Noted filmmaker Shekhar Kapur feels that Indian film stars were the first, truly Indian icons in the decades after independence.

"In its first 50 years, Indian cinema held the country together. The commonality among most Indians was cinema. Cricket, television soaps, all came much later, " Kapur told.

"In their heydays, actors like Sivaji Ganesan, Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand, were the first, truly pan-Indian icons after (Jawaharlal) Nehru and (Mahatma) Gandhi, " he added.

Kapur was in the capital to attend a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) summit on the media and entertainment industry.

Indian cinema completes a century next year.