30s

30s

Shobhna Samrath's first film was "Orphans of Society" (1935) also called Nigahe Nafrat or Vilasi Ishwar for Kolhapur Cinetone.She left Kolhapur Cinetone and joined Sagar Movietone (Sagar Film Company), she acted in Do Dilwale (1936) and Kokila (1937). By the end of 1937, Shobhana left Sagar and joined General Films, acting in Industrial India (Nirala Hindustan)and  Pati Patni (1939).By 1939 she had joined Hindustan Cinetone making four films with them, which included Kaun Kisi ka (1939) Saubhagya (1940)  Apni Nagariya (1940) and  Ghar Javai (1941)In 1942 came her career-defining film Bharat Milap, followed by Ram Rajya in 1943.Samarth later produced and directed a pair of movies that launched the careers of her aughters, Nutan and Tanuja

Jaddan Bai was an early singer, music composer, actress and filmmaker of Bollywood and one of the pioneers of Indian cinema. She was the mother of well-known actress Nargis. She was the first female music director in the Indian film industry, followed by Saraswati Devi. She later began acting and her films were Raja Gopichand, Insaan ya Shaitan, Prem Pariksha and Seva Sadan, She started her own production company called Sangeet Films. The company produced Talashe Haq in 1935, in which she acted and composed the music.

Sitara Devi When she was just a twelve-year-old girl, Sitara Devi was recruited by Niranjan Sharma, a filmmaker and a dance director, and she gave dance sequences in some Hindi movies including her debut in Usha Haran 1940, Nagina 1951, Roti, Vatan 1954, Anjali 1957 (directed by Chetan Anand, brother of Dev Anand). In Mother India 1957, she performed a Holi dance dressed as a boy, and this was her last dance in any movie. She stopped performing dances in movies, as the same were adversely affecting her passion for excelling in the classical dance, kathak.

Sabita Devi is stated to be one of the "prominent" leading ladies of the "pioneering era" of Indian cinema. A Jew by birth, she changed her name to find acceptability in Hindi cinema like the other Anglo-Indian and Jewish actresses of her time. After initially working with British Dominion Films Ltd., Calcutta, she shifted to Bombay and performed mainly in films produced by Sagar Movietone with her co-star in most films being Motilal. Some of the popular films with Motilal were Dr. Madhurika (1935) and Kulvadhu (1937). One of the top directors of the time she worked with doing social genre films was Sarvottam Badami. She formed her own production company, Sudama Pictures, in collaboration with Sarvottam Badami along with the assistance of Ranjit Studios. From 1935–1943 Sabita acted in fifteen films, all directed by Badami. Some of the comedy films she acted in like Aap Ki Marzi (1939) and Ladies Only (1939), turned out to be big box-office successes.[

Jamuna   was married to the legendary actor director Pramathesh Barua, or P.C. Barua, who died in 1950. She began her acting career in her husband's famous production Devdas in 1936 and was the film's lead character Parvati or Paro. She went on to make a number of memorable movies in Assamese, Bengali and Hindi, notably Amiri, Mukti, Adhikar and Sesh Uttar. She stopped acting after Barua died.

                                                                               

Zubeida was only 12 when she made her debut in Kohinoor. Through the 1920s she made infrequent appearances on screen along with Sultana who, by then, had become one of Indian cinema's loveliest leading ladies. One of the films to star the two sisters was Kalyan Khajina in 1924. They had also shared the screen in Zubeida's first blockbuster, Veer Abhimanyu released two years earlier, that also had their mother, Fatima Begum, playing an important role.In 1925 Zubeida had nine releases, amongst them Kala Chor, Devdasi and Desh Ka Dushman. A year later she starred in her mother's film, Bulbul-e-Paristan. 1927 was memorable for her with movies Laila Majnu, Nanand Bhojai and Naval Gandhi's Sacrifice which were very successful movies at this time. Zubeida starred in a string of silent films before Alam Ara proved to be the turning point in her career and was her biggest hit. She suddenly was highly in demand and got wages high above the standards for a woman in the film industry at that time.Through the '30s and early '40s she made a hit team with Jal Merchant and starred in several successful mythological films playing characters like Subhadra, Uttara and Draupadi. Zubeida was one of the few actresses to make a successful transition from the silent era to the talkies.

Fatma Begum was an Indian actress, director, and screenwriter. She began her career on the Urdu stage. She later shifted to films and debuted in Ardeshir Irani's silent film, Veer Abhimanyu (1922).Begum became the first female director of Indian cinema with her 1926 film, Bulbul-e-Paristan. 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.

