1931 was a ground-breaking year for Indian cinema. The first Hindi Talkie Alam Ara was released on 11 March 1931 in Mumbai's Majestic Cinema. The film was produced by Imperial Movietone and directed by Ardeshir Irani. It starred Master Vithal, Zubeida, Prithviraj Kapoor and W. M. Khan. The first song to be sung in films was by W. M. Khan for Alam Ara, "De De Khuda Ke Naam Par" under the music direction of Phiroz Shah Mistry.
This year saw the release of 207 silent films from all over India and 28 Talkies. Out of the 28 talkies 23 were in Hindi, 3 in Bengali, one in Tamil, and one in Telugu. The first Bengali film was Jamai Shashthi by Madan Theatres Calcutta. The first Tamil film was Kalidas produced by Imperial Movietone and the first Telugu talkie Bhakta Prahlada, was directedby H. M. Reddy for Bharat Movietone.
1.Alam Ara
Alam Ara (The Ornament of the World) was a 1931 Indian film directed by Ardeshir Irani. It was the first Indian sound film.
Irani recognised the importance that sound would have on the cinema, and raced to complete Alam Ara before several contemporary sound films. Alam Ara debuted at the Majestic Cinema in Mumbai (then Bombay) on 14 March 1931.The first Indian talkie was so popular that "police aid had to be summoned to control the crowds." The film was houseful for the next 8 weeks of its release. It was advertised with the tagline "All living. Breathing. 100 per cent talking". The film has long been lost and was not available as far back as 1967 according to the National Film Archive of India, Pune.
The film is a love story between a prince and a gypsy girl, based on a Parsi play written by Joseph David. David later served as a writer at Irani's film company. The story centres on an imaginary, historical royal family in the kingdom of Kumarpur. The main characters are the king, Sultan Saleem Khan, and his two warring wives, Dilbahar Begum and Naubahar Begum. Their rivalry escalates when a fakir predicts that Navbahar will bear the king's heir. Dilbahar, in a fit, attempts to have an affair with the kingdom's chief minister, General Adil Khan (Prithviraj Kapoor). The affair goes sour and a vengeful Dilbahar imprisons him and exiles his daughter, Alam Ara or Alamara (Zubeida). In exile, Alamara is brought up by Gypsies. Upon returning to the palace at Kumarpur, Alamara meets and falls in love with the charming young prince, Jahangir Khan (Master Vithal). In the end, Adil is released, Dilbahar is punished and the lovers marry.
Cast
Master Vithal as Jahangir Khan,Zubeida as Alamara,Prithviraj Kapoor as General Adil Khan
Both the movie and its music were widely successful, including the hit song "De de khuda ke naam per", which was also the first song of the Indian cinema. It was sung by actor Wazir Mohammed Khan who played a fakir in the film. As playback singing had yet to start in Indian cinema, it was recorded live with musical accompaniment of a harmonium and a tabla.
The film marked the beginning of filmi music in the Cinema of India, as noted film director Shyam Benegal said, "It was not just a talkie. It was a talking and singing film with more singing and less talking. It had a number of songs and that actually set the template for the kind of films that were made later". In fact, the 1932 film Indrasabha had an overwhelming 71 songs in it.
In 1930 Irani was prompted to make India’s first talking and singing film after he saw the part-talkie American film Show Boat (1929). At that time, there were no soundproof stages and technicians were unaware of how to make a film that had sound.He then decided to make a screen version of a popular stage play written by Joseph David, who agreed to adapt the play for the silver screen. Irani handled the sound recording department, using the Tanar Sound System. It was shot with the Tanar single-system camera, which recorded sound directly onto the film.
The film was mostly shot at night, between 1am and 4am with microphones hidden near the actors. The studio was near the railway tracks, and the noise of the trains disturbed the shooting during the day. Since Alam Ara was the first Indian sound film, the makers needed actors who knew the language. Ruby Myers was considered for the title character but Zubeida was cast instead. It was because Ruby Myers was an Iraqi Jew and was not fluent in Urdu or Hindustani language. The then newcomer Mehboob Khan, who later went on to make Mother India (1957), was considered for the male lead. But, they decided to cast a more commercially viable actor and chose actor-stuntman Master Vithal.
