Centenary of Indian Cinema 3.5.2013

To commemorate 100 years of Indian Cinema, Government of India paid tributes to 50 Indian film icons across the country with the release 50 postal stamps and 6 miniature sheets on May 3rd, 2013. The commemorative stamp sheets featuring the portraits of 50 Indian film icons were released by the President  on Friday at 60th National Film Awards in New Delhi. 

Sahir Ludhianvi 8.3.2013

Sahir Ludhianvi is the pen name of Abdul Hayee (8 March 1921 – 25 October 1980) who is popularly known as Sahir. Sahir was an Indian poet and film lyricist who wrote in the Hindi and Urdu languages. His work influenced Indian cinema, in particular films Sahir won a Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist for Taj Mahal (1963). He won a second Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist for his work on Kabhie Kabhie (1976) and he was awarded the Padma Shri in 1971. On 8 March 2013, the ninety-second anniversary of Sahir's birth, a commemorative stamp was issued in his honour.

Tripuraneni Gopichand 8.9.2011

Tripuraneni Gopichand (8 September 1910 - 2 November 1962) was a Radical humanist, Telugu short story writer, novelist, editor, essayist, playwright and film director. Gopichand was son of renowned a social reformer, and play writer Tripuraneni Ramaswamy .Gopichand inspired by M.N.Roy's Radical Humanism, and became the first state secretary of Radical Democratic Party (India) Andhra Pradesh.  

Legendary heroines of Indian Cinema.13.2.2011

India Post issued a set of 6 stamps and a Miniature Sheet to honor the Legendary heroines of Indian cinema.

Devika Rani The first lady of Hindi cinema, Devika Rani was the star and late manager of Bombay Talkies. Grand niece of Rabindranath Tagore, Devika Rani was one of the greatest actresses of the black and white era.

Kanan Devi The actress and singer, started with the name Kananbala. Debuting as child actress in Joydev.

Meena Kumari She was born on August 1, 1932 as Mahjabeen Bano to Ali Baksh and Iqbal Begum. The beautiful Mehejabeen, stepped into the world of grease and glamour from the tender age of six. Her first film as a child artist was Vijay Bhatt’s ‘Leather Face’ (1939).  

Nutan was an Indian actress, who appeared in several successful Hindi movies of the 50s and 60s. In 1952 she was the winner of Miss India.

Savithri was an Indian actress, director and producer. She had appeared in Telgu, Tamil, and Hindi languages.  

Leela Naidu was an Indian actress who starred in a small number of Hindi and English films.Born to an Irish mother and an Indian father. Was a Femina Miss India. Vogue named her as one of most beautiful women in the world, along with Maharani Gayatri Devi. Became an icon for women’s liberation in India after her non-orthodox role with Sunil Dutt in “Yeh raastae hain pyar kae”.

Dr. Rajkumar 1.11.2009

Singanalluru Puttaswamayya Muthuraju (24 April 1929 – 12 April 2006), known more by his screen name Rajkumar and nicknamed Annavru, was an Indian actor and singer in the Kannada Cinema. Widely acclaimed as one of the finest actors in the history of Indian Cinema, he is considered a cultural icon, and holds a matinée idol status in the Kannada diaspora, among whom he is popularly adulated as Devataa Manushya (Godman), Bangarada Manushya (Golden Man), Karnataka Rathna (Jewel of Karnataka State),Vara Nata (Gifted Actor), Rajanna (Brother Raj), Nata Saarvabhouma (Emperor of Actors), Gaana Gandharva (Singer in the Court of Gods), Annavru (Beloved Elder Brother), Rasikara Raja (King of Romantic People), Vishwa Maanava (Universal Man) and much more.

Uttam Kumar 3.9.2009

Uttam Kumar (3 September 1926 – 24 July 1980) (born as Arun Kumar Chatterjee) was an Indian film actor, director, producer, singer and music composer, playback singer who predominantly worked in Indian Cinema. He is widely regarded as the greatest actor of Bengali cinema, and also among the greatest actors ever in India. Through his career he earned commercial as well as critical success, and he remains as an Indian cultural icon. Raj Kapoor said that Uttam Kumar is "Smart Modern Hero of India". Vyjayanthimala said "Uttam lip-synced perfectly" from other hero's".

