Silent film era (1913–1931) '' (1921), the first film banned by
British colonial authorities|left Even before the advent of
talkies there were several silent films closely related to the
Gujarati people and their culture, and many directors, producers and actors who were Gujarati and
Parsi. Between 1913 and 1931 there were twenty leading film company and studios owned by Gujaratis—mostly in
Bombay (now
Mumbai)—and at least forty-four leading Gujarati directors.
Manilal Joshi, an experimental Gujarati director, directed
Veer Abhimanyu (1922), which was produced by the Star Film Company, and later
Prithvi Vallabh (1924) based on
the novel by Gujarati author
K. M. Munshi. It was followed in 1932 by
Sati Savitri, based on the epic story of
Savitri and Satyavan, and in 1935 by the comedy
Ghar Jamai, directed by
Homi Master.
Ghar Jamai starred: Heera, Jamna, Baby Nurjehan, Amoo, Alimiya, Jamshedji, and Gulam Rasool. It featured a 'resident son-in-law' and his escapades as well as his problematic attitude towards the freedom of women.
Gunsundari was made three times from 1927 to 1948. The film was such a success in its
first appearance in 1927, that director
Chandulal Shah remade it in Hindi in 1934. It was remade again in
Gujarati and Hindi in 1948 by Ratibhai Punatar.
Gunsundari is the story of a poor Indian woman who is disliked by her husband for her moral stand. The woman finally lands on the street where she meets a person who is just like her—a social outcast. The story ends there. However, the three versions include some changes to reflect their times. Vishnukumar M. Vyas directed
Ranakdevi (1946) based on the legend of
Ranakdevi.
Nirupa Roy made her debut as an actress in the film and later succeeded in the Hindi film industry playing the role of a mother in various films.
Meerabai (1946) was a remake of the Hindi film directed by Nanubhai Bhatt starring Nirupa Roy. Punatar directed
Gunsundari (1948) also starring Nirupa Roy.
Kariyavar (1948), directed by
Chaturbhuj Doshi, introduced
Dina Pathak to the film audience. Doshi also directed
Vevishal (1949), an adaptation of the novel of the same name by
Jhaverchand Meghani.
Gunsundarino Gharsansar (1972), directed by Govind Saraiya, won the
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Gujarati at the
20th National Film Awards. The film was based on the novel
Saraswatichandra and was considered important for its artistry and aesthetic. Feroze A. Sarkar directed
Janamteep (1973) adapted from the novel of same name by
Ishwar Petlikar.
Hun Hunshi Hunshilal (1991), directed by Sanjiv Shah, was an
allegory film inspired by the political environment of the time and was felt to be post-modern. In 1998,
Desh Re Joya Dada Pardesh Joya directed by
Govindbhai Patel became very successful and went on to become a super-hit. The film grossed , the highest in the Gujarati cinema at that time, with 1.5
crore (15 million) people watching the film.
Vipul Amrutlal Shah produced and directed
Dariya Chhoru in 1999 which was well received by the critics but failed commercially. He produced
Jher To Pidhan Jaani Jaani (1972) based on the epic novel of the same name by
Manubhai Pancholi 'Darshak'. He also produced, acted and directed in
Manvi ni Bhavai (1993) based on the
novel of the same name by
Pannalal Patel. The film was widely appreciated and went to win the National Award for the Best Feature Film in Gujarati at the
41st National Film Awards.
Arvind Trivedi,
Mahesh Kanodia,
Naresh Kanodia,
Rajendra Kumar,
Asrani,
Kiran Kumar, Rajiv, Arvind Kirad,
Naresh Kanodia, and
Hiten Kumar had long and successful careers. Some 368 Gujarati feature films and 3,562 Gujarati short films were produced by 1981. The Gujarat Film Development Corporation (GFDC) established to promote Gujarati films was closed in 1998. The quality of the films declined due to the focus on recovering the financial investments and profits as well as not adapting to changing times, technology and demographics. Low budget films with compromised quality targeted rural audiences while urban audiences moved to television and Bollywood films with quality content as they had a fair understanding of the
Hindi language. The government also announced subsidy for Gujarati films. There was an increase in the number of films produced after 2005 due to the tax exemption and the rise in demand for films in rural
north Gujarat, especially
Banaskantha district. The demand was fueled by the working class population demanding local musical and linguistic styled films which were mostly released in single screen cinemas. The number of films produced per year was over sixty in 2009 and 2010. In 2012, the Gujarati cinema produced a record number of seventy-two films.