Sultana, also known as Sultana Razaaq, was one of the earliest film actresses from India and acted both in silent movies and later in talkie movies. She was daughter of India’s first female film director Fatima Begum. Zubeida (leading actress of India's first talkie film Alam Ara (1931)) was younger sister of Sultana.

Ruby Myres, the self-named Sulochana,was among the early Eurasian female stars of Indian Cinema.She was working as a telephone operator when she was approached by Mohan Bhavnani of Kohinoor Film Company to work in films. Among her popular films were Typist Girl (1926), Balidaan (1927) and Wildcat of Bombay (1927) where she essayed eight roles including a gardener, a policeman, a Hyderabadi gentleman, a street urchin, a banana seller and a European blonde. Three romantic super hits in 1928 - 29 with director R.S. Chaudhari - Madhuri (1928), Anarkali (1928) and Indira B.A. (1929) saw her at her peak of fame in the silent film era. She received the Dada Saheb Phalke Award in 1973 for her lifetime contribution to Indian cinema.

Seeta Devi, born Renee Smith, was one of the early stars of silent films. Himanshu Rai cast Smith, an Anglo-Indian, 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. Three of her other successful films, Durgesh Nandini, Kapal Kundala and Krishnakanter Will were based on popular novels of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.

30s

1930

1.Arunodaya a.k.a. The Rising Sun (Dawn) Bhagwati Mishra Master Vithal, Nirasha, Yakub, Boman Irani, Wamanrao, Syed Husen, Manekbai

2.Bharat Ramani a.k.a. The Enchantress of India Jyotish Bannerji Seeta Devi, Patience Cooper, Dadabhai Sarkari, Lalita Devi

