleg copies are the only way people in Pakistan can watch Bollywood movies, since the Government of Pakistan has banned their sale, distribution and telecast). Records from the Middle Ages, however, make it appear that it was, quite often, not entirely clear to the populace whether a given practioner of magic was a witch or one of the cunning-folk. Besides catering to the homegrown market, demand for these copies is large amongst some sections of the Indian diaspora, too. Such "cunning-folk" did not refer to themselves as witches and objected to the accusation that they were such. Manufacturing of bootleg DVD, VCD, and VHS copies of the latest movie titles is a well established 'small scale industry' in parts of the Indian Subcontinent and South East Asia.

Girdle-measurers specialised in diagnosing ailments caused by fairies, while magical cures for more mundane ailments, such as burns or toothache, could be had from charmers.). Often, bootleg DVD copies of movies are available before the prints are official released in movie theaters. (Other folk magicians had their own purviews. Another problem facing Bollywood is widespread copyright infringement of its films. Toad doctors were also credited with the ability to undo witchcraft. In 2001, the Central Bureau of Investigation seized all prints of the movie Chori Chori Chupke Chupke after the movie was found to be funded by members of the Mumbai underworld. The term "witch doctor" was in use in England before it came to be associated with Africa. In January, 2000, Mumbai mafia hitmen shot Rakesh Roshan, film director and father of star Hrithik Roshan; It had been reported that he had rebuffed mob attempts to meddle with his film distribution.

In England, the provision of this curative magic was the job of a witch doctor, also known as a cunning man, white witch, or wise woman. The Mumbai underworld has been known to be involved in the production of several films, and are notorious for their patronization of several prominent film personalities; On occasion, they have known to use money and muscle power to get their way in cinematic deals. These can be found in Bacchanalias, especially in the time when they were led by priestess Paculla Annia (188-186). As finances are not regulated, some funding also comes from illegitimate sources, such as the Mumbai underworld. According to the scholar Max Dashu, the concept of medieval witch contained many of its elements even before the emergence of Christianity. However, this ban has now been lifted [1]. This idea is commonplace in pre-Christian religions and is a logical consequence of belief in magic. Indian banks and financial institutions were forbidden from lending money to movie studios.

The Church did not invent the idea of witchcraft as a potentially harmful force whose practitioners should be put to death. Funding for Bollywood films often comes from private distributors and a few large studios. Other rulers such as King Coloman of Hungary declared that witch-hunts should cease because witches do not exist. Nowadays, Indian producers are drawing in more and more funding for big-budget films shot within India as well, such as Lagaan, Devdas, and the recent production The Rising. This denial was accepted into Church law until it was reversed in later centuries as the witch-craze gained force. Sequences shot overseas have proved a real box office draw, so Mumbai film crews are increasingly filming in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, continental Europe and elsewhere. In 820 the Bishop of Lyon and others repudiated the belief that witches could make bad weather, fly in the night, and change their shape. But as Western films and television gain wider distribution in India itself, there is increasing pressure for Bollywood films to attain the same production levels.

The emperor Charlemagne decreed that the burning of supposed witches was a pagan custom that would be punished by the death penalty. Sets, costumes, special effects, and cinematography were less than world-class up until the mid-to-late 1990s. Boniface declared in the eighth century that belief in witches is unchristian. Bollywood budgets are usually modest by Hollywood standards. St. Notable film clans:. Down through history, the Catholic Church and European society have not always been obsessed with hunting witches and blaming them for bad occurrences. Some of the biggest stars, such as Dev Anand, Amitabh Bachchan, and Shah Rukh Khan, have succeeded despite total lack of show biz connections.

