20s

Bollywood during 1920's

10  movies of 20’s

Bhakta Vidur,21

 

Bilat Ferat,21

Nala damayanti,21

Pati Bhakti,22

Veer Abhimanyuy,22

Gul-e-bakawali,24

Kala Naag,24

The Light of Asia,25

Shiraz,28

Prapancha Pasa,28

10 Great Film Makers/directors

Ardheswar Irani

Homi Master

Baboo rao Painter

D Billimoria

Dhiren ganguly

Himanshu rai

Fatima Begum

Chandulal Shah

Sisir bhaduri

Ezra mir

10 Great Actors/Actresses

Master Vithal

Yakoob

Mehboob Khan

Raja Sandow

A R Kardar

Zubaida

Zebunissa

Sulochana ( Ruby Myers)

Patience Cooper

Kanan devi

1920
1.Manilal Joshi an eminent Gujarati director, quit his job as a teacher in 1920 and joined Kohinoor Film Company, learning cinematography from Vishnu B. Joshi.
2.Majority of the silent films made in Indian cinema all over India including the South India states with the exception of Kerala, were mythological in context. The tales were frequently taken from the epic Mahabharata.
3.Suchet Singh, a silent film director and "comparable" to Dadasaheb Phalke and S. N. Patankar in the pre-studio era died in a car crash in 1920. He established the Oriental Film Company in 1919 and directed four films in 1920, Mrichhakatik based on King Shutraka's play of the same name, Rama Or Maya, Doctor Pagal and Narsinh Mehta.
Suchet Singh, who studied filmmaking in the USA at Vitagraph, started the Oriental Film Manufacturing Company in 1919. He produced a seven-reel film 'Shakuntala' in 1920 with the American actress Dorothy Kingdom. Her husband Baron Van Rayvon was the photographer of the film. Suchet Singh, who adapted Kalidas' Sanskrit play for his silent classic, featured the American import -Dorothy Kingdom - in the title role, triggering a major Swadeshl debate in India. He also took a few artistic liberties on the portraiture of the main characters.
S.N. Patankar immediately announced a rival production in the Bombay Chronicle of 24 January I920: Shakuntala, or The Fateful Ring (1920), adapted 'strictly in accordance with the drama'. A 'war of advertisements' ensued, and Patankar Friends & Co.claimed that their desi version was 'more faithful to the subject' and 'swadeshi' in spirit.
Initially, Suchet Singh's Shakuntala faltered at the box office in the face of a traditional mindset of the theater-goers that refused to acknowledge or appreciate the 'artistic liberties' of the Director. But, later, the film was duly recognized as a classic of the literary genre!
Suchet Singh continued his success with five more films, including a newsreel on the death of Lokmanya Tilak. Unfortunately, Suchet Singh died in a car accident without rising to his full potential._
Image: A rare available photograph of Suchet Singh's Shakuntala.

4.Ardeshir Irani started his first studio called Star Film Company.
Ardeshir Marwan Irani (1886-1969) Director and producer in several languages; born in Pune. Studied at the J.J. School of Art in Bombay; teacher and kerosene inspector before joining his father in the phonograph and musical instruments trade in Bombay. Entered film as exhibitor representing Western Indian interests of Universal Film. Partnered Abdulally Esoofally in exhibition interests launched with acquisition of Alexandra and Majestic theatres (1914). The partnership lasted 55 years. Initially went into film production to keep distribution outlets supplied. Launched Star Film (1920) in partnership with Bhogilal K.M. Dave, releasing their first film, Manilal Joshi’s Veer Abhimanyu in 1922. They became Majestic Film (1923), then Royal Art Studio (1925) and finally the major silent era studio, Imperial Film (1926). A ‘mogul’ in the mould of the big Hollywood studio bosses; credited with between 225 and 250 productions in his lifetime, about half in the silent era, and talkies in nine languages including Farsi (Dukhtar-e-Lur, the first Iranian sound film). Early screen directions often jointly credited to Naval Gandhi but took rare solo directorial credit for India’s first full sound feature, Alam Ara, for which, having imported a sound technician from Hollywood (Wilford Deming), he finally recorded most of the sound himself. Bought rights to Cinecolour process and set up colour laboratory, producing India’s first indigenously processed colour film Kisan Kanya (1937). Produced only one film after Imperial went into liquidation in 1938 (Pujari, 1946) but remained active member of the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) of which he had been, in 1933, its first president. In 1974, Kennedy Bridge in Bombay was renamed Ardeshir Bridge and his Jyoti Studios (Est: 1939) passed to his son, Shapur A. Irani.

