Holi, the festival of colours – an eternal ode to the resplendent love story shared by the Blue God Krishna and his consort Radha – has been an intrinsic part of India’s vibrant culture for time immemorial. Bollywood too has been celebrating this cultural love for colours in cinema the fraternity doles out every year.
From the peppy Balam Pichkari in Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone’s Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, to the classic Holi Aayi Re Kanhai, reflecting on Krishna Leela from the 1957 film Mother India, Bollywood’s love for the spring festival is unparalleled. However, cinema in India was not always splattered in myriad hues. When did the vibrant hues of cinecolour first make their way to films?
The 1937 Hindi film Kisan Kanya was India’s first Cinecolor feature film. Directed by Moti Gidwani, the film was based on a novel by Saadat Hasan Manto and focused on the plight of poor farmers. The film featured legendary actress Padma Devi as Bansri, along with Jiloo as Ramdai and Ghulam Mohammed as Randheer.
Before Kisan Kanya, the only other film which had incorporated colour was V Shantaram’s 1933 Marathi feature Sairandhri. The film, though predominantly black, had scenes in colour.
Proper Technicolour
Proper technicolour would however, be introduced in India as late as the 1950s. There is a debate as to which was the first proper coloured cinema in Bollywood. While some say it was Aan, starring the legend Dilip Kumar, others maintain that Jhansi Ki Rani, directed and produced by Sohrab Modi in 1953 was the first Technicolour film in India.
However, at the box office, it was Mehboob Khan’s Aan, which became a huge success, leading to technicolour becoming popular in India with films such as V Shantaram’s Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955), the 1959 film Navrang and Mehboob Khan’s Mother India (1957).
Since then, Bollywood’s love with colour has continued.
