A New Year calendar with film posters of yesteryear

A 2015 calendar exhibiting never-before-seen posters of some of the first Indian films is scheduled to be launched by filmmaker Anurag Kashyap Monday.

Titled "The Beginnings of Indian Cinema", the calendar features posters of films such as Ardeshir Irani's "Alam Ara", Indian cinema's first talkie; "Kisan Kanya" (1937), the first Indian colour film; and "King of Ayodhya" (Ayodhyecha Raja), the first Marathi talkie directed by legendary filmmaker V. Shantaram in 1932.

"King of Ayodhya" is also credited to be the first double version talkie of Indian cinema, having also been made in Hindi simultaneously.

"We are very passionate about cinema and want the world to see these rare gems. It is fascinating to see how the artwork of film posters has changed so dramatically within a century," said Sunil Bohra, who has commissioned the calendar for Indian Film Information, a Bollywood-centric portal.

"What better way to appreciate the artistry of these posters than through a calendar which is in front of your eyes throughout the year? Since the New Year is around the corner, this is the best time to launch it," Bohra added.

Other film posters in the calendar include other V. Shantaram films like "Aadmi" and his Hindi-Marathi bilingual "Duniya Na Mane", classics such as "Devika Rani", Ashok Kumar-starrer "Achhut Kannya" (Untouchable Maiden) directed by Franz Osten and P.C. Barua's Devdas, among others

Although not for sale, anyone can acquire it by placing a request through the website http://www.indianfilminformation.com/.