Gam Ma Piyariyu Ne Gam Ma Sasariyu (2005) and
Muthi Uchero Manas (2006) were also well received by audiences.
Vikram Thakor starred in several films including
Ek Var Piyu Ne Malva Aavje (2006). His six films for rural audiences earned . He was called the superstar of Gujarati cinema by various media.
Love Is Blind (2005) was the first Gujarati film released in the
multiplexes. The
Better Half (2008) directed by
Ashish Kakkad failed commercially but drew the attention of critics and an urban audience. It was the first Gujarati film on
Super 16 mm format.
Veer Hamirji (2012) was an historical film which was shortlisted for Indian representation at the
Oscars.
The Good Road (2013), directed by Gyan Correa, won the
Best Feature Film in Gujarati at the
60th National Film Awards and later became the first Gujarati film ever selected to represent India at the Oscars. The film won the Best Feature Film Jury Award at the Indian Film Festival, Houston in October 2013.
Kevi Rite Jaish (2012) and
Bey Yaar (2014), both directed by
Abhishek Jain; became commercially and critically successful drawing an urban audience. The success of these films drew new actors, directors and producers to the Gujarati film industry which resulted in a spurt in film productions.
Gujjubhai the Great and
Chhello Divas were declared hit films of 2015. The box office collection of Gujarati films increased from in 2014 to in 2015. Total 65 and 68 films were released in 2014 and 2015 respectively. Total number of screens playing Gujarati films rose from 20 to 25 in 2011 to about 150–160 in 2015. The
subsidy by the Government of Gujarat was discontinued in August 2013. Three years later, in February 2016, a new incentive policy was announced which was focused on the quality of films. Films are graded in four categories, A to D, based on technical aspects, production quality, film components, and box office performance. The producers are provided with assistance of for A grade, for B grade, for C grade and for D grade films or 75% of production costs whichever is lower. A film can also receive additional incentives for its performance at film festivals and awards nominations/wins. The multiplexes are also directed to have at least forty-nine screenings of Gujarati films per year. The entertainment tax exemption for Gujarati films released in Gujarat ended with an introduction of the
Goods and Services Tax in July 2017. About 50 to 70 films are released each year between 2016 and 2018. The International Gujarati Film Festival made its debut in
New Jersey, US, in August 2018.
Wrong Side Raju (2016),
Dhh (2017),
Reva (2018) won the Best Feature Film in Gujarati awards at the
64th,
65th and
66th National Film Awards respectively.
Hellaro (2019) became the first Gujarati film to win the
National Film Award for Best Feature Film at the 66th National Film Awards. Due to
COVID-19 pandemic, all cinema halls in Gujarat were ordered to be closed from March to October 2020. They were closed again in March–April 2021 due to resurgence of the pandemic.
Chhello Show (2021), directed by
Pan Nalin, was selected as the
Indian entry for the
Best International Feature Film at the
95th Academy Awards. According to film producer Bhavesh Upadhyay and publicist Chetan Chauhan, the annual business of Gujarati cinema had reached about by 2022. , the average film production cost ranges between and and around 60 Gujarati films were released in each of the recent years.
Kutch Express (2023) directed by
Viral Shah won three awards at
70th National Film Awards. Gujarati cinema continues to struggle with originality, marketing, and a lack of consistent audience support compared to other Indian regional film industries. According to the Ormax Box Office Report, Gujarati-language films experienced a 66% growth in box office collections in 2024 compared to the previous year, exceeding ₹80 crore and second only to Malayalam cinema. The horror film
Vash (2023) by
Krishnadev Yagnik won the Best Feature Film in Gujarati awards at the
71st National Film Awards with lead actress
Janki Bodiwala winning the
Best Actress in a Supporting Role. According to the Ormax Box Office report of 2025, the Gujarati films collectively surpassed as well as gross box office for the first time. The same year, the devotional drama film
Laalo – Krishna Sada Sahaayate was declared the
sleeper hit and became
the highest-grossing Gujarati film of all-time as well as the first Gujarati film to gross over worldwide. ==Subjects==