3.Cinema Girl Bhagwati Prasad Mishra Ermeline, Prithviraj Kapoor, Mazhar Khan, Akbar Nawaz, Baby Devi
4.Father India a.k.a. Hamara Hindustan R. S. Choudhary Sulochana (Ruby Myers), Jal Merchant, Mazhar Khan, Mehtab, Madanrai Vakil, Jilloobai, Jamshedji
5.Raj Laxmi Chandulal Shah Gohar, Raja Sandow, Ghanashyam, Putli, Baba Vyas
6.Udaykal a.k.a. Thunder of the Hills V. Shantaram, Keshavrao Dhaiber V. Shantaram, Kamala Devi, Baburao Pendharkar, Bazar Battoo, G. R. Mane, Ebrahim, Keshavrao Dhaiber
*no videos are available
1931
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 Ardeshir Irani Master Vithal, Zubeida, Prithviraj Kapoor, Sushila, Jagdish Sethi, W. M. Khan, Elizer, Jilloobai, T. L. V. Prasad
2.Aparadhi a.k.a. The Criminal Debaki Bose P.C. Barua, Sabita Devi, Samar Ghosh, Shanti Gupta, Renubala, Sushil Majumdar, Prabhavati, Arti Devi, Purnima Shome, Nirmal, Radhikanand
3.Devi Devyani Chandulal Shah D. Billimoria, Gohar Mamajiwala, Bhagwandas, Keki Adjania, Miss Kamla, Baburao Sansare, Baba Vyas, Sudhir
4.Satyawadi Raja Harishchandra J. J. Madan Jehanara Kajjan, Mohammed Nawab, Patience Cooper, Sharifa,
5.Shirin Farhad J. J. Madan Master Nissar, Jehanara Kajjan, Mohamed Hussain, Master Mohan, Sharifa, Abdul Rehman Kabuli
6.Veer Abhimanyu Prafulla Ghosh Zubeida, Yakub, Jal Merchant, Baburao Sansare, Mehboob Khan, Sankatha Prasad, Jilloobai
*no videos are available
1932
1.Bhasmasur Mohini Kanjibhai Rathod Lakshmi
2.Gul Bakavali A. P. Kapoor Ashraf Khan, Zebunissa, Ranibala, Ghulam Moammed, Prabha Shankar, Najju Begum, Zahiruddin, Kasim Ali
3.Maya Machindra V. Shantaram Durga Khote, Master Vinayak, Baburao Pendharkar, Leela Chandragiri, Govindrao Tembe, Hirabai, Nimbalkar, Babu Purohit
4.Pati Bhakti Patience Cooper, Master Mohan, Jahanara Kajjan, Rosy, Surajram, Narbada Shankar
5.Radha Rani Chandulal Shah E. Billimoria, Gohar Mamajiwala, Baburao Sansare, Keki Adjania, Bhagwandas
6.Sati Savitri Chandulal Shah Gohar Mamajiwala, Tarabai, Kamla, Baburao Sansare, Zafar Khan, Keki Adjania, Ghory, Bhagwandas, Shanta
7.Ayodhya Ka Raja Durga Khote, Govindra Tembe, Master Vinayak, Baburao Pendharkar, Kumar Digambar, Buwa Saheb, Ebrahim, Shankar Rao Bhosle, Nimbalkar
*Youtube videos are available only for Maya Machindra and Ayodhya Ka Raja
1933
1.Char Darvesh Prafulla Ghosh Kanan Devi, Trilok Kapoor, Tulsi Chakravorty, K. Kumar, Radha Bhattacharya, Binoy Goswami, Angurbala, K. Kumar, S. Das
2.Daku Ki Ladki M. Gidwani D. Billimoria, Sulochana (Ruby Myers), Ghulam Mohammed, Lakshmi, Syed Ahmed, Hadi
3.Karma J. L. Freer Hunt Devika Rani, Himanshu Rai, Ebraham Sofaer, Sudha Rani, Ghanshyam, Dewan Sharar
4.Sairandhari V. Shantaram Master Vinayak, Shakuntala, Leela, Mane, Nimbalkar, Prabhavati, Kulkarni, Salunke
5.Saubhagya Sundari Homi Master D. Billimoria, Sulochana (Ruby Myers), Jamshedji, Khansaheb, Jilloobai, Khalil, Hadi, Syed Ahmed, Lakshmi
6.Yahudi Ki Ladki Premankur Atorthy K. L. Saigal, Rattan Bai, Pahari Sanyal, Nawab, Kumar, Radharani, Ghulam Mohammed, Tarabai
*youtube full movie Karma and some songs of daku ki ladki and Miss 1933 are available.
1934
1.Amrit Manthan V. Shantaram Chandra Mohan, Nalini Tarkhud, Shanta Apte, Keshavrao Date, Sureshbabu Mane, Budhasaheb, Varde, Kulkarni
2.Chandidas Nitin Bose K. L. Saigal, Uma Shashi, Pahari Sanyal, M. Ansari, Anwaribai, Nawab, Parvati, I. H. Sadiq, Siddiqui
3.Grihalaxmi Sarvottam Badami Yakub, Jal Merchant, Sabita Devi, K. C. Dey, SWaroop Rani, Lalita Devulkar, Asooji, Mehboob Khan, Kamla
4.Gunsundari Chandulal Shah E. Billimoria, Gohar Mamajiwala, Rampyari, Shanta, Dixit, Keki Adajania, Ghory, Ram Apte, Raja Sandow
5.Mazdoor a.k.a. The Mill M. D. Bhavnani P. Jairaj, Bibbo, Navin Yagnik, Ameena, Tarabai, Khalil, S. L. Puri, Bhudo Advani, Nayampally, Abu Bakar
The first film to be banned by the British Government. Re-issued as Ghar Parwar in 1936.
6.Seeta Debaki Bose Gul Hamid, Prithviraj Kapoor, Durga Khote, Trilok Kapoor, Indubala, Mazhar Khan, Govindrao Tembe, K. C. Dey, Radhabai, Dhiraj Bhattacharya, Mukhtar Begum, Hiralal
*youtube full movie Amrit manthan and Chandidas, and some songs of other movies are available.
