Indian Cinema Centenary Celebrations,Chennai Saturday Sep 21,2013 to Tuesday Sep 24,2013

 The 4-day mega event (Sep 21-24) kicked off on Saturday Sep 21,2013 at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennaiorganized by the TN Govt and South Inidan Film Chamber

TN CM J Jayalalithaa inaugurating Indian Cinema’s Centenary Celebrations jointly organised by the State government and the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Saturday Sep 21,2013 said that the Tamil film industry, which was “in the clutches of a family”, has been functioning independently for the last two years under AIADMK rule
“The motto here is ‘live and let live.’ But I need not explain how the film world functioned two years ago. Driven by selfishness, some people not only wanted to destroy their professional rivals but also remained a stumbling block to the industry’s growth,”

Delivering the presidential address, J Jayalalitha looked back at her own days as an actress.

"When I was an actress, celebrating 100 days run of a film at the box-office was considered a rare achievement. Today, we are celebrating the centenary year of Indian cinema, and it is indeed a very special moment for all of us," she said.

J Jayalalithaa distributed miniature bioscopes as mementos to 59 people who had left a mark in their respective fields in the industry. The recipients included-

In the actors' segment, yesteryear stalwarts such as S.S Rajendran, Manorama, M.N Rajam, Rajashree, Sharada, Kanchana, Jamuna, Krishakumari, Sowcar Janaki, Jayaprada, Jayasudha, and Sivakumar were awarded.

Current generation actors such as Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Trisha Krishnan, Meena, Simran and Vivek were too honoured.

J. Mahendran, C.V Rajendran and P. Vasu were honoured for their contribution as directors to the industry over the years.

Singers such as L.R Eswari, M.S Rajeshwari and Jamuna Rani with music-violinist M. Ramasubramaniam and singer-composer Illayaraja were awarded too.

Renowned producers such as Saravanan of AVM group, Venkat Ram Reddy of Vijaya productions, Ramesh Prasad of Prasad lab & studios and R.B Chaudhary were also conferred the award

Technicians such as Suresh (Anand Pictures Circuit), Jawahar (Delight Theatres, Coimbatore), Pulamaipithan (Lyricist), Aroor Das (Writer), N.S Varma and Babu (Cinematographers), R. Vittal (Editor) and Sundaram (Choreographer) were awarded

 TN CM J Jayalalithaa with Vyjayanthimala Bali and Saroja Devi at the Indian Cinema Centenary celebrations at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Saturday Sep 21,2013

TN CM J Jayalalithaa honouring  Sowcar Janaki at the Indian Cinema Centenary celebrations at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Saturday Sep 21,2013

TN CM J Jayalalithaa honouring Rajini Kant at the Indian Cinema Centenary celebrations at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Saturday Sep 21,2013

TN CM J Jayalalithaa honouring Kamal Haasan at the Indian Cinema Centenary celebrations at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Saturday Sep 21,2013

Day Two - Sep 22,2013
Kannada Cinema
With no big stars attending the event, disappointment abounded among the Kannada stars present at the event.Even B Vijaykumar, president of Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce was surprised by the lean turn out. He said. "I am in Chennai till September 24. I have not spoken to any of the stars. I understand that a few stars have chosen to participate on the final day of the event. But those who were supposed to be attending during day two, which was slotted for Kannada cinema, did not show up

Home Minister, K J George, who spoke at the event said, "I am from Kodagu and during my childhood, I loved watching Dr Rajkumar and Ambareesh's films. Over the years, cinema and politics have been going hand in hand. There are people who have shifted from films to politics and we also have a few politicians who have come to cinema."
Umashree, Minister of Kannada and Culture spoke at length on 100 years of Indian Cinema. "It is a very special day for all of us. Today my fame in politics is only because of my movie background,"

55 personalities from the Kannada industry, who served the industry for 40 years

Day Three - Sep 23,2013 - Malayalam Cinema
Lighting of Lamp by Union Minister Vayalar Ravi in the presence of K C Joseph,Kerala Minister

