Magic of movies - 1923

1923
1.Seventy per cent of the silent films produced in Indian cinema till 1923 were either mythological or devotional. The Gods were represented in the mythological films, while God-men featured in the devotional. The rest thirty percent films were associated with the historical and social drama genres.
2.Modhu Bose, Hindi and Bengali film director and scenarist, started his career as an actor with Madan Theatres Ltd.
Born: 12 February 1900, Kolkata
Died: 25 September 1969, Kolkata
Spouse: Sadhana Bose (m. 1929–1969)
Parents: Pramatha Nath Bose, Kamala Dutt
Awards: Certificate of Merit (Bengali Feature Film)
3.J. F. Madan, who started Madan Theatres Ltd. in 1919, died in 1923. His third son, J. J. Madan, took over the management of Madan Theatres.
Born: 1856, Mumbai
Died: 28 June 1923, Kolkata

4.Noorjehan directed by J. J. Madan and produced by Madan Theatres Ltd. was one of the notable films of 1923. It starred Patience Cooper with Albertina, Manchersha Chapgar and Ezra Mir.
Ezra Mir

Born: 26 October 1900, Kolkata
Died: 7 March 1993, Mumbai
Ezra Mir was an Indian film-maker, known for his documentary films.
Mir changed his Jewish birth name, Edwyn Meyers, to Ezra Mir because he felt his original name "lacked Indianness". After working originally as a stage actor, he moved to New York in 1924 and started working in film, first as an actor and then later as an editor. During this period he also made his first short film, The Symbolesque (1929). Returning to India, Mir began directing films based on Hindi theatre. He made his first full length film in this genre, Noorjehan, for the Imperial Film Company in 1931, and subsequently Zarina and other films for the Sagar Movietone. He made a number of films for Madan Theatre Studios in the 1930s, and his most well-known work, Rickshawala, was produced by Ranjit Movietone. He then set up his own studio, Everest Pictures, in 1939. During the 1940s, Mir joined the Film Advisory Board and began making documentary films. The three notable shorts he made for them were Making Money, The Road To Victory and the Voice of Satan in 1940. The Road To Victory was about the proclamation of dictatorship and was effectively directed and narrated by Mir. Voice of Satan was a two-reeler about the propaganda used by the Germans in their broadcasting methods. Both the war documentaries were a production of Wadia Movietone, a co-operative effort with the Film Advisory Board. When the Advisory Board was replaced by Information Films of India, Mir continued to work for them, producing newsreels such as Indian News Parade. After the war, he continued documentary work, founding the Indian Documentary Producers Association in 1956, and worked on over 700 documentary films. Mir was appointed Chief Producer of the Ministry of Information's Films Division in 1956; under his management, the Division was highly prolific, releasing newsreels at the rate of one per week as well as over 100 documentary films per year. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1970. He died on 7 March 1993, in Mumbai.
5.Patni Pratap, a Madan Theatres Ltd. production and directed by J. J. Madan, had actress Patience Cooper playing the first "double role" in Indian cinema.
6.Savitri also called Savitri Satyavan is cited as India’s "first international co-production". Directed by Giorgio Mannini and produced by Cines (Rome) and Madan Theatres, it was based on the mythological tale of Savitri Satyavan. Rina De Liguoro played the role of Savitri, while Angelo Ferrari acted as Satyavan. The film was "promoted" as Italy’s most "daring" film.
India's first international co-production. The love-is-stronger-than-death story sees Savitri, the daughter of King Ashwapati and a goddess, fall for Satyavan who is destined to die within a year. He is killed by a tree and his soul is gathered by the god Yama but he returns to life and there is a happy ending for the lovers. Some nudity and other 'erotic' images were removed to satisfy the censors.
Director: Giorgio Mannini
Writers: Aldo De Benedetti, A. De Gubernatis (story) | 2 more credits »
Stars: Rina De Liguoro, Angelo Ferrari, Gianna Terribili-Gonzales
Rina De Liguoro as Savitri
Angelo Ferrari as Satyavan
Gianna Terribili-Gonzales as Yama
7.Sinhagad was directed by Baburao Painter for the Maharashtra Film Company. It was based on Hari Narayan Apte's Marathi historical novel Gad Aala Pan Simha Gela and starred Balasaab Yadav, Kamladevi, Zhunzharrao Pawar and V. Shantaram. Called "India's first full-scale historical" the story involved the Maratha Emperor Shivaji and his lieutenant Tanaji Malasure.
India's first full-scale historical and the Maharashtra Studio's costliest film to date. Based on the classic novel 'Gad Aala Pan Simha Gela', it retells a famous episode in the military career of the 17th C. Maratha emperor Shivaji (Painter) and his lieutenant, the folk hero Tanaji Malusare (Yadav) . It features Tanaji's invasion of Fort Sinhagad in the dead of night, using his pet lizard to run up the wall with a rope, and his death in victory.

Director: Baburao Painter
Writer: Narayan Hari Apte (novel)
Stars: Balasaheb Yadav, Kamaladevi, Miss Nalini
Cast
Balasaheb Yadav asTanaji Malusare, Kamaladevi, Miss Nalini, Baburao Painter as Emperor Shivaji
Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre (as V. Shantaram)

V. Shantaram, renowned Indian producer-director-actor, most known for his films like Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani (1946), Amar Bhoopali (1951), Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje (1955), Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1957) and Navrang (1959), to the path breaking Duniya Na Mane (1937) and Pinjara (1973).

He directed his first film, "Netaji Pulkar" in 1927, and in 1929, founded the Prabhat Film Company along with V.G. Damle, K.R. Dhaiber, S. Fatelal and S.B. Kulkarni, which he left in 1942 and to form "Rajkamal Kala Mandir" in Mumbai, in time 'Rajkamal' became one of most sophisticated studios of the country.

He was awarded the Indian film industry's highest award, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, in 1985 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1992.

V. Shantaram was born Rajaram Vankudre Shantaram, on November 18, 1901, in the erstwhile princely state of Kolhapur in present day Maharashtra.

V. Shantaram started his film career doing odd jobs in Maharashtra Film Co. owned by Baburao Painter at Kolhapur, growing up to debut as an actor in the silent film, Surekha Haran in 1921.

V. Shantaram had an illustrious career as a filmmaker for almost six decades, starting as an actor in the silent era films and later transitioning into a film director of Hindi and Marathi cinema. He was one of the early filmmakers to realize the efficacy of the film medium as an instrument of social change and used it successfully to advocate humanism on one hand and expose bigotry and injustice on the other.

He is the founder of Rajkamal Studios.

The highest accolade of the Indian film industry, for lifetime achievement, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, was conferred on him in 1985. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan award in 1992.

His autobiography titled, 'Shantaram' was published in Hindi and Marathi.

V. Shantaram died on October 30, 1990 in Mumbai. The 'V. Shantaram Award' was consitituted by Central Government and Maharashtra State Government, and the V. Shantaram Motion Picture Scientific Research and Cultural Foundation, established in 1993, shortly after his death, and offers various awards to film makers, the award is presented on 18th November each year being Shantaram's birth anniversary.

He married thrice; His first marriage was with Vimla, his second marriage was to the actress Jayashree, with whom he had two children: the actress Rajshree whom he launched in the film Geet Gaya Patharon Ne , and a son, Kiran Kumar, sometime sheriff of Bombay and Marathi film director.

His third wife was actress, Sandhya who was his co-star in Do Aankhen Barah Haath as well the heroine of his films like Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje and Navrang. His other two children are Prabhat Kumar and Madhura Pandit, who is married to classical singer, Pandit Jasraj and have a daughter actress, Durga Jasraj.