Chandidas is the first movie to have background music
1935
1.Chandrasena V. Shantaram Nalini Tarkhud, Sureshbabu Mane, Buwa Sahib, Rajni, Shanta
2.College Girl Jayant Desai Madhuri, Ishwarlal Keki Adjania, Sheela Devi, Shanta, Raja Sandow, Khatoon, Ghory, Dixit, Charlie, Ram Apte
3.Devdas P.C. Barua K. L. Saigal, Jumuna, Pahari Sanyal, Rajkumari, K. C. Dey, Nemo, Sitara
4.Dharmatma V. Shantaram Bal Gandharva, Ratnaprabha, Chandra Mohan, Vasanti, Chhotu, Vasant Desai, Keshav Narayan Kale, Buwa Saheb
5.Dhoop Chhaon Nitin Bose Pahari Sanyal, Uma Shashi, Sardar Akhtar, Bikram Kapoor, K. C. Dey, Kidar Sharma, Trilok Kapoor, Shyam Laha, Devbala, Indu Mukherji, Nawab
6.Hunterwali a.k.a. The Lady With The Whip Homi Wadia Fearless Nadia, John Cawas, Boman Shroff, Sharifa, Gulshan, Sayani Atish, Jaidev, Master Mohammed
*youtube full movie Devdas and some songs of other movies are available.
1936
1.Achhut Kanya Franz Osten Ashok Kumar, Devika Rani, Mumtaz Ali, Pramila, Sunita Devi, Kusum Kumari, Anwari Bai, Kamta Prasad, Kishori Lal, P. F. Pithavala, Manorama Sr., Chandra Prabha
2.Amar Jyoti V. Shantaram Durga Khote, Chandra Mohan, Shanta Apte, K. N. Kale, Vasanti, Nandrekar, Vasant Desai, Aruna Devi
3.Janmabhoomi Franz Osten Ashok Kumar, Devika Rani, Pramila, Mumtaz Ali, Chandraprabha, P. F. Pithavala, Zaverbhai Kaiser, Kamta Prasad, Khosla, N. M. Joshi
Released during the Indian independence movement, Janmabhoomi was the first patriotic movie in the history of Hindi cinema. It was also the first ever Hindi movie to have an explicitly nationalistic song: "Jai Jai Janani Janmabhoomi" (Hail the land of our birth), written by Jamuna Swarup Cassyap. . The song was an extremely popular song in its era. A tune from the film was utilized by B.B.C. as a signature tune for its "Indian News Service
4.Jeevan Lata Sarvottam Badami Motilal, Sabita Devi, Gulzar, Sankatha Prasad, Sushila, Mehdi Raza, Bhudo Advani, Pande
5.Sant Tukaram V. G. Damle, Sheikh Fattelal Vishnupant Pagnis, Gauri, B. Nandrekar, Kusum Bhagwat, Shankar Kulkarni, Master Chhotu, Pandit Damle
Sant Tukaram is revered as a great Indian film. It was the first Indian film to receive international recognition. It was adjudged one of the three best films of the world at the Venice Film Festival and was showcased in other international film festivals. It was a runaway success and broke the box office records by being the first Indian film to run in a single theatre for more than a year. It was Prabhat's and Pagnis's most famous film and became the archetype for devotional film.
6.Manzil P. C. Barua P. C. Barua, Jamuna, Prithviraj Kapoor, Pahari Sanyal, Molina, Sitara Devi, K. C. Dey, Nemo, Shore, Bikram Kapoor, Boken Chattoi
*youtube full movies Achchut Kanya, Amar jyoti, Bansri Bala,Janambhoomi, Miss Frontier Mail,Sant Tukaram 
1937
1.Vidyapati was a biopic directed by Nitin Bose for New Theatres. It starred Pahari Sanyal as the Maithili poet and Vaishnava saint Vidyapati. The bold songs of the film ensured crowds at the theatres making it a big success of 1937.
2.Duniya Na Mane (Marathi:Kunku) was a social film from Prabhat Film Company directed by V. Shantaram. It dealt with the issue of arranged marriage. The film did well in the theatres and according to Baburao Patel of Filmindia it "recorded better returns... than any other picture before".
3.President was produced by New Theatres and directed by Nitin Bose. A love triangle with a social content it highlighted the plight of mill workers. The music was popular with a classic from Saigal, Ik Bangla Bane Nyaara.
4.Kisan Kanya made by Ardeshir Irani of Alam Ara (1931) fame was the first colour film to be processed in India. The film however did not do well at the box office due to "a weak story".
5.Jeevan Prabhat was a successful social film from Bombay Talkies directed by Franz Osten. It starred Kishore Sahu in his debut film with Devika Rani and Mumtaz Ali.
6.Wahan K. N. Kale Leela Chitnis, Chandra Mohan, Shanta Apte, Prahlad, Vasant Desai, Ulhas, Aruna Devi, Master Chhotu
