Indian cinema began with a Lumiere screening in Bombay on 7 July 1896. Dadasaheb Phalke released the first Indian feature, Raja Harishchandra, on 3 May 1913, a…
On 7 July 1896 the Lumiere brothers' agent screened six short films at Watson's Hotel in Bombay. Tickets cost a rupee.
Phalke's silent Raja Harishchandra opened at the Coronation Cinematograph, Bombay, on 3 May 1913. A man played the queen.
Ardeshir Irani's Alam Ara, with seven songs. Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Marathi talkies followed within a year.
Chetan Anand's Neecha Nagar shared the Grand Prix, then the top award, at the very first Cannes in 1946.
Raj Kapoor's Awaara became a sensation in the Soviet Union, Turkey and China. Moscow sang Awaara Hoon.
Satyajit Ray. Pather Panchali was honoured at Cannes in 1956 as the Best Human Document.
Mehboob Khan's Mother India, for Best Foreign Language Film. It lost to Nights of Cabiria.
Heroes who fought a corrupt system. Sholay mixed action, comedy, romance and music: the masala film.
Family romances like DDLJ were written for Indians in the UK, US and Gulf, now a lucrative market.
Dangal, about Rs 2,000 crore worldwide, much of it from China. Baahubali 2 proved Telugu films could rule Hindi screens.
Naatu Naatu from RRR, by M. M. Keeravaani and Chandrabose. The Elephant Whisperers won the same night.
The Cannes Grand Prix, for a film about two Mumbai nurses. First Indian film in competition in 30 years.
Rs 13,395 crore gross in 2025, per Ormax. Dhurandhar led with Rs 950 crore in India.
Best first half since the pandemic. Dhurandhar: The Revenge passed Baahubali 2, and Anant Nag got the Phalke Award.
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