The witches or wizards addicted to such practices were alleged to adjure Jesus and the sacraments, observe "the witches' sabbath" - performing infernal rites which often took the shape of a parody of the Mass or the offices of the Church - pay Divine honour to the Prince of Darkness, and in return receive from him preternatural powers. However, industry connections are no guarantee of a long career: competition is brutal and if film industry scions don't succeed at the box office, their careers will falter. Traditional European witchcraft beliefs, such as those typified in the confessions of the Pendle Witches, commonly involve a diabolical pact or at least an appeal to the intervention of the spirits of evil[3]. Bollywood can be clannish, and the relatives of film-industry insiders have an edge in getting coveted roles. In place of the old Pagan magic methodology, the Church placed a Christian methodology involving saints and divine relics — a short step from the old Pagan techniques of amulets and talismans. Hence many stars make the most of their fame, once they become popular, by making several movies simultaneously. While Christianity competed with Pagan religion, this concern was paramount, only lessening in importance once Christianity was the dominant religion in most of Europe. Directors compete to hire the most popular stars of the day, who are believed to guarantee the success of a movie (though this belief is not always supported by box-office results).

^[2] The advent of Christianity suggests that potential Christians, comfortable with the use of magic as part of their daily lives, expected Christian clergy to work magic of a form superior to the old Pagan way. Very few people become national icons, who are unaffected by success or failure of their movies, like Amitabh Bachchan. The characterization of the witch, rather than being a caricature of a Pagan priestess, developed over time. The popularity of the stars can rise and fall rapidly, based on single movies. The familiar witch of folklore and popular superstition is a combination of numerous influences. Stardom in the entertainment industry is very fickle, and Bollywood is no exception. This is an oversimplification and presumes that a recognizable folklore figure must derive from a single historical precedent (a female, maligned magic-worker). Just as in Hollywood, very few succeed.

Popular neopagan beliefs suggest that witches were female shamans who were made into malicious figures by Christian propaganda. Models and beauty contestants, television actors, theatre actors and even common people come to Mumbai with the hope and dream of becoming a star. The characterization of the witch in Europe is not derived from a single source. It attracts thousands of aspiring actors and actresses, all hoping for a break in the industry. Most people would call male witches sorcerers, wizards, or warlocks; however, modern self-identified witches and Wiccans continue to use the term witch for all who practice witchcraft. Bollywood employs people from all parts of India. Colloquially, the term witch is applied almost exclusively to women, although in earlier English the term was applied to men too. Many lyrics compare the singer to a devotee and the object of his or her passion to Krishna or Radha.

[1]. Another source for love lyrics is the long Hindu tradition of poetry about the mythological amours of Krishna, Radha, and the gopis. Many neo-pagan sources assert that because the root wik- is associated with words meaning "to bend", the original meaning of the word was "one who bends the natural order" (by using magic). Here's a sample from the 1983 film Hero, written by the great lyricist Anand Bakshi:. Other possible connections include the Old English wigle (divination), the Proto-Germanic *wikkjaz (necromancer), the Gothic weihs (holy), and the English words victim (in its original meaning for someone killed in a religious ritual) and wicked. Bollywood song lyrics, especially in the old movies, frequently use Urdu or Hindustani vocabulary which has many elegant and poetic Arabic and Persian loan-words. Low German contains wicker (soothsayer). Song lyrics are usually about love.

Contraction of witega ('wise man, prophet') is possible. This phenomenon is not unlike the pairings of American composers and songwriters that created old-time Broadway musicals (e.g., Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, or Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe). That the word derives directly from Old English is hard to doubt, but the origins of the Old English words are more problematic. Music directors often prefer working with certain lyricists, to the point that the lyricist and composer are seen as a team. The origins of the term witch are highly disputed. As an example, below is a dialogue from the 1975 film Deewar, between the gangster brother Vijay and his policeman brother Ravi:. Methods are many and differ from witch to witch. Dialogues are often melodramatic and invoke God, family, mother, duty, and self-sacrifice liberally.