This film mixes baroque period movie style with the primitivist iconography of Hollywood's biblical epics. The setting vaguely evokes an ancient Aryan society ruled by Kodandavarma (Chandramohan), a dictator committed to the ideals of Aryan justice. A stone statue of Justice collapses, threatening to crush many slaves. The situation is saved by the youthful Jeevan (Prahlad), the king of an aboriginal tribe. Jeevan then falls in love with Princess Jayanthi (Chitnis). Although mainly a romance, the film also addresses ideals of justice and morality. Its key characters include the villainous vice boss Madhuvrat (Chhotu) who plots against Kodandavarma and entraps Uttam (Ulhas), the designated heir to the throne, and the dancing girl Lata (Apte) who is forced to seduce Uttam so as to alleviate the slaves' suffering.
*you tube full movie Izzat, Prem Kahani, Duniya Na Mane, Toofani Tarzan.wahan available
1938
1.Street Singer is considered as an “all time classic” from New Theatres Calcutta. The film starred K. L. Saigal, Kanan Devi, Jagdish Sethi and Bikram Kapoor with music by R. C. Boral. Directed by Prafulla Ghosh, the film established Kanan Devi’s popularity and her ‘melody queen’ status. It is also ranked as one of Saigal’s greatest hits, where his rendition of Wajid Ali Shah’s bhairavi thumri "Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Jaye" is considered a classic.
2.Dharti Mata directed by Nitin Bose for New Theatres, was a social film with a romantic component. The film starred K. L. Saigal, Uma Shashi, Kamlesh Kumari and Jagdish Sethi. It was a bilingual made in Bengali (Desher Maate) (1938) and Hindi at the same time. The film had the classic song, "Duniya Rang Rangili Baba". It was made against the backdrop of the rural (agriculture) and urban (technology) debate and highlighted the need of technology and new concepts for effective farming.
3.Gopal Krishna was a remake of Prabhat Film Company’s first silent film Gopal Krishna (1929). The film was made in Hindi and Marathi simultaneously. Directed by Sheikh Fattelal and V. G. Damle, it starred Ram Marathe, Shanta Apte, Ganpatrao , and Parshuram. The music was by Master Krishnarao. Made during the pre-independent India era, the story based on the young Lord Krishna is less mythology and more about a social awareness for change against the British regime. The film was a big success and appreciated for its music and sets.
4.Baghban Abdul Rashid Kardar Bimla Kumari, Sitara Devi, Nazir, Yasmin, B. Nandrekar, Ashraf Khan, K. N. Singh, Putlibai, Mirza Musharraf, Wasti, Lala Yaqub
5.Jailor Sohrab Modi Leela Chitnis, Sohrab Modi, E. Tarapore, Kamala Kumari, Sharifa, Kusum Deshpande, Abu Bakar, Sadiq Ali
6.Nirmala Franz Osten Devika Rani, Ashok Kumar, Maya Devi, Balwant Singh, Sankatha Prasad, Mumtaz Ali, Nazir Bedi, P. F. Pithawala, Saroj Borkar, M. Nazir, Gulab
*Youtube full movies Bhabhi, Jailor, Nirmala & Gopal krishna available
1939
1.Pukar was a historical drama directed by Sohrab Modi for his own banner Minerva Movietone based on Jehangir’s fair sense of justice. It was the most successful film of 1939. The film was one of the first to use spectacular sets and it was also Kamal Amrohi’s first film as a scriptwriter. The film starred Chandra Mohan as Jehangir, with Naseem Banu and Sohrab Modi.
2.Aadmi was a remake of the Marathi film Manoos (1939) and is regarded as a classic from Prabhat Film Company. The film starring Shahu Modak and Shanta Hublikar was a “reformist social melodrama” directed by V. Shantaram.
3.Dushman starring K. L. Saigal, Leela Desai and Prithviraj Kapoor was directed by Nitin Bose for New Theatres based on an idea suggested by Lady Lithgow to spread awareness of tuberculosis. The social aspect used with a romantic triangle and Saigal’s songs made it a notable film.
4.Adhuri Kahani Chaturbhuj Doshi Rose, Prithviraj Kapoor, Durga Khote, Keshavrao Date, Ishwarlal, Mira, Mirza Musharraf, Lala Yaqub
5.Ladies Only Sarvottam Badami Surendra, Sabita Devi, Bibbo, Harish, Kaushalya, Bhudo Advani, Prabha Devi, Sunalini Devi, Pande
6.Punjab Mail Homi Wadia Fearless Nadia, John Cawas, Boman Shroff, Sardar Mansur, Master Mohammed, Shahzadi, Sayani Atish, Sarita Devi, Nazira, Mithu Miyan
*Youtube full movies Aadmi, Pukar, Dushman, Kangan available

