Magic of movies 1922

1922
1.The first Levy of Entertainment Tax was introduced in Bengal in 1922, followed by its introduction in Bombay in 1923.
2.

Fatma Begum was an Indian actress, director, and screenwriter. She is often considered the first female film director of Indian cinema.Within four years, she went on to write, produce and direct many films. She launched her own production house, Fatma Films, and directed Bulbul-e-Paristan in 1926. She lived from 1892-1983 and was mother to three children.
Fatma Begum was born into an Urdu Muslim family in India. Fatma Begum was supposedly married to Nawab Sidi Ibrahim Muhammad Yakut Khan III of Sachin State.However, there is no record of a marriage or contract having taken place between the Nawab and Fatma Bai or of the Nawab having recognised any of her children as his own, a prerequisite for legal paternity in Muslim family law. She was the mother of silent superstars Zubeida, Sultana, and Shehzadi. She was also the grandmother of Humayun Dhanrajgir and Durreshahwar Dhanrajgir, son and daughter of Zubeida and Maharaja Narsingir Dhanrajgir of Hyderabad and Jamila Razzaq daughter of Sultana and Seth Razaaq, a prominent businessman of Karachi.
She began her career on the Urdu stage. She later shifted to films and debuted in Ardeshir Irani's silent film, Veer Abhimanyu (1922). It was common practice for men to play women in plays and movies, so she became a huge woman superstar. Fatma Begum was fair skinned and wore dark make-up that suited the sepia/black & white images on the screen. Most of the roles required wigs for the heroes as well as the heroines.
In 1926, she established Fatma Films which later became known as Victoria-Fatma Films in 1928. She became a pioneer for fantasy cinema where she used trick photography to have early special effects. She was an actress at Kohinoor Studios and Imperial Studios, while writing, directing, producing, and acting in her own films at Fatma Films.
Begum became the first female director of Indian cinema with her 1926 film, Bulbul-e-Paristan.[4] While no known prints of the film currently exist, the high budget production has been described as a fantasy film featuring many special effects. If true, the film places Begum among early pioneers of fantasy cinema such as George Melies. While continuing to produce and appear in her own work, Fatma worked for Kohinoor Studios and Imperial Studios until her last film in 1938, Duniya Kya Hai?
She directed many other films, her last being the Goddess of Luck in 1929.
She died in 1983 at the ripe old age of ninety one. Her legacy was carried on by her daughter Zubeida, whom besides being a silent film star, acted in India's first ever talkie, Alam Ara.
3.Dhirendranath Ganguly, who had initially set up Indo-British Film Studio with Nitish Lahiri in 1918, returned to Hyderabad and started the Lotus Film Company there in 1922 up to 1924. He produced six films in 1922, including Bimata (Stepmother), and acted in Sadhu Aur Shaitan.
4.Manilal Joshi started his career as a director with his debut film Veer Abhimanyu. The film was produced by Ardeshir Irani and Bhogilal K. M. Dave who had started their banner, Star Film Company Ltd. in 1922.
5.Andhare Alo
Andhare Alo (Beam of Light) also called The Influence of Love was a 1922 silent film from the Bengali Film industry and a debut production from the Taj Mahal Films, Calcutta. Based on a short story of the same name "Andhare Alo" (Beam of Light) by Saratchandra Chatterjee, it was directed by Sisir Bhaduri and Naresh Mitra. The cinematographer was Noni Gopal Sanyal.The cast included Sisir Kumar Bhaduri, Naresh Mitra, Jogesh Choudhury and Durga Rani. The film was appreciated by the critics for its melodramatic content and was claimed to be a "huge hit" at the box-office.
The story focuses on a love triangle, where the man Satyendra, marries due to family obligations and then leaves his eleven-year-old young bride called Radharani behind, and gets involved with a more mature and modern courtesan. The film is cited as one of the earliest to feature a dancing girl as one end of a triangle in Indian cinema.
Cast
Sisir Kumar Bhaduri as Satyendra
Sishir Kr Bhaduri was one of the most famous actor and director in the Bengali film industry, was born on 2nd October 1809 in Howrah. His father’s name was Haridas Bhaduri. Sishir Kr Bhaduri passed his Entrance exam from Bangabashi School in 1905, after this he completed his graduation from Scottish Church college in 1909 and finally did his MA in English in the year 1914.
On Magin Company’s invitation Sishir Kr Bhaduri made his first debut film under his own direction called ‘Mohini’ which was released in 1922. His first talkie film was ‘Palli Samaj’ directed by himself in 1932.
In 1930 Sishir Kr. Bhaduri staged his first ever play called ‘Sita’ in America. In this play he performed as a lead actor. In 1959, he refused the Padmabhusan Award because he wanted to establish a theatre instead of this award. Basically Sishir Kr Bhaduri was a versatile artist. In 1934, he had directed his play for the children called ‘Phooler Ayina’, he also trained many artists who have turned famous in this industry. Sishir Kr Bhaduri had married twice. His first marriage spoilt after his wife committed suicide, he had a son of his first marriage. He again tied his knots with actress Kankabati Shaw. Actor Biswanath Bhaduri was his younger brother.
Over all, Sishir Kr Bhaduri’s contribution towards Bengali Cinema is remarkable.
Naresh Mitra as Amar
Jogesh Choudhury as Deonji
Durga Rani as Bijli
Lila Debi
Kankabati
6.Lady Teacher was a social comedy directed by Dhirendranath Ganguly, and is cited as one of the successes of 1922.
7.Pati Bhakti
A social film which advocates that women should be devoted to their husbands. Leelavati (Cooper) is the protagonist in this movie. The censors demanded that an 'obscene' dance sequence be removed.  It made actress Patience Cooper, who starred in the film, "one of the biggest star of that time". The film also featured some of the earliest kissing scenes.
Director: J.J. Madan
Writers: Harikrishna Jauhar (play), Harikrishna Jauhar (screenplay)
Stars: Patience Cooper, Signorina Manelli, Master Manilal
8.Sukanya Savitri directed by Kanjibhai Rathod for Kohinoor Film Company, starred Miss Moti, Sakina and Jamna. The story was by Mohanlal Dave. The film remains the only surviving work by Kohinoor and Rathod.
9.Veer Abhimanyu by director Manilal Joshi, also called Virat Swaroop, was a "big-budget mythological" and a first for producers Ardeshir Irani and Bhogilal Dave. It was also a debut for actress Sultana who played the role of Uttara, with Vakil playing Abhimanyu.