Aurora Film Corporation

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Aurora Film Corporation
Company typePrivately held company
IndustryFilm production
Founded1906
HeadquartersIndia

Aurora Film Corporation is a film production company based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, and primarily involved in producing Bengali films. Aurora has produced and distributed several landmark Bengali-language films including Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali.

Early years

Anadi Nath Bose established the Aurora Film Company around 1906.[1] The company at that time was a travelling cinema unit, and exhibited films, magic and drama shows in different parts of Bengal.[1][2] The company made some short silent films, generally featuring female dancers and filmed with a hand-winding camera.[2] It also started to produce newsreels and continued to import films from abroad.[2]

In 1911,

Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay.[1] In 1917, the company received a contract from the British government to produce features for the entertainment of the armed forces.[2] In 1919, Anadi Nath Bose began screening his films at the Manmohan Theatre in North Kolkata, and released the company's first feature-length film, Dasyu Ratnakar, in 1921, screening it at the Russa Theatre (today the Purna Cinema) in South Kolkata.[2] In 1921 Anadi Nath Bose renamed his company Aurora Film Corporation.[1]

Later years

In 1946, a fire in Aurora's studio in Kolkata destroyed most of its films.[2] Founder Anadi Nath Bose died on 21 September the same year. His elder son Ajit Bose and youngest son Arun Bose and, later, grandson (Anjan Bose), took over the management.[2]

Aurora's studio was located in Maniktala, Kolkata. This was housed inside a palatial building made by Banabehari Shaw facing a large lake. This property had been leased by

Tollygunj.[2]

Aurora was involved in the distribution and/or production of several acclaimed films. The company bought

Apu Trilogy.[4] Noted film director Ritwik Ghatak made documentaries for the company.[2]

Aurora became inactive in the feature film industry in the 1970s, although it continued to produce shorts and documentaries as of 2011.[3] The last feature film Aurora produced was Duronto Joy in 1973, and the last one it distributed was Moyna Tadanta in 1982.[3]

According to Anjan Bose, the current (2011) managing director, Aurora is "the only film producing house in India being run by a family for three generations".[2]

Notable firsts

Aurora pioneered

Independence Day and the funeral of Rabindranath Tagore.[2]

Aurora produced the first children's film of India, Hate Khari.[2]

The company's Raja Rammohan (1965) was the first Bengali film to be declared tax-free (patrons did not have to pay entertainment tax). Bhagini Nivedita (1962) was the first Bengali film to be shot in England.[3]

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-0-203-84334-5
    .
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Bhattacharjee, C.S. (8 July 2012). "Aurora's aura". The Sunday Indian. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d Chakraborty, Ajanta (24 May 2011). "Aurora aura once again". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  4. ISBN 978-0-520-06946-6
    .
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