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100 Years of Indian Cinema

First in 100 Years of Indian Cinema - 1913-2013

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First Colorized Film - Mughal-e-Azam in 2004

03 May 2013

500

During the re-release the film ran for 25 weeks and probably there is no other example of any film running for 25 weeks in its re-release. (The original black and white version was released in 1960)

First Talkie Film - Alam Ara

03 May 2013

500

The film that gave the medium of cinema a voice was a period fantasy about an ageing king and his two rival queens. Alam Ara (1931) opened a whole new chapter for Indian cinema, breaking the silence. The film took months to make because of hazardous recording conditions and the secrecy surrounding the project. With the introduction of sound came music and songs. Alam Ara contained seven songs composed by the first music directors of the film industry, Pirojshah Mistry and B Irani. Also, De De Khuda Ke Naam Par Pyare became the first ever song recorded for a film.

First Technicolour Film - Jhansi ki Rani

03 May 2013

500

Director and producer Sohrab Modi flew in technicians from Hollywood to execute the first technicolour film Jhansi ki Rani (1953) featuring Mehtab. Despite its stirring performance and appealing shots, the movie failed to make a mark on the box office.

First Dolby Sound Film - 1942-A Love Story

03 May 2013

500

Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 1942-A Love Story (1994) was music maestro R.D. Burman's swan song. The movie was also a stepping stone to advanced sound engineering with the introduction of Dolby Sound.

First Movie with Flashback - Roop Lekha

03 May 2013

500

Flashbacks have always been an important part in the telling of cinematic stories and the first movie to use the technique was P.C. Barua's 1934 film Roop Lekha.

First Film Insured - Taal

03 May 2013

500

Almost 85 years after the first film released, the film industry addressed the demand for risk cover against any mishap prior to the release of the film. Director and producer Subhash Ghai began the trend when he had his film Taal insured for a sum of Rs. 110 million in 1998.

First Indian Film to be nominated for an Oscar - Mother India

03 May 2013

500

One of the most expensive films of the time, Mother India (1957) finally took Indian cinema to the Oscars. The story of a rural woman who sacrificed all her life to raise her children and finally kills her criminal son was nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category and became a definitive classic. Mother India lost to the Italian film Le notti di Cabiria.

First Indian to win an Oscar Award - Bhanu Athaiya

03 May 2013

500

This veteran costume designer was the first Indian to win the prestigious Academy Award for the film 'Gandhi' released in 1982. She has been working in the industry since the 1950s and has been associated with a number of classic films that include 'CID', 'Pyaasa', 'Chaudhvin Ka Chand', 'Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam' to name a few. She had also designed the costumes for Aamir Khan's 'Lagaan' that had also been nominated to the Oscars in the best film category.