Sometimes quite simple and mundane actions can constitute the physical casting of a spell, and it is a common belief amongst modern witches that the intention behind the actions is at least as important as the actions themselves. Contemporary mainstream movies also make great use of English. Spells can be cast by many methods, including meditation, burning of candles, chanting or reciting incantations, performing physical rituals and making herbal preparations. The dialogues are mostly written in Hindi, with use of Urdu in situations which require poetic dialogues. Probably the most obvious characteristic of a witch is their ability to cast spells. The film script (frequently credited as "dialogues") and the song lyrics are often written by different people. Necromancy, the conjuring of the spirits of the dead, is also regarded as a typical witchcraft practice; the Biblical 'Witch' of Endor is supposed to have performed it, and it is among the witchcraft practices condemned by Aelfric. In this case, the event is almost always two characters' falling in love.

Witchcraft practices (in the common, malefic sense) are typically forbidden by law where belief in them exists (as well as being hated and feared by the general populace) while 'folk magic' is tolerated or even accepted wholesale by the people, even if the orthodox establishment objects to it. Sometimes, a song is worked into the plot, so that a character has a reason to sing; other times, a song is an externalization of a character's thoughts, or presages an event that has not occurred yet in the plot of the movie. Many neopagan witches identify with this concept, and profess strong ethical codes that prevent them from attempting magic on someone without that person having requested it or at least given permission. Songs typically comment on the action taking place in the movie, in several ways. There has also existed in popular belief the concept of white witches and white witchcraft, which is strictly benevolent. Though considered by many to be one of India's most beautiful regions, Kashmir has been generally off-limits for quite some time due to violence. The folk magic used to identify or protect against witches is often indistinguishable from that used by the witches themselves. Switzerland has become a popular setting for these picturisations, largely because its Alpine valleys are reminiscent of Kashmir.

Folk magic of a more benign and socially acceptable sort may then be employed to turn the malevolence aside, or identify the supposed witch so that punishment may be carried out. This staging is referred to as a picturisation. Where witchcraft is believed to have the power to influence the body or possessions, witches can become a credible cause for disease, sickness in animals, bad luck, sudden death, impotence and other such misfortunes. If the hero and heroine dance and sing a pas-de-deux (a dance and ballet term, meaning "dance of two"), it is often staged in beautiful natural surroundings or architecturally grand settings. Many examples can be found in ancient texts, such as those from Egypt and Babylonia. The hero or heroine will often perform with a troupe of supporting dancers, usually of the same sex. The concept of a magic-worker influencing another person's body or property against his or her will was clearly present in many cultures before the introduction of monotheism, as there are traditions in both folk magic and religious magic that have the purpose of countering witchcraft or identifying witches from those times. In modern films, Indian dance elements often blend with Western dance styles (as seen on MTV or in Broadway musicals), though it is not unusual to see Western pop and pure classical dance numbers side by side in the same film.

Some modern commentators, especially neopagan ones, consider the malefic nature of witchcraft to be a Christian projection. The dancing in Bollywood films, especially older ones, is primarily modeled on Indian dance: classical dance styles, dances of historic northern Indian courtesans (tawaif), or folk dances. Practices to which the witchcraft label have been historically applied are those which influence another person's body or property against his or her will, or which are believed, by the person doing the labeling, to undermine the social or religious order. Their songs can make or break a film and usually do. A great deal of confusion and conflict has arisen from attempts by one group or another to canonize their particular definition of the term. The composers of film music, known as music directors, are also well-known. Recently, witchcraft has taken on a distinctly positive connotation among Wiccans and other Neopagans as the ritual element of their religious beliefs. Most of the female songs in films from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s were sung by Lata.

Such accusations are a counterpart to blood libel of various kinds, which may be found throughout history across the globe. One of the most recorded of these playback singers is Lata Mangeshkar who, through the course a career spanning over six decades, has recorded thousands of songs for Indian movies. In the modern Western world, witchcraft accusations have often accompanied the Satanic Ritual Abuse hysteria. Playback singers are prominently featured in the opening credits and have their own fans who will go to an otherwise lackluster movie just to hear their favourites. Accusations of witchcraft were frequently combined with other charges of heresy against such groups as the Cathars and Waldensians. These forays, while well-received at the time, have not led to real singing careers for either actor. Throughout this time, the concept of witchcraft came increasingly to be interpreted as a form of Devil worship. Of late, a few actors have again tried singing for themselves:.