5.Katorabhar Khoon also referred to as The Stinger Stung was directed by Shree Nath Patankar in 1920. it starred Trymbakrao Pradhan, Tara Koregaonkar, Baba Vyas and K. G. Gokhale. The film was co-produced by Dwarkadas Sampat and Patankar, who had started their banner "Patankar Friends And Co." Katorabhar Khoon was their first social film and was written by Mohanlal G. Dave.
Shree Nath Patankar was an Indian producer, director, and cameraman. Referred to as "one of the early pioneers of Indian Cinema", his influence is stated to be equal to that of Dadasaheb Phalke. He was one of a wide range of people who filmed the historic Delhi Durbar in 1911 held for King George V of England. The Durbar was also filmed by Madan and Hiralal Shah, another professional photographer from Bombay.Patankar initially teamed up with V. P. Divekar and A. P. Karandikar, with the renowned freedom fighter and Nationalist leader, Lokmanya Tilak, helping them in getting finance from Bhagwandas Chaturbhuj and Dharamdas Narayandas, two well-established financiers. Their debut production in 1912, Savitri, directed by Patankar was unsuccessful. The three formed a production company called Patankar Union in 1913. They produced The Death Of Narayanrao Peshwa also called The Murder Of Narayanrao Peshwa in 1915, which has been cited as the first historical film of Indian cinema, as well as the mythological Ram Vanvas (The Exile Of Rama) (1918).Patankar went on to form Patankar Friends and Company with Dwarkadas Sampat who had joined them in 1917, producing and directing Kach-Devyani (1920).He also worked as an actor in films like Mahashweta Kadambari (1922), Videhi Janak (1923), and Vaman Avatar (1923), which were directed by him. In a career-span of fifteen years covering 1912-1926, he made over forty films.

6.Narsinh Mehta also called Great Devotee Of Shri Krishna was a notable devotional film of 1920. It was directed by Suchet Singh for Oriental Film Manufacturing Co., Bombay. The film had Kanjibhai Rathod, a Dalit "(then called untouchable)", playing the role of Narsinh Mehta.

Kanjibhai Rathod began as a still photographer with the Oriental Film Company. His experience earned him a job in Kohinoor Film Company and its owner Dwarkadas Sampat made him a director.

Rathod's 'Bhakta Vidur' released in 1921, was perhaps the first criticism of the British colonialism in a popular feature film. Rathod was the first film-maker to direct a crime thriller in 1920s on contemporary events. His Kala Naag (1924) was based on famous double murder case in Bombay. Rathod introduced Zubaida to film industry with his Gulbakavali.By the time he left for Saurashtra Film Company in Rajkot in 1924, Rathod had enough work on his name. At the launch of Krishna Film Company, he returned to Mumbai in 1931, the year of first talkies.Dharamsey writes in his 'Light of Asia: Indian Silent Cinema 1912–1934' that Rathod directed five talkies out of 17 made in 1931. He remained active in the industry even in 1940s, but he was not as successful directing talkies.

7.Sairandhari was directed by Baburao Painter and referred to by Gokulsing and Dissanayake as one of his "most famous early films". Painter's silent films tended to follow the mythological and Historical genres like Sairandhari, Sinhagad, Sati Padmini and Bhakta Prahlad.

