The five firsts of Indian Cinema

First Full Length Film

Film: Raja Harishchandra

Year of release: 1913

It was a sign of things to come that this film - produced and directed by Dadasaheb Phalke - was a huge success. The film was first shown on May 3, 1913 at Mumbai's Coronation Cinema, Girgaon, where crowds thronged the roads outside the hall.

First Film To Face A Censorship Controversy

Film: Bhakta Vidur

Year of release: 1921

This film directed by Kanjibhai Rathod came in the wake of the Rowlatt Act which put restrictions on Indian imports. This mythological allegory alluded directly to political issues of the day and was banned in Madras and Karachi.

First Lip-lock In Indian Cinema

Film: Marthanda Varma

Year of release: 1933

AVP Menon and Padmini shared a kiss in this Malayalam silent classic. The first Hindi film kiss was in Karma (1933) between Devika Rani and Himanshu Rai. The Malayalam film beat Karma by a whisker.

First International Award

Film: Neecha Nagar

Year of release: 1946

Chetan Anand's film won the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film at Cannes. It was based on a Hindi story, Neecha Nagar, written by Hayatulla Ansari, which in turn was inspired by Russian writer Maxim Gorky's Lower Depths.

First Indian Colour Film

Film: Kisan Kanya

Year of release: 1937

This was the first Indian colour film to be made entirely in India (the earlier Sairandhri (1933) was processed and printed in Germany).