The firsts of Punjabi cinema

They say that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Let's take a look at those little first steps that made Punjabi cinema touch the highest limits; that will give us a glimpse of those tiny drops that came together to form the ocean of Punjabi entertainment industry. We are sure you too must have wondered what would have been the first Punjabi movie like? So just read on as we feed to your inquisitiveness.

Released in 1928, ‘Daughters of Today’ was the first silent film from Lahore, in present-day Pakistan. The picture above is of Abdur Rashid Kardar, who played the lead in the movie. He was first offered to work as an assistant director by G.K. Mehta the producer of the film. Another name associated with the movie is Shankardev Arya, who wore the director’s hat. Owing to financial crises, the movie took three years to complete.

The year 1932 marked the release of first Punjabi feature film with sound. ‘Heer Ranjha', was directed by A.R. Kadar, who initially titled it as 'Hoor Punjab' and later changed his mind. Posted above is the picture of Rafiq Ghaznavi, who not only played the male lead but also contributed music to the film. The beautiful Anwari Begum played Heer in the film.

Though Punjabi cinema came into existence way before India's independence, it was only post-partition that the field could flourish completely. In 1969, with the release of ‘Nanak Naam Jahaz Hai’, Punjabi film industry got its first successful movie. Set in the backdrop of 1947, it was a devotional movie based on a family residing in Amritsar. The story emoted the strong faith the lead character Gurmukh, played by Prithviraj Kapoor, had in the almighty.

Released in 1981, ‘Chann Pardesi’ was the first Punjabi movie to win a National Film Award. Directed by Chitrarth Singh, the film marked the debut of Raj Babbar. Other names associated with the film are Rama Vij, Amrish Puri, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Om Puri. Till date, the movie enjoys the stature of a legendary classic not just in Punjabi cinema, but in the entire film industry.

With the changing time, Punjabi cinema evolved both on screen and behind it as well. In 2011, Punjabi cinema got its first female director, producer and writer, Ish Amitoj Kaur. The first movie that she presented on screen was ‘Chhevan Dariya (The Sixth River)' in September 2011. The film featured great names of the industry including Gulshan Grover, Neena Gupta, Manpreet Singh, Lakhwinder Wadali, Christa Cannon and Rana Ranbir.

By the 20th century, Punjabi cinema saw various blockbusters but none of them gave enough substance for a sequel, until 2005. Jimmy Sheirgill’s debut Punjabi movie ‘Yaraan Naal Baharan’, was the first Punjabi film to have a sequel. The 2005 released film, just ruled the silver screen with its amazing plot and star cast. Later in 2012 with ‘Yaraan Naal Baharan 2’ the industry witnessed the first ever Punjabi movie sequel. This sequel was directed by Samit Brar and had Rishita Monga, Vikramjeet Virk and Yograj Singh in pivotal roles.

With ‘Pehchaan’, the Punjabi entertainment industry got its first 3D movie. Directed by Mammy Parmar, the movie was released on February 1, 2013. This was one of the biggest Punjabi films that received great appreciation. It had a worldwide premiere at the South Asian Film Festival Canada 2012. The movie was lauded on foreign land too.

Just two years after the release of the first 3D Punjabi movie, 2014 witnessed the first Punjabi 3D animated film ‘Chaar Sahibzaade’. Written and directed by Harry Baweja, the movie was a historical drama that chronicled the sacrifices of the sons of 10th Sikh guru Guru Gobind Singh. The movie was highly appreciated and thus, turned out to be the highest grossing animated movie ever produced in India.