Baburao Painter (1890–1954) was an Indian film director.Baburao and his cousin Anandarao turned to cinema first as exhibitors while trying to assemble their own camera. Anandrao however died in 1916 and Painter and his main disciple V.G. Damle eventually put together a working camera in 1918.Baburao's first feature film was Sairandri (1920), which got heavily censored for its graphic depiction of slaying of Keechak by Bhima. However the movie itself got positive critics and commercial acclaim spurring Painter on to take on more ambitious projects. He wrote his own screenplays, and led the three-dimensional space rather than stage-painting in the Indian movie. 1921/22, he published the first Indian films and programs designed to even the movie posters. Publicity was not alien to Painter's many talents – in 1921–22, he distributed programme booklets complete with photographs and film details.The advent of sound in 1931 did not excite Painter. However, after a few more silent films, the Maharashtra Film Company pulled down its shutters with the advent of sound. Baburao was not particularly keen on the talkies for he believed that they would destroy the visual culture so painfully evolved over the years.

8.Sati Parvati also called Daksha Yagna a mythological, was directed by Vishnupant Divekar and was the first film from the Kohinoor Film Company banner. The film show-cased a "Gujarati mileu" and had a Saurashtrian actress from Rajkot called Prabha playing the role of Parvati.
1921
1.Star of the East film company was started in Madras by R. S. Prakash.
2.Bhakta Vidur directed by Kanjibhai Rathod and produced by Kohinoor Film Company was the first Indian cinema film to face a ban, leading to a "major censorship row". Cited by Rajadhyaksha and Willemen as "One of the most famous silent mythologicals", the film featured Vidur in Gandhian attire complete with Gandhi cap and the Khaddar shirt. The film was banned in Karachi and Madras. It had the owners of Kohinoor playing the main roles, with Dwarkadas Sampat as Vidur and Maneklal Patel as Krishna, while the role of Duryodhan was enacted by Homi Master.
3.Bhisma Pratighna, Telugu film industry's first feature film, was released in 1921.The film was directed by Raghupathi Venkaya co-directed by R.S. Prakash.
4.Bilat Ferat or Bilet Pherat a.k.a. England Returned was the acting debut of Dhirendranath Ganguly who co-directed and produced the film under his Indo-British Film banner. The film is the first full length Bengali feature film. It was also stated to be the first "love story" shown in Indian cinema.
Dhirendra Nath Ganguly (26 March 1893 – 18 November 1978), better known as Dhiren Ganguly or D.G, was a Dadasaheb Phalke Award-winning and Padma Bhushan recipient film entrepreneur/actor/director of Bengali Cinema. He had set up a number of film production companies: Indo British Film company, British Dominion Films, Lotus Film Company. Later, he directed films for New Theatres. He produced many movies in the comedy genre. Ganguly studied in the Visva Bharati University in Shantiniketan. He became a headmaster of State Art School in Hyderabad. He released a book of photographs of his make-up techniques called Bhavki Abhibyakti in 1915. Ganguly's photography book brought him in contact of J. F. Madan, who agreed to invest in his films. Ganguly and Madan Theatres' manager Nitish Lahiri formed the Indo British Film Co, the first film production company owned by Bengalis, in 1918. Bilat Ferat (1921) (The England Returned), a silent comedy film directed by Nitish Lahiri, was the first production from this company. They released another two movies in 1922: Yashoda Nandan and Sadhu Aur Shaitan. Ganguly founded Lotus Film Company in Hyderabad and also established a film studio and two cinema houses with the help of Nizam. In 1924, he was a distributor of Razia Begum, a film made in Bombay. This film portrayed a Muslim princess who fell in love of a Hindu. This enraged Nizam and he ordered Ganguly to leave Hyderabad. Ganguly returned to Calcuta and eventually formed another film production company British Dominion Films. Actor Pramathesh Barua invested in this venture and also acted in a film produced by this company. However, with the arrival of talkies and new sound technologies, this film company failed.Ganguly joined Barua Pictures company of Pramathesh Barua. But, soon both of them joined B. N. Sircar's New Theatres.
5.Mahasati Ansuya also called Sati Ansuya was directed by Kanjibhai Rathod for Kohinoor Film Company. It starred Sakina and Vaidya. According to Rajadhyaksha and Willemen, the film was a success at the box office and "gained notoriety for a nude shot of Sakina".
6.Nal Damayanti, a mythological, was one of the notable films of 1921. Directed by Eugenio de Liguoro for Madan Theatres, it starred Patience Cooper, E. D. Liguoro and D. Sarkari. It was cited to be the first international co-production with Italy.
