Firsts of Indian Cinema

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Firsts of Indian Cinema

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Firsts of Indian Cinema

Firsts of Indian Cinema
With Indian Cinema on the threshold of completing 100 glorious years of entertaining audiences worldwide, the fraternity is all set to celebrate the success of this form of art and so are its followers. Flashback to 1913, Dada Sahab Phalke, also known as the father of Indian Cinema had initiated filmmaking and laid the foundation stone thus enabling his successors to follow suit. As a token to acknowledge the efforts and achievements of the pioneers in this field, let us take look at some of the ‘noteworthy’ firsts of Indian Cinema:

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First Film- Raja Harishchandra 1913

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First Film- Raja Harishchandra 1913
Produced, directed and written by Dada Sahab Phalke, ‘Raja Harishchandra is the first full-length feature film. Quite evident from the title itself, the film is based on the life of Raja Harishchandra, a character mentioned in the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. Deeply influenced by iconic painter Raja Ravi Verma, Phalke’s film looked like a moving painting. The third day of May is of great significance because this film was first shown to public on this day. It was a grand success which subsequently gave birth to the Indian film industry.

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First Talkie film-Alam Ara 1931

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First Talkie film-Alam Ara 1931
Alam Ara meaning The Light of the World was directed by Ardeshir Irani. It was the first sound film produced in India. The film unfolded the love story between a Prince and a gypsy girl. The film was a success and so were its songs. The film not only marked the incorporation of sound but music too. The track ‘De de khuda ke naam per’ was sung by actor Wazir Mohammed Khan, who recorded the song live.

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First on screen smooch- Devika Rani kissing Himanshu Rai in `Karma

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First on screen smooch- Devika Rani kissing Himanshu Rai in `Karma

A star of her times, Devika Rani, who hailed from an affluent family, was a very bold lady. She scandalized the orthodox Indian audiences by locking lips with her real life husband on screen in the film ‘Karma’ released in 1933. Apparently the kissing scene was 4 minutes long and happens to be one of the longest kissing scenes on Indian screen of all times.

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First colour film-Kisan Kanya

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First colour film-Kisan Kanya


First colour film-Kisan Kanya
Kisan Kanya released in 1937 happens to be India’s first indigenously produced colour film. Directed by Moti B. Gidvani and produced by Ardeshir Irani, the film unfolded the poor plight of a farmer and the consequences he faces for being a peasant. The film was not a commercial success but is remembered for being the country’s first colour film.