The film had music by Ferozshah M. Mistri and B. Irani, and had seven songs:
"De de khuda ke naam pe", Wazir Mohammed Khan
"Badla Dilwayega Ya Rabb", Zubeida
"Rutha Hai Asman gum ho gaya mahatab", Jillu
"Teri Kaatil nigahon ne mara"
"De dil ko aaram aye saki gulfam"
"Bhar bhar ke jam pila ja sagar ke chalane bala"
"Daras bina mare hai tarse naina pyare"
There is no known copy of the film today. The National Archives of India says that they do not possess a print and couldn't locate one as far back as 1967. It was incorrectly reported that the last known prints, in Pune’s film archives, were damaged by a fire in 2003 when in fact no copy was ever possessed by the film archive. According to P.K. Nair, founder director of the National Film Archives of India (NFAI), Pune, “The report that Alam Ara print was destroyed at the NFAI is incorrect."
Alam Ara recorded as the first Hindi film of Bollywood. A total of 78 actors for the first time recorded their voices for the film. Google celebrated 80th anniversary of the film's release by means of Google Doodle on 14 March 2011. A 2015 calendar was released exhibiting posters of some of the first Indian films, including Alam Ara.
Cast
Ardeshir Irani Master Vithal, Zubeida, Prithviraj Kapoor, Sushila, Jagdish Sethi, W. M. Khan, Elizer, Jilloobai, T. L. V. Prasad
Khan Bahadur Ardeshir Irani (5 December 1886 – 14 October 1969)
Known as Ardeshir Irani, he was a writer, director, producer, actor, film distributor, film showman and cinematographer in the silent and sound eras of early Indian cinema.
Ardeshir Irani was born into a Zoroastrian family in Poona, Bombay Presidency. In 1905, Irani became the Indian representative of Universal Studios and he ran Alexander Cinema in Bombay with Abdulally Esoofally for over forty years. It was at Alexander Cinema that Ardeshir Irani learnt the rules of the art of filmmaking and became fascinated by the medium. In 1917, Irani entered the field of film production and produced his first silent feature film, Nala Dayamanti, which released in 1920.
In 1922, Irani joined Bhogilal Dave, the former manager of Dadasaheb Phalke's Hindustan Films, and established Star Films. Their first silent feature film, Veer Abhimanyu was released in 1922 and starred Fatima Begum in the female lead. Dave, a graduate of the New York School of Photography, shot the films while Irani directed and produced them. Star Films produced seventeen films before Irani and Dave dissolved the partnership.
In 1924, Irani founded Majestic Films, joined by two talented youngsters, B.P. Mishra and Naval Gandhi. At this establishment, Irani produced the films and either Mishra or Gandhi directed the films. Despite its success, fifteen films later, Majestic Films closed, giving way to the equally short-lived Royal Art Studios which had exactly the same life-span as the earlier two, however, it became famous for a certain type of romantic films. Irani improved on it, using new talent to great effect.
In 1925, Irani founded Imperial Films, where he made sixty-two films. By the age of forty, Irani was an established filmmaker of Indian cinema. Ardeshir Irani became the father of talkie films with the release of his sound feature film, Alam Ara on 14 March 1931. Many of the films he produced were later made into talkie films with the same cast and crew. He is also accredited with making the first Indian English feature film, Noor Jahan (1934). He completed his hat-trick of earning fame when he made the first colour feature film of India, Kisan Kanya (1937). His contribution does not end only with giving voice to the silent cinema and colour to black-and-white films. He gave a new courageous outlook to filmmaking in India and provided such a wide range of choice for stories in films that till date, there are films being made which have a theme relating to one of the one hundred fifty-eight films made by Irani.
In 1933, Irani produced and directed the first Persian talkie, Dokhtar-e-Lor. The script was written by Abdolhossein Sepanta who also acted in the film along with members of the local Parsi community.
