Indian cinema: 1913-20

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Indian cinema: 1913-19

Phalke’s Raja Harishchandra

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Title and authorship of the original article(s)

Brief history of Indian cinema By UrooJ, aligarians.com, Mid-2000

Aligarians

The Times of India

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Films were always sensational and sexy. While the celebrated 'first' Indian film, Dadasaheb Phalke's Raja Harischandra (1913) was mythological, the Indian film-going public were exposed to crime and sex in films from the same period they saw the first mythologicals. In the 1910s and 1920s, the biggest share of the Indian market was taken by American films, particularly serials, which showed daring feats and sensational scenes of the abduction of women with the looming threat of rape. Companies like Madan Theatres, the Calcutta-based giant film corporation, imported scores of such serials and B-films, which were shown mostly in tents and make-shift venues.

1913 : Phalke’s Raja Harishchandra, 3700 feet long, opens on 21st April to a select audience and opens commercially on 3rd May in Bombay’s Coronation Cinematograph.

1914 : Phalke shows his first three features - Raja Harishchandra, Mohini Bhasmasur and Satyavan Savitri in London. R. Venkiah and R.S. Prakash build Madras’ first permanent cinema, The Gaiety.

1915 : First South Indian feature - R. Nataraja Mudaliar’s Gopal Krishna.

1916 : Universal Pictures set up Hollywood’s first Indian Agency.

1917 : J.F. Madan’s Satyavadi Raja Harishchandra is the first feature made in Calcutta. Phalke makes a short film about filmmaking, How Films Are Made.

1918 : The Indian Cinematograph Act modeled on that of Britain defines the term of censorship and cinema licensing. Phalke’s Hindustan Film Company is established. Patankar’s Ram Vanvas is the first Indian Serial with a length of 20,000 feet.

1919 : Baburao Painter starts the Maharashtra Film company at Kolhapur. Dwarkadas Sampat forms the Kohinoor Film Company.

Indian cinema: historical outline Covers the era before the first Indian feature film

Indian cinema: 1913-20

Indian cinema: 1920-29

Indian cinema: 1930-39

Indian cinema: 1940-49

Indian cinema: 1950-59

Indian cinema: 1960-69

Indian cinema: 1970-79

Indian cinema: 1980-89

Indian cinema: 1990-99

Indian cinema: 2000-09

Indian cinema: 2010-19