First Film- Raja Harishchandra 1913
Produced, directed and written by Dada Sahab Phalke, ‘Raja Harishchandra is the first full-length feature film. Quite evident from the title itself, the film is based on the life of Raja Harishchandra, a character mentioned in the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. Deeply influenced by iconic painter Raja Ravi Verma, Phalke’s film looked like a moving painting. The third day of May is of great significance because this film was first shown to public on this day. It was a grand success which subsequently gave birth to the Indian film industry.