Remembering the first Indian Film Festival in China 

Born in China in the 1980s, I was raised amidst the melodic, if slightly off-key, renditions of “Awara hoon” by my parents. Their fondness for Awara, China’s most beloved Indian film, spanned decades. And herein lies the deep affection that a generation of Chinese people had for Indian cinema. On this significant occasion, we honour Raj Kapoor as a cultural ambassador and the historic debut of Indian cinema in China, a moment that deserves enduring remembrance.

Debuting Indian cinema

Motivated by the spirit of Asian socialist camaraderie, in 1954, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru made a historic visit to China, becoming the first leader from a non-socialist nation to do so. This visit paved the way for China and India to bring the highly acclaimed “Indian Film Festival,” which had been a resounding success in the Soviet Union that year, to Chinese audiences. In 1955, Awara made its debut in China through this festival.

From October 17 to 23, 1955, China hosted the “Indian Republic Film Week” (hereinafter referred to as the “Indian Film Week”), showcasing the documentary series Art and Construction of India alongside feature films like Awara, Do Bigha Zamin, and Aandhiyan. These screenings took place across twenty cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai. The event concluded with an impressive viewership of over three million.

During the film week, China also extended an invitation to a 12-member delegation of Indian film industry professionals, headed by Prithviraj Kapoor, who portrayed Raj’s father in Awara. The delegation received a cordial welcome from Premier Zhou Enlai, marking a historic moment as it was the first time that China had started dubbing Indian films, thus kicking off the initial wave of Indian cinema’s popularity and acceptance in the country.

This article delves into the original reports from two predominant Chinese media outlets of the era, People’s Daily and Mass Film, to reflect the sentiments of the Chinese cultural sphere and the general audience towards these Indian cinematic masterpieces.

Statements in official reports

The People’s Daily, established in 1948 as the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China, dedicated significant coverage to the 1955 Indian Film Festival. On October 17, Vice Minister of Culture Xia Yan commemorated the opening of the film week, stating, “The Indian film delegation serves as an artistic, friendly, and peaceful ambassador from the Indian government and its people to China.” The newspaper also documented the profound impact the Chinese audience’s fervent reception had on the visiting Indian filmmakers, capturing a pivotal moment in the tapestry of Sino-Indian cultural exchanges characterised by mutual appreciation and understanding.

On October 18, 1955, at an exchange event at Dahua Cinema in Beijing, Prithviraj Kapoor’s speech was constantly interrupted by applause from the audience. On the same day, at the Jiaodaokou Cinema in Beijing, Indian film delegation member and renowned progressive writer and film screenwriter Krishan Chandar was moved to express to the audience after seeing the warm welcome: “The presence of the Indian people and the voice of Indians in Chinese cinema is a symbol of the friendship and cooperation between India and China.”

Within film culture

Mass Film, founded in June 1950, is the oldest and most influential popular film culture publication in China. The 19th issue of Mass Film in 1955 was a special issue for the Indian Film Week. This issue included articles written by famous Chinese writers Bing Xin and Zheng Zhenduo, the most famous Chinese director Cai Chusheng, and the lead actors of the Indian films Do Bigha Zamin and Awara.

Raj Kapoor and Nargis Dutt, who were unable to visit China, wrote articles for the Chinese magazine. Raj Kapoor points out, “The screening of Indian films in the People’s Republic of China will greatly strengthen the long-standing cultural relationship between these two peace-loving countries… Its theme song, ‘Awara Hoon’, has also become one of the most beloved songs among Soviet youth… I hope that Chinese audiences, who are rapidly moving towards a perfect socialist society, will appreciate the exciting conflicts in this film.”

Nargis published an article titled “I Saved the Soul of a Vagabond,” in which she wrote at the end, “I would like to talk about the significance of the film Awara being shown in China. What I remember is the first significant contribution to strengthening the friendly relations between the peoples of India and China, especially between Indian and Chinese film workers, was a biographical film we produced in India several years ago called The Immortal Story of Dr. Kotnis. Dr. Kotnis came to China during the Anti-Japanese War and later sacrificed [himself] on the front line. The film was also very popular in India… The friendship and personal contact between Indian and Chinese film workers are developing more and more rapidly. Let me greet the Chinese youth in the name of Rita, my character in the film, and greet them for laying the foundation for a socialist society that will not produce ‘vagrants.’ I look forward to visiting China.” Chinese writers, in addition to focusing on the three feature films, also showed great enthusiasm for the new independent India reflected in the documentary collection Art and Architecture of India. The famous writer and Chinese translator of Tagore’s poetry, Ms. Bing Xin, detailed how she was impressed by the spirit of the Indian people in building water conservancies, the exquisite level of craftsmanship, and the rich resources of south India. Writer Zheng Zhenduo reviewed the brilliant civilisation of India, the ancient friendship between China and India, and the “estrangement” of the two countries in the recent hundred years. Through several parts of the documentary such as “Indian Water Conservancy” and “Song of South India,” he sighed: “How hard Indian scientists, engineers, and the public are working for the long-term welfare of the Indian people! Their strength is so great! Their will and aspirations are far-reaching and strong!”

Renowned Chinese director Cai Chusheng celebrated the “Indian Film Week” in an article, noting its importance for China’s film industry and cultural scene. “This is a significant event for the Chinese film industry and also a significant event in the cultural life of our people… The works all contain many wonderful songs, all of which are so harmonious and beautiful, playing a profound lyrical and descriptive role in the inner realm of the characters. This is a major feature of Indian national cinema, which we should deeply praise. These brilliant works… will certainly help our audience better understand our close neighbours — the great Indian nation. Long live Sino-Indian friendship! Long live peace!” If you search Chinese ordinary people’ feelings about Awara and Raj Kapoor on Chinese websites, the comments are countless. But in short, these can be summarised by one audience’s writing published in People’s Daily on November 2, 1955, “The high Himalayas cannot separate the mutual care of the people,” “Through the film story, we feel closer to the Indian people.”

The writer is affiliated with the Beijing Foreign Studies University.