An Anglo-Indian from Calcutta (in West Bengal), Cooper had a successful career in both silent and sound films.She started as a dancer in Bandmann's Musical Comedy, a Eurasian troupe before being employed by Madan's Corinithian Stage Company. Cooper was often cast as the sexually troubled but innocent woman at the center of moral dilemmas, a forerunner to the type of roles played later by Nargis. Cooper first made an impact with Nala Damayanti (1920). The film starred Keki Adajania as Nala and Cooper as Damayanti . The film was a big budget Madan Theatre production and was directed by Italian Eugenio De Liguoro, known in Italy for his Orientalist spectacles like Fascino d'Oro (1919). Nala Damayanti was famous for its special effects at the time - Narada's ascent of Mount Meru to heaven, the transformations of four gods into impersonations of Nala, the transformation of Kali into a serpant among others.Her next film was Vishnu Avtar, released in 1921. Cooper acted in over 40 films until she retired in 1944, after performing in her last film, Iraada. Cooper was often cast in the role of a sexually troubled but innocent woman, always at the centre of moral dilemmas, often caused by the men in her lives. De Liguoro also directed Dhruva Chartitra (1921), a mythological based on the legend of Dhruva whose quest for eternal knowledge and salvation was rewarded when he became the brightest star in the heavens, the pole star also known as Dhruvatara. The film was made as a bid for an international breakthrough for Madan Theatres and featured many Europeans in the cast along with Cooper who played the female lead, Suniti.
One of Cooper's biggest successes was Pati Bhakti (1922). Cooper played Leelavati in the film, directed by the great JJ Madan himself, advocating that women should be devoted to their husband. The film is regarded as her greatest film and was also involved in a small controversy as in Madras, the censor demanded that a dance number be removed on the grounds of obscenity. A major aspect of Cooper's star image was the successful achievement of the 'Hollywood look' in spite of different light and technical conditions. Her dark, sharp eyes and skin tone allowed technicians to experiment with the imported convention of eye-level lighting. Cooper also played perhaps the first ever double roles in Hindi films - Patni Pratap (1923), where she played two sisters and Kashmiri Sundari (1924), where she played mother and daughter.Cooper did films right through to the mid 1930s. One of her last major films was Zehari Saap (1933). The film was a typical Cooper vehicle about a medieval chieftain's revolt against the good Nawab Bakar Malik. The nawab's outlaw son vows revenge and finally all's well that ends well. The dramatic conflict in the film sees the chieftain wanting to marry the princess, whom he had raised as his own daughter.
7.Surekha Haran was directed by Baburao Painter for Maharashtra Film Company. Painter hired V. Shantaram, who had been employed by the studio doing all-purpose jobs, to play the role of Krishna. Shantaram's acting in the film brought him into prominence leading to several small roles till Savkari Pash where he was cast in the main role.
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, who got her early training acting in plays, started working in films in 1922. Mother to actresses Zubeida, Sultana and Shehzadi, Fatma went on to become the first woman producer and director when she formed her own production company Fatma Films in 1926.
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 (The Influence Of Love) a Bengali silent film, was directed by Sisir Bhaduri and Naresh Mitra. It was a debut production from Taj Mahal Films, Calcutta. The story was based on a love triangle written by Saratchandra Chatterjee. It's melodramatic content was appreciated by the critics. The film was claimed to be a "huge hit" at the box-office.
6.Lady Teacher was a social comedy directed by Dhirendranath Ganguly, and is cited as one of the successes of 1922.
7.Pati Bhakti also called Human Emotions was directed by J. J. Madan for his banner Madan Theatres Ltd. The film was based on a play by Harikrishna Jauhar. The Madras censors "demanded" the removal of an "obscene dance" scene. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
1924
1.Master Vithal made his debut as a dancing girl in Kalyan Khajina also called The Treasures of Khajina, directed by Baburao Painter.
2.Khalil, termed as the "First Star" made his debut as a hero in Gul-E-Bakavali. He played a supporting role in the film Kala Naag.
3.Bismi Sadi also called 20th Century is cited as the start of melodrama films. It was directed by Homi Master and was the story of a hawker turned into a ruthless mill-owner.
4.Gul-E-Bakavali was directed by Kanjibhai Rathod for Dwarkadas Sampat's Kohinoor Film Company banner. Made as a fantasy, the film was a big success breaking records and running in theatres for fourteen weeks.
5.Kala Naag is a 1924 silent action thriller film directed by Kanjibhai Rathod and assisted by Homi Master. Produced under the Kohinoor Co, Bombay, it was the first "recorded example" with real-life characters based on the Champsi-Haridas Murder case in Bombay. The film aimed at a "pan-Indian" audience was a commercial success. Homi Master played the lead role.
6.Poona Raided was directed by B. V. Warerkar. The film is acclaimed as one of Mama Warerkar's finest directorial ventures. The historical was based on the 17th century Maratha Emperor Shivaji's resistance and counter-attack following the raid on Poona by Aurangzeb. The film was also the debut of Sundarrao Nadkarni, in a small role.
7.Prithvi Vallabh directed by Homi Master was based on K. M. Munshi's Gujarati novel bearing the same title. The film was a success at the box-office and was "widely acclaimed".
8.Kalyan Khajina directed by Baburao Painter was a historical adventure movie based on the heroic actions of the 17th Century Maratha emperor Shivaji.
9.Sati Padmini directed by Baburao Painter was about the Rajput queen Padmini of Chittor. The film received favourable reviews in the British Press when it was released at the British Empire exhibition at Wembley.
