1966
Ramu
Kariat's Chemeen
wins the President's Gold Medal as Best Feature of
1965, the first Malayalam Film to win the honour.
Ritwik Ghatak joins
the Film Institute of India. Karnataka initiates a
scheme to subsidize all films made in the State. The
initial subsidy is Rs 50,000 for a B&W and Rs
1,00,000 for a colour film. The first film in Dogri,
Kumar Kuldip's Gallan Hoyian Beetiyan.
1967
Hindustan
Photo Films makes India self sufficient in B&W and sound
negative film. Around the World, first 70mm Indian
Film. Start of the Bengali film Monthly Chitrabikshan.
M.G. Ramachandran is shot at and injured by co-star M.R. Radha.
The Vividh Bharati Channel on All-India Radio goes commercial
in Bombay, Pune and Nagpur.
1968
Month
long retrospective of Indian Films organized by B.D. Garga
opens at Palais de Chaillot, Cinamatheque Francaise. Bombay
Cinema Houses close in protest against Maharshtra State taxation
policy. The Khosla
Committee submits report on censorship to the Government.
K.A. Abbas's Char Shaher Ek kahani sparks a major censorship
controversy. A manifesto for New Indian Cinema is issued by
Mrinal Sen and Arun Kaul, advocating a state sponsored author-cinema.
The State owned Jyoti-Chitraban studio is inaugurated in Kahilipara,
Guwahati, Assam.
1969
Mrinal
Sen's Bhuvan Shome
in Hindi becomes a trendsetter for low budget
offbeat films. In the wake of its commercial success
FFC declares its policy to back low budget offbeat
films. Uski Roti directed by Mani Kaul
also produced by the FFC. Aradhana makes
Rajesh Khanna a
megastar. Publication of P.Parrains's Regards
sur le cinema indien in Paris. First Satyajit Ray
retrospective held at the Cinematheque, Paris.
Deaths of S.S. Vasan and
Ardheshir Irani.
1970
Pattabai Rama Reddy's Sanskara becomes
path breaker for low budget Kannada cinema. Devika Rani is
the first recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
English gossip magazine Stardust launched.
Close Up (no. 5/6) publishes a special
number on 'The Indian film Scene.' Journal
of the Kerala Film Chamber starts. Firoze
Rangoonwala comes out with Indian Filmography:
Silent and Hindi Films 1897-1969.
1971
Agreement
between the Indian Government and the MPEAA is allowed to
expire. The directive to the FFC to sponsor independent film-making
is written into its official objectives. Shantata! Court
Chalu Aahe starts the New Indian Cinema Movement in Marathi.
Deaths of Debaki Bose and K. Asif
1972
First
art house cinema opened by the FFC. First features in Manipuri
(Matamgi Manipur) and Coorgi (Nada Manne Nada Koolu).
MGR is expelled from the DMK and forms the ADMK. The first
co-operative run by technicians, The Chitralekha Co-op, starts
production with Adoor Gopalakrishnan's debut Swayamwaram.
The Malayalam film weekly Nana starts. Do Gaz Zameen
ke Neeche establishes the Ramsay brothers and the horror
genre in Hindi. Deaths of Prithviraj Kapoor,
Geeta Dutt and
Meena
Kumari. Pakeezah goes on
to become a big hit after Meena Kumari's death.
1973
The
FFC becomes channelising agency for import and distribution
of raw stock. The Government imposes 250% import duty on raw
film. First Haryanvi Film (Beera Shera). Bobby
reinvigorates the love story genre. Zanjeer launches
Amitabh Bachchan
as the 'angry young man.' Shyam Benegal's
Ankur is a commercial success starting the middle-of-the-road
cinema of the independently financed, commercially designed
art-house movie, a genre that soon dominates state-sponsored
film and television. Launch of the Bombay based weekly trade
paper Film Information providing the most reliable
listings of Hindi Cinema.
1974
Hindustan
Photo Films starts limited production of positive colour stock.
The Film Festival of India becomes an annual event. The Film
Institute of India is registered as an autonomous society
and is merged with the TV training centre to become the Film
and Television Institute of India (FTII).
1975
A new agreement with the MPEAA
means that US films can be imported again. Sholay, India's first
film in 70mm stereophonic sound and perhaps India's
biggest cult film is released and breaks box-office
records. The other big surprise hit of the year
is Jai Santoshi Ma. The Bengali film fortnightly
Anandalok starts. Death of S.D. Burman.
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