Considered as the most popular film star of Bengali cinema, Kumar managed to have a huge fan following, that mainly concentrated in the regions of West Bengal, India. He was a recipient of many awards over his lifetime, including National Film Award for Best Actor. A Metro Station in Kolkata was renamed in his honour.

B.N. Reddi 16.11.2008

Bommireddy Narasimha Reddy (16 November 1908 – 8 November 1977) was an Indian film director and an early figure in the Telugu cinema.

He was eldest of the three brothers; others are B. Nagi Reddy and B. N. Konda Reddy. He was popularly known as B. N. Reddy. He is the director who balances artistic values and business needs in the right proportion. Many of his earlier films like Vande Mataram, Devatha had Chittor V. Nagaiah as lead.

His Malliswari (1951 filn) starring N T Rama Rao and Bhanumathi is considered a timeless Indian film classic. He was the first person to receive the prestigious 'Dada Saheb Phalke Award' from South India. He was the first Indian film personality to receive the Doctor of Letters honour.

75th Birth Anniversary of Madhubala 18.3.2008

Madhubala (14 February 1933 – 23 February 1969) (born Mumtaz Jehan Dehlavi) is highly regarded as-"The Beauty with Tragedy" and "The Venus of Indian Cinema". She was an Indian film actress who appeared in classic films of Hindi cinema. She was active between 1942 and 1960. Along with her contemporaries Nargis and Meena Kumari, she is often regarded as one of the most influential personalities of Hindi cinema. She is also considered to be one of the most beautiful actresses to have worked in the industry.

Often regarded as the "Marilyn Monroe of Bollywood", Madhubala received wide recognition for her performances in films like Mahal (1949), Amar (1954), Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955), Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958), Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and Barsaat Ki Raat (1960). Madhubala's performance in Mughal-e-Azam established her as an iconic actress of Hindi Cinema. Her last film, Jwala, although shot in the 1950s, was released in 1971. Madhubala died on 23 February 1969 after a prolonged illness.

Ritwik Ghatak 31.12.2007

Ritwik Ghatak (4 November 1925 – 6 February 1976) was a Bengali filmmaker and script writer. Along with prominent contemporary Bengali filmmakers Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen, his cinema is primarily remembered for its meticulous depiction of social reality. Although their roles were often adversarial, they were ardent admirers of each other's work and, in doing so, the three directors charted the independent trajectory of parallel cinema, as a counterpoint to the mainstream fare of Hindi cinema in India. Ghatak received many awards in his career, including National Film Award's Rajat Kamal Award for Best Story in 1974 for his Jukti Takko Aar Gappoand Best Director's Award from Bangladesh Cine Journalist's Association for Titash Ekti Nadir Naam. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri for Arts in 1970.

Sachin Deb Burman 1.10.2007

Sachin Dev Burman (1 October 1906 – 31 October 1975) was an Indian music composer. A member of the Tripura royal family, he started his career with Bengali films in 1937. Later he began composing for Hindi movies, and became one of the most noted Bollywood film music composers. S D Burman composed music for over 100 movies, including Hindi and Bengali films. Apart from being a versatile composer, he also sang songs in light semi classical and folk style of Bengal. His Son Rahul Dev Burman was also a celebrated music composer for Bollywood films.

S.D. Burman's compositions have been mainly sung to a large extent by the likes ofLata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi, Geeta Dutt, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar, Hemant Kumar, Asha Bhosle and Shamshad Begum. Mukesh and Talat Mahmood have also sung songs composed by him. He also sang about 14 Hindi and 13 Bengali film songs.

This Father son duo (SD and RD) were in that great group of men and women singers that made the 1960s the Golden Era of Indian Film music.

Mehboob Khan 30.3.2007

Mehboob Khan (born Mehboob Khan Ramzan Khan (9 September 1907 – 28Mehboob Khan (born Mehboob Khan Ramzan Khan (9 September 1907 – 28 May 1964) was a pioneer, producer-director of Hindi cinema, best known for directing the social epic Mother India (1957), which won the Filmfare Awards for Best Film and Best Director and was a nominee for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He set up his production company, Mehboob Productions, and later a film studio, the Mehboob Studios in Bandra, Mumbai in 1954. May 1964) was a pioneer, producer-director of Hindi cinema, best known for directing the social epic Mother India (1957), which won the Filmfare Awards for Best Film and Best Director and was a nominee for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He set up his production company, Mehboob Productions, and later a film studio, the Mehboob Studios in Bandra, Mumbai in 1954.