10.Sati Sardarba was directed by Nanubhai Desai for his newly launched Saraswati Film Company banner. It starred Fatma Begum with Sultana and Zubeida and is stated to have become a big success commercially.
1925
1.The number of films rose from 11 in 1919, to 88 in 1925.
2.Chandulal Shah started his directing career in films with Vimla for Laxmi Films. He directed two more films before moving to Kohinoor Film Company. He went on to form his own studios Ranjit Film Company (Ranjit Studios) in 1929.
3.V. Shantaram, who started his career assisting Baburao Painter, made his acting debut as the main lead as the young village peasant in Savkari Pash.
4.D. Billimoria (Dinshaw Billimoria) made his debut in a lead role in N. D. Sarpotdar's Chhatrapati Sambhaji.
5.Savkari Pash directed by Baburao Painter for Maharashtra Film Company, Kolhapur, was the acting debut of V. Shantaram. The film was the "earliest example" of parallel cinema in its realistic depiction of social issues.
6.The Light of Asia was directed by Franz Osten with assistance from Himanshu Rai; it starred Rai in the role of Siddhartha (Buddha). The film was adapted from Edwin Arnold's epic poem The Light of Asia (1861).
7.Kulin Kanta directed by Homi Master for Kohinoor Film Company was based on a real-life murder involving the Maharaja Tukoji Rao Holkar III of Indore and a dancing girl.
8.Mojili Mumbai a.k.a. Slaves Of Luxury directed by Manilal Joshi was cited to be based on a real-life story of a cabaret dancer Roshanara, the film "sparked" a debate on "morality and cinematic realism".
9.Mumbai Ni Mohini also called Social Pirates directed by Nanubhai Desai was a real life crime drama.
1926
1.106 films were produced in 1926. About 300 cinema theatres existed all over India by 1926, along with several "travelling bio-scopes". According to Amitabh Bachchan in his article for the Hindustan Times "90% of the films shown were imported from Hollywood, almost exclusively from Universal Studios".
2.Fatma Begum became the first woman director of Indian cinema when she produced and directed Bulbule Paristan.Bulbule Paristan was the first Indian cinema film to be directed by a woman director Fatma Begum. The film was produced under her recently formed Fatma Films and starred herself and her three daughters Zubeida, Sultana and Shahzadi.
3.The first cinema trade organisation called The Bombay Cinema and Theatre Trade Organisation was formed in India in 1926.
4.Films had their "main title" in English followed by the regional Indian language title.
5.Sulochana (Ruby Myers), made her debut with The Telephone Girl and became one of the popular stars of 1920s and early 1930s.The Telephone Girl was noted as a film that made "Pioneering use of real locations",[12] It was directed by Homi Master for Kohinoor Film Company and was the debut film of real-life telephone operator, Sulochana (Ruby Myers).
6.Kanan Devi also called Kanan Bala, started her acting career at the age of ten in the film Joydev directed by Jyotish Bannerji for Jyoti Studios. She went on to become one of the early singer-actor of Hindi and Bengali cinema.
7.Zebunissa, known also as Zebu, started her acting career with Royal Art Studio in 1926, and remained with the company until it closed down around 1940.
8.Typist Girl was directed by Chandulal Shah for the Kohinoor Film Company and starred Sulochana, Raja Sandow and Gohar. A social film, it was commercially as successful as the mythology films produced at that time.
9.The Vamp directed by Naval Gandhi for Sharda Film Company and starring Miss Yakbal has been cited as a "Modern Girl" film along with The Telephone Girl.
10.Imperial Film Company founded by Ardeshir Irani, who was to later make the first Talkie film Alam Ara (1931). Fatma Films was founded by Fatma Begum and the name later changed in 1928 to Victoria-Fatma Films. Punjab Film Corporation was set up in Lahore.
1927
1.108 films were produced in 1927.The "Report of the Indian Cinematograph Committee 1927-28", formed in 1927 to study cinema in India, categorised the films in different genres, mainly as "religious, mythological, historical and social dramas". Radio broadcast, which had started as private radio clubs in 1923, became organised, and the private Indian Broadcasting Company was formed in 1927.
2.Balidan based on a play by Rabindranath Tagore, was directed by Naval Gandhi for Orient Pictures Corporation. It was a social reformist film, which involved a "progressive, rational king and an orthodox, ritual-bound priest". The film was hailed as "An excellent and truly Indian film" by The Indian Cinematograph Committee, 1927. It has been cited by P. K. Nair as one of the top ten lost films of Indian Cinema.
3.Chandidas directed by Jyotish Bannerjee was based on the poet-saint Chandidas, and was one of the early "key" films produced by New Theatres. It was adapted to screen from a play written by Agha Hashar Kashmiri.
4.Dil Farosh, also called Merchant Of Hearts, directed by M. Udwadia for Excelsior Film Company. It has been cited by Dionne and Kapadia as the first silent version of a Shakespeare drama adapted from a play of the same name, written by Mehdi Hasan 'Ahsan' in 1900. The play was based on The Merchant of Venice. Credit for bringing Shakespeare to Indian Cinema normally has been given to Sohrab Modi for his Talkie version of Hamlet, Khoon Ka Khoon (1935).