Under the monotheistic religions of the Levant (primarily Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), witchcraft came to be associated with heresy, rising to a fever pitch among the Catholics, Protestants, and secular leadership of the European Late Medieval/Early Modern period. Saigal, Suraiyya and Noor Jehan were also known as both singers and actors. On occasion such accusations have led to witch hunts. L. Belief in witches of this sort have been common among the indigenous populations of the world, including Africa, Asia and the Americas. K. This use of the term is most often found in accusations against individuals who are suspected of causing harm in the community by way of supernatural means. One notable exception was Kishore Kumar, who starred in several major films in the 1950s while also having a stellar career as a playback singer.

If the community accepts magical practice in general, then there is typically a clear separation between witches (in this sense) and the terms used to describe legitimate practitioners. While most actors, especially today, are excellent dancers, few are also singers. Witchcraft is also used to refer, narrowly, to the practice of magic in an exclusively inimical sense. Songs from Bollywood movies are generally pre-recorded by professional playback singers, with the actors then lip synching the words to the song on-screen, often while dancing. Such religions consider their own ritual practices to be not at all magical, but rather simply variations of prayer. Bollywood film music is called filmi music (from Hindi, meaning "of films"). According to some religious doctrines, all forms of magic are labeled witchcraft, and are either proscribed or treated as superstitious. Any fan of Bollywood movies will be able to list films that he/she regards as transcending the run-of-the-mill masala movie.

Members of some religions have applied the term witchcraft in a pejorative sense to refer to all magical or ritual practices other than those sanctioned by their own doctrines, though this has become less common, at least in the Western world. It should also be said that a fair number of films with mass-appeal are either estimable simply as well-crafted amusements or even artistic achievements in their own way. Depending on the values of the community, witchcraft in this sense may be regarded with varying degrees of suspicion and hostility, or with ambivalence, being neither intrinsically good nor evil. There is now a significant audience of young, educated, urban Indians who want to watch Indian films, but demand a different presentation. Sometimes witchcraft is used to refer, broadly, to the practice of magic, and has a connotation similar to sorcery. Current films are increasingly likely either to break the mold or to ironically subvert it. Each culture has its own particular body of concepts dealing with magic, religion, benevolent and harmful spirits, and ritual; and these ideas do not find obvious equivalents in other cultures. However, Bollywood is changing.

. They often lost out at the box office to movies with more mass appeal. Used with entirely different contexts, and within entirely different cultural references, it can take on distinct and often contradictory meanings. There have always been Indian films with more "artistic" aims and more sophisticated stories, both inside and outside the Bollywood tradition (for example, many of the films of Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Guru Dutt, Shyam Benegal, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, and Gulzar among others; see Indian art cinema). Witchcraft is viewed differently in different cultures around the globe. They frequently employ formulaic ingredients such as star-crossed lovers and angry parents, love triangles, corrupt politicians, kidnappers, conniving villains, courtesans with hearts of gold, long-lost relatives and siblings separated by fate, dramatic reversals of fortune, and convenient coincidences. The term witchcraft (and witch) is a controversial one with a complicated history. Plots tend to be melodramatic.

A witch is a (sometimes specifically female) person who engages in witchcraft. Like masalas, these movies are a mixture of many things. Witchcraft, in various historical, religious and mythical contexts, is the use of certain kinds of supernatural or magical powers. Such movies are called masala movies, after the Hindi word for a spice mixture, masala. flying ointments. Songs and dances, love triangles, comedy and dare-devil thrills—all are mixed up in a three-hour-long extravaganza with an intermission. witchcraft trials. Indian audiences expect full value for their money, with a good entertainer generally referred to as paisa vasool, (literally, "money's worth").

witchhunts. However, they do not fit easily in the "musical" category as defined by Hollywood movies; they usually contain a great deal more in the way of plot and action than is found in the typical Hollywood musical. Malleus Maleficarum. Few movies are made without at least one song-and-dance number. Use of poppets. Most Bollywood films would be classified as musicals. Astrology, reading of horoscopes. .