Kamal Hasaan attended the function as speceial guest

Kamal,Mohanlal and Mammooty honouring Madhu on his 80th Birthday

Actress Sheela and Saradha honoured

Malayalam film personalities

Performance at Malayalam Film Celebrations

Telugu movie legends allege that the organisers of the Centenary Celebrations of Inidan Cinema in Chennai ignored them.In fact, veterans like Krishna, Dasari Narayana Rao, A Kodanda Rami Reddy, Vijayanirmala, Anjali Devi, G Adiseshagiri Rao and Chiranjeevi, among others, were missing from the celebrations during the first three daysMohan Babu had written a letter to the AP Film Chamber of Commerce, asking the industry not to participate in the celebrations, owing to the unrest in the state  Actress  Kavitha, almost broke down in front of the media recently, pointing out that she was "ignored" by the organisers. "I entered the film industry as a child actress and have acted in all four languages — Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada. I've starred opposite all the top stars of that era. Many of my films were successful at the box office and I have been part of the industry for 35 years now. Despite my contributions, I wasn't invited for the celebrations'' The SMS sent out to legends:
Limited Number of Invitations for Grand celebration of Telugu Cinema at Indian Cinema Centenary Celebrations in Chennai at 6.00 pm on 22.9.2013 received in Producers Council Office will be issued to Members on First Come first basis. Plz collect immediately. TFPC.

Producers desirous of obtaining invitation (Entry pass) for INDIAN CINEMA CENTENARY Celebrations scheduled from 21 to 24th Sep 2013 at Chennai, may collect personally from the Help Desk at the Venue (Nehru Stadium) or South Indian Film Chamber Office    



Day Four - Tuesday Sep 24,2013

President Pranab Mukherjee being welcomed by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa at the Chennai airport on Tuesday

 President Pranab Mukherjee lighting the lamp

President Pranab Mukherjee receives the first copy of a souvenir on Indian cinema released by Tamil Nadu Governor K. Rosaiah in Chennai on Tuesday

President Pranab Mukherjee in his valedictory address at the centenary celebrations of Indian cinema, co-hosted by the Tamil Nadu Government and the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce, said that while he would not advocate a dilution of cinema’s mandate to mirror reality, filmmakers should also use the medium to convey the “right type of message in the right manner.”
He urged filmmakers to create cinema that led to social transformation and moral upliftment, and promoted values of tolerance, harmony and a humane society
Underlining the Centre’s collaborative engagement with the film industry to preserve the country’s film legacy, Mr. Mukherjee felt the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India, Pune and the Satyajit Ray Film and TV Institute, Kolkata, should be declared as institutions of national importance
He also highlighted the major role of south Indian cinema in the development of Indian cinema and contribution to its overall quality through luminaries such as MGR, Sivaji Ganesan, N.T. Rama Rao, Prem Nazir, Rajkumar, G. Nageswara Reddy and L.V. Prasad

Then, turning to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, he said he was happy that apart from her contributions as Chief Minister, the jury had also recognised her contributions to cinema.

J Jayalalithaa was the first of the awardees to be honoured by President Pranab Mukherjee.

The other awardees from Tamil cinema included M.S. Viswanathan, K. Balachandar, Vyjayanthimala, M. Saravanan, Anjali Devi and Sridevi

The President presented medallions to Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, Mohanlal, Mammootty and filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan. Other Hindi artists honoured included Rekha and lyricist Javed Akthar

Tamil Nadu Governor K. Rosaiah said cinema could effectively sensitise the people on social issues. South Indian cinema had served as a gateway for many to enter politics.

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said while the four regional language cinemas of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala were clearly distinct, they were also bonded together by some kind of fraternity.

Karnataka Information Minister Santosh Lad highlighted the State’s contribution to the might of India cinema. 

Those present at the event