5.Durgesh Nandini directed by Priyanath Ganguly and produced by Madan Theatres Ltd, was based on Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel of the same name. This was one of the three films based on Chattopadhyay's stories that Seeta Devi acted in, the others were Krishnakanta's Will (1927), and Kapal Kundala (1929).
1928
1.Devdas, a silent film produced by Eastern Films Syndicate, Calcutta, and directed by Naresh Mitra was the first celluloid version of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay's famous story. It starred Phani Burma as Devdas. It was later to be remade eight more times in Indian Cinema with the most popular version still cited as P. C. Barua’s Devdas in 1935 starring K. L. Saigal.
2.Khoon-e-Nahak was the first Indian screen adaptation of Hamlet. A silent film, it was directed by Athavale based on Mehdi Hasan Ahsan's version of the Hamlet play, written originally for the Parsi theatre.
3.Madhuri directed by Rama Choudhary for the Imperial Film Company, and Anarkali, also called Loves of a Mughal Prince directed by Charu Roy and Prafulla Roy for Great Eastern Corporation, were successful films starring Sulochana (Ruby Myers). Both films were made into Talkie versions later, with Madhuri in 1932 and Anarkali in 1935.
4.Shiraz directed by Franz Osten and produced by Himanshu Rai, was an adaption of the play, Shiraz: A Romance of India written by Niranjan Pal. Starring Rai in the lead role as Shiraz, it has been referred to as "one of the boldest films".
5.Vigathakumaran also called The Lost Child was the first feature length Malayalam film, directed by J. C. Daniel. It was produced by Daniel for his production company Travancore National Pictures.
1929
1.Melody of Love (1928), a Universal production in English, was the first Talkie film shown in India at Elphinstone Picture Palace in Calcutta.
2.Gopal Krishna directed by V. Shantaram was the first film produced under Shantaram's newly formed Prabhat Films. The film show-cased the opposition to the British rule in the guise of a "Hindu mythology" film.
3.Prapancha Pash also called A Throw of Dice was directed by Franz Osten and financed by British Instructional Films Ltd. and the UFA Studios, Berlin. The film starred Himanshu Rai, Charu Roy and Seeta Devi. Devika Rani, who worked as an assistant set designer on this film, married Himanshu Rai the same year.
4.Kapal Kundala directed by Priyanath N. Ganguly, was the first Indian film to achieve a "silver jubilee" run of 25 weeks.
5.Hatim Tai directed by Prafulla Ghosh for Krishna Film Company was based on the "popular Parsi Theatre story" involving the traveller Hatim Tai and his adventures.
6.Kono Vonk? also called Whose Fault? directed by Kanjibhai Rathod for Krishna Film Company, was a social film based on a story by K. M. Munshi, about a child widow marrying the lawyer who helps her.
7.Film Companies: Prabhat Film Company, Kolhapur, was established in partnership between V. Shantaram, V. G. Damle, Keshavrao Dhaiber, S. Fattelal and S. Kulkarni, later joined by Baburao Pai in 1939. Ranjit Film Company, Bombay, was founded by Chandulal Shah. British Dominion Films was set up by Dhiren Ganguly and P. C. Barua, with Debaki Bose as the scriptwriter. Aurora Film Corporation and General Pictures Corporation (Madras) were also founded in 1929.
Fatima Begum was one of the wives of Nawab Siddi Ibrahim Muhammad Yakut Khan of the state of Sachien,Gujarat.She was in films, even before marriage. There is however no proof of their marriage. From the Nawab, She got three daughters, namely Sultana, Shahzadi and Zubeida. All daughters and the mother were into films.Fatima was the First woman to establish Fatima Film co, Bombay, to produce and Direct "Bul bul-E-Paristan"-1926. All the 4 women acted in it. Fatima then formed Victoria Fatima Film Co. in 1928 and produced 7 silent films-Chandravali,Heer Ranjha both in 1928 and Kanak Tara, Milan Dinar, Godess of Love, Shakuntala and Wonderful prince all in 1929. Her company was closed in 1930.
Sultana was a popular actress in the silent movie era, usually cast in romantic roles. She started her career as actress in Veer Abhimanyu (1922) film in 1920s and later performed in several silent films. Later, she also acted in talkie movies. When India was partitioned in 1947, she migrated to Pakistan with her husband, a wealthy person named Seth Razaaq. Her daughter, Jamila Razaaq was also encouraged by her to act in Pakistani films and she produced a film in Pakistan, named Hum Ed hain (1961), written by famous scriptwriter, Fayyaz Hashmi. Sultana's daughter Jamila Razaaq married the well known Pakistani cricketer, Waqar Hasan, who is the brother of the film maker, Iqbal Shehzad. He runs a business under the name National Foods at Karachi.
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.
Patience Cooper (1905–1983) was an Indian and later Pakistani film actress. An Anglo-Indian from Calcutta (in West Bengal), Cooper had a successful career in both silent and sound films. She was one of the early superstars of Bollywood.She started as a dancer in Bandmann's Musical Comedy, a Eurasian troupe before being employed by Madan's Corinithian Stage Company. Cooper was often cast as the sexually troubled but innocent woman at the center of moral dilemmas, a forerunner to the type of roles played later by Nargis. Cooper first made an impact with Nala Damayanti (1920).Her next film was Vishnu Avtar, released in 1921. Cooper acted in over 40 films until she retired in 1944, after performing in her last film, Iraada.One of Cooper's biggest successes was Pati Bhakti (1922).Cooper did films right through to the mid 1930s. One of her last major films was Zehari Saap (1933).

