Colour films in India

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Kanchanjungha/ Bengali

Liludi Dharti (1968) Gujarati

Amarashilpi Jakanachari/ Kannada

Kandam Becha Coat/ Malayalam

Sairandhri (1933) Marathi

Gapa Helevi Sata (1976) Oriya

Vimi in Nanak Nam Jahaz Hai/ Punjabi

Alibabavum Narpadhu Thirudargalum/ Tamil: Compare the fading of GevaColor with the Techni- or even Eastman- color pictures on this page

Lavakusa (1963/Telugu)

Eenadu (1982) Telugu

Assamese

The first colour film was Kamal Choudhury's Bhaity (1972)

(No photograph available. Can any reader help? )

Bengali

Kanchanjangha (Bengali: কাঞ্চনজঙ্ঘা Kanchonjônggha) (1962) written and directed by Satyajit Ray is arguably the first colour film in Bengali, Indian or East Pakistani. It was in Eastmancolour, which is more fragile than Technicolor. By the 1970s all complete colour prints of the film were lost and an international effort got together portions of the film available around them world, edited them together into a whole and restored the faded colours.

Gujarati

First Gujarat colour film: Liludi Dharti (1968).

Hindi-Urdu

Kisan Kanya (lit: the peasant girl; 1937/ Dir: Moti B. Gidvani; prod. Ardeshir Irani) was arguably the first colour film in Hindi-Urdu, of India and of South Asia.

Colour films in South Asia: 3-- Hindi-Urdu films in colour

Kannada

The first full-length colour film in Kannada, Amarashilpi Jakanachar, was released in 1964

Malayalam

First Malayalam Color film was Kandam Vecha Coat in 1961

Manipuri

Three films claim this honour.

Langlen Thadoi (1984) by MA Singh Maibam Amuthoi is the film that has the highest number of references claiming it to be the first colour feature film in Manipuri. However, Sanakeithel (1983), is also said to be the first colour film in Manipuri (indianetzone indianetzone). One source (e-pao) says that the first ever Manipuri colour film was produced by K.P Films International in 1989; this source obviously cannot be right.

Sanakeithel was made in 1983, according to Imdb. Its Director was M.A. Singh. Imdb confirms that it was in colour. Therefore, Sanakeithel was Manipur’s first colour film.

(No photograph available. Can any reader help?)

Marathi

Sairandhri (1933), processed and printed in Germany; would have been the first colour film in Marathi, and also India's first colour film. However, its processing was not successful.

So, the question is, which was the second colour film in Marathi, because Sairandhri’s final, released print was not in colour.

Odiya/ Oriya

The first Oriya Colour Movie was "Gapa Helevi Sata" (1976) though 'Samaya' (1975) was partially coloured).

Punjabi

Indian Punjabi

Nanak Nam Jahaz Hai (Punjabi: ਨਾਨਕ ਨਾਮ ਜਹਾਜ਼ ਹੈ), a 1969 National Award winning Punjabi film directed by Ram Maheshwary, was the first Indian colour film in Punjabi.

Tamil

First Tamil film ‘entirely in colour’ was was Alibabavum Narpadhu Thirudargalum-1956 (Geva Color)

Veerapandiya Kattabomman (1959) is said to be the second Tamil film to be shot in Technicolor; it was, like other Indian Technicolor films before and after, printed in London. Which was the first? Well, Nadodi Mannan (1958) had a Technicolor sequence set on a tropical island.

Nadodi Mannan (Tamil/ 1958) included a Technicolor sequence.

Parthiban (playing W. C. Jackson,left) and Sivaji Ganesan (as Kattabomman,right). Veerapandiya Kattabomman (1959) was the second Tamil film in Technicolor

First Eastman color movie in Tamil: Kathalikka Neramillai (1964)

Telugu

First ‘entirely in colour’ film Lavakusa (1963).

First Eastmancolor film Eenadu (1982)

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See also

Colour films in South Asia: 1—South Asia as a whole.

Colour films in South Asia: 2 (Indian Cinema)—India as a whole.

Colour films in South Asia: 3-- Hindi-Urdu films.