Filmfare Awards have come a long way since their inception. From being a ceremony with just one category, and five awards, it has come to having four categories - with more than 31 awards, in toto. The awards function, introduced by Filmfare magazine, has assumed a grand shape and immense popularity. Even a couple of years after celebrating its Golden Anniversary, Filmfare Award continues to enjoy a great reputation in Indian cinema. There are a number of interesting facts associated with Filmfare Awards - the ceremony, the nominations, the events, the performances and so on, often classified in the form of trivia. To make you more acquainted with Filmfare Awards, we have listed some really fun and interesting facts associated with it, in the lines below.
Filmfare Awards Trivia
- Gregory Peck was the guest of honor at the first Filmfare Awards ceremony, held on March 21, 1954, at Metro Theatre, Mumbai. He could not make it as his flight from Colombo, where he was on location for 'Purple Plain', got delayed. However, he attended the banquet at Willingdon Sports Club that followed the awards ceremony.
- Filmfare Award was initially named 'Clare Awards', after the 'Times of India' film critic - Clare Mendonca.
- In the first Filmfare Awards ceremony, held in 1954, only five awards were presented - for the best film, the best director, the best actor, the best actress and the best music director.
- At present, there are more than 31 awards included in the Filmfare Awrad ceremony, covered under four categories.
- ‘Do Bigha Zameen’ was the first movie to win 'Filmfare Award For Best Film'.
- Bimal Roy won the first 'Filmfare Award For Best Director', for the film ‘Do Bigha Zameen’.
- Dilip Kumar was the first actor to be honored with 'Filmfare Award For Best Actor', for his performance in ‘Daag’.
- Meena Kumari won the first 'Filmfare Award For Best Actress', for the movie ‘Baiju Bawra’.
- Naushad was the first music director to win 'Filmfare Award For Best Music Director', for ‘Baiju Bawra’.
- In 2006, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's movie 'Black' won 11 Filmfare awards, the most awards won by a movie in the history of Filmfare Awards, till date.
- Vyajayantimala did not accept 'Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award' for 'Devdas'. This is because she believed that she was the lead actress in the film and not Suchitra Sen.
- Surprisingly, the biggest blockbuster hit in the history of Bollywood - Sholay, won only one Filmfare Award in 1975 and that too for Best Editing.
- In the 25th year of Filmfare Award ceremony, the statue was made of silver, while in the 50th year of its celebration, gold status were given.
- In 1969, Sunil Dutt organized a party for Dilip Kumar, when the latter beat him for 'Filmfare Best Actor Award'. This started the trend of post-award parties in Bollywood.