Divination - by tarot, runes, etc. A few movies are also made in two or even three languages (either using subtitles, or several soundtracks). Healing. It is not uncommon to see movies which feature dialogues with English words and phrases, even whole sentences. Chanting mantras. This is a political debate; see the articles on the various languages/dialects.) There has been a growing presence of English in dialogues and songs as well. Conducting séances; using ouija boards. (Linguists would call both Hindi and Urdu variants of Hindustani.

Seeing auras. Bollywood is also commonly referred to as "Hindi cinema", even though use of poetic Urdu words is fairly common. The manipulation of energy. Bollywood is a strong part of popular culture of not only India and the rest of the Indian subcontinent, but also of the Middle East, parts of Africa, parts of Southeast Asia, and among the South Asian diaspora worldwide. Talking to plants. Bollywood and the other major cinematic hubs (Tamil - Kollywood, Telugu - Tollywood, Bengali - also called Tollywood, Kannada, and Malayalam) constitute the broader Indian film industry, whose output is the largest in the world in terms of number of films produced and in number of tickets sold. Meditation. Though some purists deplore the name (arguing that it makes the industry look like a poor cousin to Hollywood), it seems likely to persist and now has its own entry in the Oxford English Dictionary.

The name is a conflation of Bombay, the old name of Mumbai, and Hollywood, the center of the United States film industry. Bollywood is the informal name given to the popular Mumbai-based Hindi language film industry in India. Apsara Awards. IIFA Awards.

Stardust awards. Star Screen Awards. Zee Cine Awards. the Mangeshkar sisters (Hridayanath Mangeshkar, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Usha Mangeshkar).

the Ganguly brothers (Ashok Kumar, Kishore Kumar, Anup Kumar). the Khan-Roshan clan (Roshan, Rakesh Roshan, Rajesh Roshan, Hrithik Roshan, Suzanne Khan (Hrithik's wife), Sanjay Khan (Suzanne's father), Zayed Khan, Feroz Khan, Fardeen Khan). the Pataudis (Sharmila Tagore, Saif Ali Khan (her son), Soha Ali Khan (her daughter)). the Mukherjee-Samarth family (Shobhana Samarth, Debashree Roy, Sashadhar Mukherjee, Joy Mukherjee, Deb Mukherjee, Sharbani Mukherjee, Nutan, Tanuja, Mohnish Behl, Tanisha, Kajol, Ram Mukherjee, Rani Mukherjee).

the Khans (Salim Khan, Helen, Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Sohail Khan, Malaika Arora). the Hussains (Nasir Hussain, Tahir Hussain, Aamir Khan, Mansoor Khan, Faisal Khan). the Dutts (Nargis and Sunil Dutt (wife and husband), Sunjay Dutt (their son)). the Vinod Khanna family (Vinod Khanna, Akshaye Khanna and Rahul Khanna (his sons)).

the Rajesh Khanna family (Rajesh Khanna, Dimple Kapadia (his wife), Twinkle Khanna (his daughter), Akshay Kumar (his son-in-law) and Rinke Khanna (his younger daughter)). the Bachchans (Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan). the Deols (Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Esha Deol, Abhay Deol). the Kapoors (Prithviraj Kapoor, Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Rajiv Kapoor, Babita Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Karisma Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, Riddhima Kapoor, Shivani Kapoor).

Aamir Khan took a turn singing "Kya Bolti Tu" in Ghulam but only because "the character had attitude that only Aamir could do justice to", according to director Vikram Bhatt. Amitabh Bachchan, sang "Mere Angane Mein" in "Lawaaris" in the mid-80's, and has also sung in "Silsila", "Mahaan" "Toofan", Baghban, and Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, as well as doing a duet with Adnan Sami in the song Kabhi Nahin (Never).