Irani's Imperial Films introduced a number of new actors to Indian Cinema, including Prithviraj Kapoor and Mehboob Khan. He also interfered with the medium. He produced Kalidas in Tamil on the sets of Alam Ara, with songs in Telugu. Also, Irani visited London, England for fifteen days to study sound recording and recorded the sounds of Alam Ara on the basis of this knowledge. In the process, he created a whole new trend unknowingly. In those days, outdoor shootings were shot in sunlight with the help of reflectors. However, the outdoor undesirable sounds were disturbing him so greatly that he shot the entire sequence in the studio under heavy lights. Thus, he began the trend of shooting under artificial light.
Irani made one hundred fifty-eight films in a long and illustrious career of twenty-five years, between the First and Second World Wars. He made his last film, Pujari, in 1945. Irani was not compelled to live like Dadasaheb Phalke for he realised that the war was a time not suitable for film business and therefore he suspended his film business during that time. He died on 14 October 1969 at the age of eighty-two, in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
http://cineplot.com/the-making-of-alam-ara/
2.Chandrasena is a 1931 Indian silent film directed by V. Shantaram and Keshavrao Dhaiber. The director of photography was Keshavrao Dhaiber. Produced under the banner of Prabhat Film Company, the film brought the company into the "frontline" of film makers. The cast included Lila, "alias" Lilavati Pendharkar, who was making her debut with this film, with Kamla, Gulabbai and G. R. Mane.
The film's story involved an episode from the epic Ramayana. Ahiravan's wife, Chandrasena helps Hanuman to rescue Rama and Lakshmana from Patala and in the process defeat Mahiravana's army.
The use of the trolley was made for the first time in Chandrasena. The Prabhat company films, were cited to be of "high quality" even though their content was similar to others produced around the same time.
3.Draupadi (The Daughter Of King Drupad) is a 1931 sound film from Indian cinema.The film was a big-budget mythological production from Ardeshir Irani's Imperial Film Company following their release of the first talkie in India, Alam Ara (1931). It was directed by Bhagwati Prasad Mishra, who had made a name for himself as a photographer and painter and had worked with Irani in his Star, Majestic, Royal and Imperial Studios. The story adaptation from Vyasa's Mahabharata and the screenplay, were by Mishra. The star cast included Prithviraj Kapoor who played the role of Arjuna,[ with Ermeline as Draupadi, and Khalil as Krishna. The rest of cast included Hadi, Elizer, Rustom Irani and Jilloobai. The cinematographer was Adi M. Irani.
The film was based on an episode from the epic Mahabharata showcasing Duryodhan's plans of usurping Hastinapur and his subsequent attempt at shaming the Pandavas by disrobing Draupadi's sari.
Duryodhana (Jagdish Sethi) plots to attain Hastinapur for himself and his hundred Kaurava brothers. The five Pandavas brothers are sent to exile during which time Arjuna (Prithviraj Kapoor wins Draupadi (Ermeline) at her swayamvara. According to his mother's unintentional suggestion, the five brothers share Draupadi as their wife. On their return from banishment, the Pandavas establish themselves at Indraprastha. The Rajasuya Yagna takes place and a game of dice follows. The Kauravas cunning uncle Shakuni (Hadi) helps them win the game, wherein the Pandavas first lose their Kingdom, and then as a last wager by the oldest brother Yudhishtra, even Draupadi. When Duryodhan, with the intention of shaming the Pandavas tries to remove Draupadi's sari, it is Lord Krishna who saves her from humiliation by performing the miracle of a never-ending sari.
Cast
Khalil as Lord Krishna,Prithviraj Kapoor as Arjun,Ermeline as Draupadi,Jilloobai as Kunti,Jagdish Sethi as Duryodhan,Hadi as Shakuni Mama,Elizer as Yudhishtra,Rustom Irani as Bhim,
Draupadi in Indian Cinema
The use of Hindu mythology in context to women, was a common feature in most films produced in the early part of the twentieth century. According to author Prem Chowdhry, Draupadi was referenced in films about eleven times between 1916-44.
4.Satyawadi Raja Harishchandra
Cast
J. J. Madan Jehanara Kajjan, Mohammed Nawab, Patience Cooper, Sharifa,
Jehanara Kajjan
Hailed as the reigning queen of the stage, the glamorous movie actor, the trained singer, the fashionable modern girl, and the trendsetter, Jahanara Kajjan or Kajjan Bai, better known as Miss Kajjan was many a splendored personality. No wonder, in her heyday she was saluted as the ‘Lark of Hindi cinema’ and the ‘Beautiful Nightingale of Bengal Screen’.
