The history of cinema in India began in 1896 with the screening of Lumière films in Bombay, quickly followed by local productions. The silent era saw H.S. Bhatavdekar create the first Indian-shot film in 1899, but Dadasaheb Phalke is widely celebrated as the "Father of Indian Cinema" for his 1913 feature Raja Harishchandra, based on Hindu mythology. This period also saw the emergence of regional pioneers like Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu in Telugu cinema and R. Nataraja Mudaliar in Tamil cinema, establishing early studios and popularizing the new art form across different linguistic regions.
Indian films steadily gained popularity as affordable entertainment, embracing local culture and attracting global attention, even leading a British inquiry committee in 1927 to recommend support for the nascent Indian industry. A major turning point arrived in 1931 with Ardeshir Irani's Alam Ara, India's first sound film, which swiftly led to the production of numerous regional language talkies like Kalidas and revolutionized the cinematic experience nationwide.