D N Ganguly and Madan Theatres' manager Nitish Lahiri formed the Indo British Film Co, the first film production company owned by Bengalis, in 1918. Bilat Ferat (1921) (The England Returned), a silent comedy film directed by Nitish Lahiri, was the first production from this company. They released another two movies in 1922: Yashoda Nandan and Sadhu Aur Shaitan.Ganguly founded Lotus Film Company in Hyderabad and also established a film studio and two cinema houses with the help of Nizam. In 1924, he was a distributor of Razia Begum, a film made in Bombay. This film portrayed a Muslim princess who fell in love of a Hindu. This enraged Nizam and he ordered Ganguly to leave Hyderabad.Ganguly returned to Calcuta and eventually formed another film production company British Dominion Films. Actor Pramathesh Barua invested in this venture and also acted in a film produced by this company. However, with the arrival talkies and new sound technologies, this film company failed.Ganguly joined Barua Pictures company of Pramathesh Barua. But, soon both of them joined B. N. Sircar's New Theatres.D.G. received Padma Bhushan in 1974 and Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1975.
Homi Master was an actor-director of early Indian cinema. His work extended from the silent era to the talkie era up to his death. He produced his best films for Kohinoor Film Company and has been referred as "silent cinema's most successful film-maker".Master acted in the then controversial film Bhakta Vidur (1921), Kala Naag, and Kulin Kanta. Some of his important films were Bismi Sadi, Manorama, Do Ghadi Ki Mauj (1935), Samaj Ki Bhool(1934), Gul Sanobar (1934). He was active from 1921–49 and made over seventy-eight films. 