Some of the most popular numbers sung by Kajjan were — “Toone to mora man har leeno more banke saanwaria ” (Oh my dearest you have captivated my heart); “Chaman ko yun mere saqi ne maikhana bana diya ” (My wine server has turned the garden into a tavern); “Kab se khadi hun terey dwar, bula le mohe balam re ” (My love please call me as I have been waiting at your door for so long). Some of her other memorable movies were “Bilwamangal”, “Shakuntala”, “Alibaba aur Chalis Chor”, “Aankh ka Nasha”, “Zehari Saanp”, etc.
5.Shirin Farhad
Cast
J. J. Madan Master Nissar, Jehanara Kajjan, Mohamed Hussain, Master Mohan, Sharifa, Abdul Rehman Kabuli
Master Nissar
Master Nissar was the first superstar of the talkie era, as the term is understood today. A product of the Madan Theatres, Calcutta, Nissar took to films when the company built a film studio. Because of his ability to speak fluent Urdu and sing songs, he was an instant success. Nissar made a sought-after team with Jehan Ara Kajjan. Their biggest hits together were Shirin Farhad (1931) and Laila Majnoon (1931). People used to flock in large numbers to studios to catch a glimpse of him.
Nissar ruled the roost until a typewriter mechanic called Kundal Lal Saigal decided to don the greasepaint. After a disastrous start, Saigal hit big time with Chandidas (1934) and Devdas (1935), two of the biggest hits of the time. As an actor Nissar was highly theatrical. His decline was sudden in the wake of the Saigal wave of the mid-thirties. Nissar switched to character roles in the late 40s.
In later years, Master Nisar fell on hard times and was often seen begging near the Haji Ali Dargah, Mumbai. He died in penury in the sixties.
6.Veer Abhimanyu
Cast
Prafulla Ghosh, Zubeida, Yakub, Jal Merchant, Baburao Sansare, Mehboob Khan, Sankatha Prasad, Jilloobai
Mehboob Khan
Mehboob made several attempts to make it as a hero between 1931 and 1935 but luck kept eluding him. The pragmatist that he was, he was quick to see the writing on the all. He realised that his childhood dream of making it as a hero might remain a dream forever. His foray into acting, which had begun in anonymity inside a closed cask, might not go beyond playing character roles. Without wasting any more time, he decided to move behind the camera.
He started as an assistant before directing his first film, Al Hilal a.k.a. Judgement of Allah (1935), when he started directing films for the Sagar Film Company. Notable films he directed included Deccan Queen (1936), Ek Hi Raasta (1939) and Alibaba (1940). Directorial features like Aurat (1940) followed, with the studios Sagar Movietone and National Studios.
In 1945, Khan set up his own production house, Mehboob Productions. In 1946 he directed the musical hit Anmol Ghadi which featured singing stars Surendra, Noorjehan and Suraiya in leading roles.
In the year 1942 he made Roti with Saroja Devi and Akhtaribai. Khan went on to produce and directed many blockbuster films, the most notable being the romantic drama Andaz (1949), the swashbuckling musical Aan (1951), melodrama Amar (1954) and the social epic Mother India (1957), the latter of which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1957 and was a remake of his own 1940 film Aurat.
His last film as a director was the 1962 film Son of India. He died in 1964 at the age of 57, and was buried at Badakabarastan in Marine Lines, Mumbai.
Khan introduced and helped establish the careers of many actors and actresses who went on to become big stars in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s such as Surendra, Arun Kumar Ahuja, Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar, Raaj Kumar, Nargis, Nimmi and Nadira. In 1961, he was a member of the jury at the 2nd Moscow International Film Festival. He remained the President of the Film Federation of India.
Tit-Bits
In South India, the first Tamil talkie Kalidas was released on 31 October 1931, barely 7 months after India's first talking picture Alam Ara. Nataraja Mudaliar also established South India's first film studio in Madras.
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