The first set of National Film Awards, given in 1954, honoured films released in which year?

The correct answer is C, 1969. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award was instituted in 1969, which was the birth centenary year of Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, the father of Indian cinema. It is the highest recognition in Indian cinema for a lifetime of outstanding contribution and is given to one person each year.

Option A, 1954, is the year in which the National Film Awards themselves were instituted, and mixing the two years is the commonest error on this topic. Option B, 1961, is not connected with either award. Option D, 1913, is the year in which Phalke released Raja Harishchandra, the first full length Indian feature film, so it is an important date but belongs to the history of the film and not to the founding of the award.

The correct answer is A, Devika Rani. Devika Rani received the first Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1969. She worked at Bombay Talkies and is often described as the first lady of Indian cinema, and the fact that the first award went to an actress is exactly what examiners like to test.

Option B, Prithviraj Kapoor, was a towering figure of the early stage and screen and did receive the honour, but in a later year and posthumously. Option C, Sohrab Modi, the maker of historical films, also received the award later in its history. Option D, Nargis Dutt, is associated with the award for a film on national integration that carries her name, which is a different honour altogether and is placed here as a distractor.

The correct answer is B, 1954. The National Film Awards were instituted in 1954, and the first set of awards was given for films released in the previous year. They were created to encourage films of aesthetic and technical excellence and of social relevance in every Indian language, which is why regional cinema has always been prominent in the list of winners.

Option A, 1947, is the year of independence and has no connection with the founding of these awards. Option C, 1969, is the year the Dadasaheb Phalke Award was instituted, on the birth centenary of Phalke, and is the most attractive wrong answer here. Option D, 1973, is not associated with the founding of either award and is placed only to complete the set of plausible years.

The correct answer is B, Swarna Kamal. The Swarna Kamal, or Golden Lotus, is the medallion awarded for the highest honours of the National Film Awards, and the Best Feature Film is the chief among them. The award carries a certificate and a cash component along with the medallion.

Option A, Rajat Kamal, or Silver Lotus, is given for the other categories, such as Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and the best film in each language, so it is the correct medallion but for a different set of awards. Option C, Tamra Patra, a copper plate, was given to freedom fighters as a token of recognition and has nothing to do with cinema. Option D, Kirti Chakra, is a gallantry award of the armed forces, given for conspicuous courage away from the battlefield.

The correct answer is B, Raja Harishchandra. Dhundiraj Govind Phalke made Raja Harishchandra in 1913, and it is recognised as the first full length Indian feature film. Its success established film making as an Indian enterprise and earned Phalke the title of father of Indian cinema.

Option A, Alam Ara, released in 1931 and directed by Ardeshir Irani, was the first Indian sound film, or talkie, so it marks a different milestone. Option C, Shyamchi Aai, the Marathi film directed by P. K. Atre, won the first Best Feature Film award at the National Film Awards for 1953. Option D, Kisan Kanya, made in 1937, was the first Indian film shot in colour processed in India, again a separate landmark that is often mixed with the others.