Seetha Devi (1912-1983) was a beautiful famous actress of the silent era whose original name was Renee Smith.She belonged to the Anglo Indian Community.Himanshu Rai cast Smith in Prem Sanyas, the movie which is better known by its English title: The Light of Asia. This was her debut film as Seeta Devi, and it made her a star immediately. Later she acted under the banner of Madan Theatres as well.Three of her most successful films were: The Light of Asia, Shiraz, and Prapancha Pash. All three of these films were made through the collaboration of German film director Franz Osten and Indian actor-producer Himanshu Rai along with Bavarian company Emelka.
Raja Sandow began his career as an actor in silent films and later became a prominent actor and director in Tamil and Hindi films of the 1930s. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of early Indian cinema.He was trained as a gymnast and started his film career as a stunt actor in S.N. Patankar's National Film Company at Bombay. He was given the name "Raja Sandow" because of his physique (after strongman Eugen Sandow).His first lead role was in Patankar's Bhaktha Bhodhana (1922), for which he was paid Rs. 101 as salary. He became famous by starring in silient films like Veer Bhemsen (1923), The Telephone Girl (1926). After acting in a few silent films he also worked as a director in Ranjit Studios for a monthly salary. His first film as director was Sneh Jyoti (1928).
Shree Nath Patankar  was an Indian producer, director, and cameraman. Referred to as "one of the early pioneers of Indian Cinema", his influence is stated to be equal to that of Dadasaheb Phalke. Patankar initially teamed up with V. P. Divekar and A. P. Karandikar, with the renowned freedom fighter and Nationalist leader, Lokmanya Tilak, helping them in getting finance from Bhagwandas Chaturbhuj and Dharamdas Narayandas, two well-established financiers. Their debut production in 1912, Savitri, directed by Patankar was unsuccessful. The three formed a production company called Patankar Union in 1913. They produced The Death Of Narayanrao Peshwa also called The Murder Of Narayanrao Peshwa in 1915, which has been cited as the first historical film of Indian cinema, as well as the mythological Ram Vanvas (The Exile Of Rama) (1918).Patankar went on to form Patankar Friends and Company with Dwarkadas Sampat who had joined them in 1917, producing and directing Kach-Devyani (1920). He also worked as an actor in films like Mahashweta Kadambari (1922), Videhi Janak (1923), and Vaman Avatar (1923), which were directed by him. In a career-span of fifteen years covering 1912-1926, he made over forty films.