A Selective Chronology of India and its Cinema, 1892 to 1995.

1892 First Indian version of the Magic Lantern shows. 1896 July 7: First film screening at Watson's Hotel, Bombay . 1897 First film shows in Calcutta and Madras. 1898 First gramophone record is released. Two Italians, Colorello and Cornaglie, organise film shows in tents in Bombay. 1899 H. S. Bhatavdekar films a wrestling match in Bombay's handing gardens. 1901 Bhatavdekar films the return of Sir Wrangler Mr R. P. Paranjpye from Cambridge University. 1902 J. F. Madan launches his Bioscope shown ion a tent in Calcutta and the foundations of a massive exhibition and distribution empire. 1905 August 7: Indian National Congress launches the Swadeshi Movement calling for a boycott of all foreign-manufactured goods. 1907 All-India Muslim league formed in Dacca by big landlords, calling for separate Muslim electorates. 1913 D. G. Phalke produces and directs 'Raja Harischandra'. 1918

Indian Cinematograph Act. This allowed for censorship and film licensing. 1920 Film Censor Boards set up in Bombay, Calcutta, Madras and Rangoon. 1921 Kohinoor's 'Bhakta Vidur' banned for its political implications. 1922 Entertainment Tax introduced in Bombay and Bengal. 1927 Indian Cinematograph Committee (of Inquiry) set up. 1928 Report by Indian Cinematograph Committee. 1931 'Alam Ara', first Indian Talkie made by Imperial Film Co. 1932 Motion Picture Society of India, Bombay formed. 1935 Dhoop Chaon establishes playback singing as a practice. 1936 Bengal Motion Picture Association, Calcutta formed. 1937 Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association, Bombay established. 'Sant Tukaram' wins award at 5th Venice International Film Festival. 1938 South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce, Madras set-up. Indian Motion Picture Distributors' Association, Bombay formed.

1940 Film Advisory Board, Bombay set-up. 1943 Propaganda films sanctioned by the (British) government of India made compulsory vide Defence of India Rules 44A. 'Kismet' breaks all box-office records. Three years run in Calcutta. 1944 Film Advisory Committee (for distribution of raw film) established. 1945 Control on raw film distribution removed. 1947 'Neecha Nagar' presented at the Cannes Film Festival 1948 'Chandralekha' is the first Madras production to become All-India hit. 1949 Exhibition of approved documentaries made compulsory all over again. Indian Cinematograph Act 1918 amended: new censor classifications of Unrestricted and Adult (A) viewing. 1951 'Awaara' by actor/director Raj Kapoor, with actress Nargis, enjoys tremendous popularity in India and in the Soviet Union. 'Aan', early Technicolor film Cinematograph Act introduces system of censorship. 1952 First International Film Festival held in Bombay, Madras and Calcutta. 1953 Rules of censorship changed to allow for recertification every 5 years: necessary deposit of script with Censor Board. 'Do Bigha Zameen' receives special mention at the Cannes Film Festival. 1954 'Munna', made without songs, fails at box-office.

1955 'Pather Panchali', directed by Satyajit Ray. Filmed over two years, first funded Ray himself, then completed with a grant from West Bengal. Ray continues with 'Aparajito', which wins the Best Film Award at Venice in 1957. Then he completes the trilogy in 1959 with 'The World of Apu' ['Apu Sansar']. 1957 'Mother India' produced and directed by Mehboob Khan. 1959 'Kaagaz Ke Phool', directed by Guru Dutt, first Indian film shot in cinemascope. 1960 Founding of the Film and Television Institute of India at Pune, [in studios once occupied by a commercial production company] which became a key institution in training personnel for both commercial and alternative films. Also founded the Film Finance Corporation, later the National Film Development Corporation. This institution was to fund work by major independent directors such as Mrinal Sen. 1961 Founding of the Film Finance Corporation. 'Junglee', directed by Subohd Mukherjee, a big hit. 1964 National Indian Archive of Film, Pune established. 1966 Ritwik Ghatak became Professor of Film at Pune and had a important influence on many young filmmakers training there. 1969 Mrinal Sen completes 'Bhuvan Shome', an independent satirical comedy which is a key film in the New Indian Cinema. It particularly uses unconventional style similar to that found in other New Waves. 1973 Government levies 250% import duty on raw film. 'Zanjeer' directed by Prakash Mehra, with Amitabh Bachchan, a big hit. 'Garam Hawa' ['Hot Winds']. The film deals with Muslims who remained in India after partition. The film came out of the work of the Indian Peoples Theatre Association, a radical cultural movements that had grown up in the 1940s. 1975 'Sholay', directed by Ramesh Sippy, first 'curry western', breaks all box-office records. 1976

Censorship under Emergency (imposed by Indira Gandhi then the Prime Minister of India). - 'Kissa Kursi Ka', a clear look at politics by Amrit Nahata, is destroyed. 1980 Film Finance Corporation and Indian Motion Picture Export Corporation combine to form National Film1985 - Doordarshan Television becomes fully commercial. 1987 National Film Development Corporation starts the journal 'Cinema in India'. 1994 Rupert Murdoch [Star satellite station] announces a 'pay-TV channel in Hindi'.