Cinema has evolved in India over the past century to become the most powerful medium for mass communication. It began with the first silent short films screened in 1896 and the release of the first Indian feature film Raja Harishchandra in 1913. The introduction of talking films in 1931 marked the beginning of a new era, with the first talkies released in multiple Indian languages that same year. Indian cinema has since reflected the various social and cultural aspects of society through different eras, with the 1940s-1960s viewed as the golden age of Indian film.