>Billjones94 at 11:33, 14 June 2021

2021-06-14T11:33:13Z

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{{EngvarB|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Aurora Film Corporation
| logo =
| image = Aurora Film Corporation Private Limited Entrance - Lenin Sarani - Kolkata 2012-09-29 1412.JPG
| image_caption = Entrance of the Aurora Film Corporation in Kolkata
| type = Privately held company
| foundation = 1906
| location = [[India]]
| industry = Film production
}}
'''Aurora Film Corporation''' is a film production company based in [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]], India, and primarily involved in producing [[Cinema of West Bengal|Bengali films]]. Aurora has produced and distributed several landmark [[Bengali language|Bengali-language]] films including [[Satyajit Ray]]'s [[Pather Panchali]].

==Early years==
Anadi Nath Bose established the Aurora Film Company around 1906.<ref name="Gooptu2010">{{cite book|last=Gooptu|first=Sharmistha|title=Bengali Cinema: 'An Other Nation'|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pzEdHF5UYcMC&pg=PA18|date=29 October 2010|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-203-84334-5|page=18}}</ref> The company at that time was a travelling cinema unit, and exhibited films, magic and drama shows in different parts of [[Bengal]].<ref name="Gooptu2010"/><ref name="sunday2012">{{cite web|url=http://www.thesundayindian.com/en/story/auroras-aura/7/36692/ | title= Aurora's aura| last=Bhattacharjee|first=C.S. | date=8 July 2012|accessdate= 8 December 2013|work=The Sunday Indian}}</ref> The company made some short silent films, generally featuring female dancers and filmed with a hand-winding camera.<ref name="sunday2012"/> It also started to produce newsreels and continued to import films from abroad.<ref name="sunday2012"/>

In 1911, Anadi Bose, cinematographer Debi Ghosh, and magician Charu Ghosh formed the Aurora Cinema Company, opening a studio and film-processing laboratory in North Kolkata. Anadi Bose assumed sole management of the company in 1912.<ref name="sunday2012"/> Anadi Bose and Debi Ghosh began making more short features in 1916, notable among them ''Bisha Briksha'', based on the novel of the same name by [[Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay]].<ref name="Gooptu2010"/> In 1917, the company received a contract from the British government to produce features for the entertainment of the armed forces.<ref name="sunday2012"/> In 1919, Anadi 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.<ref name="sunday2012"/> In 1921 Anadi Bose renamed his company Aurora Film Corporation.<ref name="Gooptu2010"/>

==Later years==
In 1946, a fire in Aurora's studio in Kolkata destroyed most of its films.<ref name="sunday2012"/> Founder Anadi 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.<ref name="sunday2012"/>

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 Anadi Bose from Banabehari Shaw. Unfortunately after the lease lapsed, the studio was demolished. The company currently maintains a studio in the [[Salt Lake City, Kolkata|Salt Lake]] neighbourhood of Kolkata, and a post-production facility in [[Tollygunj]].<ref name="sunday2012"/>

Aurora was involved in the distribution and/or production of several acclaimed films. The company bought [[Pramathesh Barua]]'s production company (Barua Pictures), and produced two films starring Barua, ''[[Pujari (1931 film)|Pujari]]'' and ''[[Niyoti (1934 film)|Niyoti]]''.<ref name="sunday2012"/> Aurora was the distributor for [[Satyajit Ray]]'s debut film ''[[Pather Panchali]]'' (1955); it was the distributor for Ray's ''[[Parash Pathar]]'' (1958) and producer for ''[[Jalsaghar]]'' (1958).<ref name="toi may11">{{cite web|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-05-24/india/29577400_1_bioscope-feature-films-hallmark |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214090134/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-05-24/india/29577400_1_bioscope-feature-films-hallmark |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 December 2013 | title=Aurora aura once again|last=Chakraborty |first= Ajanta|work=[[The Times of India]] | date=24 May 2011 | accessdate= 8 December 2013}}</ref> The company partially financed ''[[Aparajito]]'' (1956), the second instalment of Rays' ''[[Apu Trilogy]]''.<ref name="Robinson1989">{{cite book|last=Robinson|first=Andrew|title=Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye|url=https://archive.org/details/satyajitrayinner00robi_0|url-access=registration|year=1989|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-06946-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/satyajitrayinner00robi_0/page/89 89]}}</ref> Noted film director [[Ritwik Ghatak]] made documentaries for the company.<ref name="sunday2012"/>

Aurora became inactive in the feature film industry in the 1970s, although it continued to produce shorts and documentaries as of 2011.<ref name="toi may11"/> The last feature film Aurora produced was ''Duronto Joy'' in 1973, and the last one it distributed was ''Moyna Tadanta'' in 1982.<ref name="toi may11"/>

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".<ref name="sunday2012"/>

==Notable firsts==
Aurora pioneered [[newsreel]]s in India.<ref name="sunday2012"/> These newsreels contain important video documents featuring personalities such as [[Rabindranath Tagore]], [[Mahatma Gandhi]], [[Subhas Chandra Bose]], and events such as the celebration of the India's first [[Independence Day of India|Independence Day]] and the funeral of [[Rabindranath Tagore]].<ref name="sunday2012"/>

Aurora produced the first children's film of India, ''Hate Khari''.<ref name="sunday2012"/>

The company's ''[[Raja Rammohan (film)|Raja Rammohan]]'' (1965) was the first Bengali film to be declared tax-free (patrons did not have to pay entertainment tax). ''[[Bhagini Nivedita (film)|Bhagini Nivedita]]'' (1962) was the first Bengali film to be shot in England.<ref name="toi may11"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Film distributors of India]]
[[Category:Mass media companies established in 1906]]
[[Category:Film production companies based in Kolkata]]
[[Category:Indian companies established in 1906]]
[[Category:Mass media companies disestablished in 1982]]
[[Category:Indian companies disestablished in 1982]]

Aurora Film Corporation - Revision history

>Billjones94 at 11:33, 14 June 2021