Bimal Roy 8.1.2007

The name of Bimal Roy is one well known and loved among film lovers, and is synonymous with good cinema. Rooted in reality, his cinematic masterpieces like  'Udayer   Pathey'  (Bengali),   'Do  Bigha  Zameen', 'Devdas'  and  'Bandini'  (Hindi)  portray  life with  a  rare sensitivity and a distinctive poetic sensibility. Speaking with a characteristically quiet yet resonating voice his films capture the essence of the human condition, with its drama and romance and pathos, while celebrating the dignity of the human spirit. Subtle yet telling in his indictment of social inequities and injustice, economic exploitation and human suffering, this master storyteller weaves a magic that enthralls us even today.

LV Prasad 5.9.2006

Gemini Ganesan 25.2.2006

AV Meiyappan 22.1.2006

Guru Dutt 10.10.2004

Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone (9 July 1925 – 10 October 1964), better known as Guru Dutt, was an Indian film director, producer and actor. He made 1950s and 1960s classics such as Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool , Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulamand Chaudhvin Ka Chand. In particular, Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool are now included among the greatest films of all time, both by Time magazine's "All-TIME" 100 best movies  and by the Sight & Sound critics' and directors' poll, where Dutt himself is included among the greatest film directors of all time. He is sometimes referred to as "India's Orson Welles". In 2010, he was included among CNN's "top 25 Asian actors of all time".

He is most famous for making lyrical and artistic films within the context of popular Hindi cinema of the 1950s, and expanding its commercial conventions, starting with his 1957 film, Pyaasa. Several of his later works have a cult following. His movies go full house when re-released; especially in Germany, France and Japan.

Krishnaswami Subrahmanyam 10.9.2004

Krishnaswami Subrahmanyam (1904–1971) was an Indian film director of the 1930s and 1940s.  He was a key figure behind the establishment of a Madras based Tamil film industry. He started his film career as scenarist and producer, working on P. K. Raja Sandow's silent films like Peyum Pennum. He started Meenakshi Cineton with R. M. Alagappa Chettiar, directing his first film Pavalakkodi, in which the Tamil film star M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar debuted. He made a remarkable shift with the politically emphatic Balayogini, criticizing the caste system prevalent then.

Jyoti Prasad Agarwala 17.6.2004

Jyoti Prasad Agarwala (1903 - 1951) was a noted Assamese playwright, songwriter, poet, writer and film maker from Assam. He was considered as Assamese cultural icon, deeply revered for his creative vision and output and is popularly called theRupkonwar (ৰূপকোৱঁৰ) of Assamese culture. In fact, he is regarded as the founder of Assamese cinema for Joymati (1935). His death anniversary (January 17) is celebrated as Silpi divas (Artists' Day) in his honor.

Raj Kapoor 14.12.2001

Combining in his career the diverse roles of actor, director, producer and movie moghul Raj Kapoor (1924 - 1988) carved out a niche for him self in the history of Indian cinema. Son of the illustrious Prithviraj Kapoor, the legendary film and theatre personality, Raj Kapoor made his debut as an actor at the age of eleven in Inquilaab, directed by Debaki Basu. By the time he directed his first film, Aag in 1948, he had already acted in eight more films. Raj Kapoor's second film was a much bigger success at the box office and established him and Nargis as the leading romantic pair of Indian screen. In 1950, he established the RK Studios at Chembur near Bombay which went on to become one of the best in the country. The following year saw the release of Awara, considered by Manu as the masterpiece of Raj Kapoor.

He became internationally famous, especially in the Soviet Union with his film "Shri 420".

Dr. V. Shantaram 17.11.2001

In an illustrious career spanning over 7 decades, Dr. V. Shantaram (1901-1990) created 105 films and used the medium of cinema to advocate social messages, winning the acclaim of both connoisseurs and commoners. Hailing from Kolhapur in Maharashtra, Shantaram's initiation into cinema was through the Maharashtra Film Company of  Babu Rao Painter, one of the great pioneers of Indian cinema. Initially a mere studio hand, he progressed through hard work to become a filmmaker. In 1992, Shantaram and some friends launched their own concern called Prabhat Film Company, which steadily grew in reputation and became a major force in Indian cinema.