MUMBAI: Tamil television channel Raj TV is celebrating 75 years of Tamil cinema with a slew of programmes from 5 April to 19 June, including screening of 75 best films in the language. The first Tamil talkie, Kalidas, was released on 14 March in 1931.

"We hold copy rights to nearly 2,000 films. We propose to telecast these 75 films as part of the celebrations," Raj TV directors M Ravindran and M Raghunathan said.

The channel is also planning a glittering star-studded award function to culminate the celebration phase. The event will be held in Chennai on 24 June, where 75 veteran contributors to Tamil cinema would be honoured.

'Chitra' Lakshman, film producer-director, who is also associated with the celebrations, said each year on March 14 awards would be given away in the name of late Nataraja Mudaliar, the man who was responsible for the first silent Tamil movie Keeshavadam.

According to Lakshman, the channel will also institute an award of Rs 1,00,000 each to a dozen low budget movies in Tamil as an annual feature.