Many Bollywood films have been released over the years that have put India on the global map. Festival de Cannes, one of the most revered film festivals in the world, got popular among the Indian audience, thanks to the global presence of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. However, India has had a special connection with Festival de Cannes since before Independence.
One of the films that helped put India on the global map was the 1986 movie 'Neecha Nagar', directed by Chetan Anand. It starred Chetan Anand's wife Uma Anand, with Rafiq Anwar, Kamini Kaushal, Murad, Rafi Peer, Hamid Butt, and Zohra Sehgal.
Not many people are aware that 'Neecha Nagar' was the first Indian film to gain recognition at the Cannes Film Festival. 'Neecha Nagar' shared the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film (Best Film) award at the first Cannes Film Festival in 1946 with 11 of the 18 entered feature films.
'Neecha Nagar', based on Russian writer Maxim Gorky's 1902 play The Lower Depths, is still the only Indian film that has been awarded the prestigious Palme d'Or.
However, despite being such an influential and important film in Indian cinema history, 'Neecha Nagar' was never released in India. While there is no official reason behind it, reports state that because media censorship for revolutionary content was common during the British Raj, Chetan Anand's anti-imperial drama film might have ruffled a few feathers. This is why it could never be released in India.
Another reason could be that because 'Neecha Nagar' was ultimately an independent film, it did not have enough leeway for a theatre release.
For the unversed, 'Neecha Nagar' was telecasted on Doordarshan, (India's national broadcaster) in the 1980s.
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