* Noted director L V Prasad also acted in the first Hindi, Tamil and Telugu talkies, all in the same year -- 1931. The films were Alam Aara, Kalidas, and Bhakta Prahlada, respectively.

* The great showman Raj Kapoor started his career as a clapper boy at Bombay Talkies.

* Madhubala acted in six films as a child star -- Basant (1942), Mumtaz Mahal (1944), Dhanna Bhagat (1945), Pujari (1946), Phoolwari (1946), and Rajputani (1946).

* Yeh duniyaa kaisee hai bhagwaan / Jahaan mar mar ke jiye insaan, from Diwana (1952) was Hridaynath Mangeshkar's first film song. The song was written by Shakeel Badayuni and the music was scored by Naushad.

* Chhoti Maa (1952) directed by Hem Chander was adapted from the novel Bindoor Chhele, by Sharat Chandra Chatterjee

* A single film was released with three different titles in 1952 -- Jeengo, directed by Brij Mohan was also called Jungle Ka Baadshah and King of The Jungle.

* Minerva Movietone's Jhansi Ki Raani (1953) directed by Sohrab Modi was the first Technicolour film in India.

* Sunil Dutt and Rajendra Kumar played Nargis' sons in Mehboob Khan's Mother India (1957).

* Mehmood received the first Best Comedian Filmfare award for Pyar Kiye Jaa in 1967.

* Dream Girl Hema Malini was introduced by B Ananthaswami in Sapnon Ka Saudagar (1968), directed by Mahesh Kaul.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.