Madan Theatres Ltd, who had lost out in the race to produce the first talkie in India with Shirin Farhad which followed two months later, produced 8 Talkies from Calcutta. Shirin Farhad was "twice as successful" compared to Alam Ara, and had 17 (out of the 18) songs sung by Jahanara Kajjan and Master Nissar.

Ardeshir Irani released Alam Ara which was the first Indian talkie film, on 14 March 1931. Irani later produced the first south Indian talkie film Kalidas directed by H. M. Reddy released on 31 October 1931. Jumai Shasthi was the first Bengali talkie. Following the inception of 'talkies' in India some film stars were highly sought after and earned comfortable incomes through acting. Actor of the time, Chittor V. Nagaiah, was one of the first multilingual film actor, singer, music composer, producer and directors in India. He was known as the Paul Muni of India in the media.

In South India, the first Tamil talkie Kalidas which 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.

In 1933, East India Film Company has produced its first Indian film Savitri. Based on a noted stage play by Mylavaram Bala Bharathi Samajam, the film was directed by C. Pullaiah casting stage actors Vemuri Gaggaiah and Dasari Ramathilakam as Yama and Savithri, respectively and shot in Calcutta on a budget of ₹ 75,000. The blockbuster film has received an honorary diploma at Venice Film Festival. The first film studio in South India, Durga Cinetone was built in 1936 by Nidamarthi Surayya in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh. As sound technology advanced, the 1930s saw the rise of music in Indian cinema with musicals such as Indra Sabha and Devi Devyani marking the beginning of song-and-dance in India's films. Studios emerged across major cities such as Madras, Calcutta and Bombay as film making became an established craft by 1935, exemplified by the success of Devdas, which had managed to enthrall audiences nationwide. In 1937, Kisan Kanya directed by Moti B was released. It is the first colour film made in India. 1940 film, Vishwa Mohini, is the first Indian film, depicting the Indian movie world. The film was directed by Y. V. Rao and scripted by Balijepalli Lakshmikanta Kavi.

Swamikannu Vincent, who had built the first cinema of South India in Coimbatore, introduced the concept of "Tent Cinema" in which a tent was erected on a stretch of open land close to a town or village to screen the films. The first of its kind was established in Madras, called "Edison's Grand Cinemamegaphone". This was due to the fact that electric carbons were used for motion picture projectors. Bombay Talkies came up in 1934 and Prabhat Studios in Pune had begun production of films meant for the Marathi language audience. Filmmaker R. S. D. Choudhury produced Wrath (1930), banned by the British Raj in India as it depicted actors as Indian leaders, an expression censored during the days of the Indian independence movement. Sant Tukaram, a 1936 film based on the life of Tukaram (1608–50), a Varkari Sant and spiritual poet, was screened at the 1937 edition of Venice Film Festival and thus became the first Indian film to be screened at an international film festival. The film was subsequently adjudged as one of the three best films of the year in the World. In 1938, Gudavalli Ramabrahmam, has co-produced and directed the social problem film, Raithu Bidda, which was banned by the British administration in the region, for depicting the uprise of the peasantry among the Zamindars during the British raj.

Leading Ladies of 30's

Devika Rani was called the first lady of Indian cinema. In the 1930s, Bombay Talkies produced several women-centric films with Devika Rani playing the lead role in all of them. In majority of the films produced by the studio, she was paired opposite Ashok Kumar. Some of her notable films are Karma (1933), Jawani Ki Hawa (1935), Achhoot Kanya (1936), Prem Kahani (1937), Nirmala (1938), and Durga (1939) Anjaan (1941) Hamari Baat (1943). In 1958, the Government of India honored Devika Rani with a Padma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian honour. She became the first ever recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the country's highest award for films, when it was instituted in 1969.

Kanan Devi From silent film roles as a child artist Kanan made the successful transition into talkie films and was noticed with Jorebarat (1931), Manomoyee Girls School, Khooni Kaun and Maa (1934) The films of New Theatres established her as a super hit singer and her films ran to packed audiences. During her years with New Theatres, Calcutta from 1937, she played the lead in Barua's Mukti (1937), which was perhaps her finest performance, making her the studio's top star. Apart from Mukti, she did Vidyapati, Saathi (1938), Street Singer (1938), Sapera (1939), Jawani Ki Reet (1939), Parajay (1939), Abhinetri (1940), Lagan(1941), Parichay (1941) and Jawab (1942). She became known as Kanan Devi from this point. She worked with the biggest names in Indian cinema from K. L. Saigal, Pankaj Mullick, Pramathesh Barua, Pahari Sanyal, Chabi Biswas and Ashok Kumar.M.P. Productions's Jawaab, was perhaps her biggest hit. Her song Duniya Yeh Duniya, Hai Toofan Mail was well received. She repeated the same feast in Hospital (1943), Banphool (1945), and Rajlakshmi (1946). Kanan Devi's last Hindi film was Chandrashekhar (1948) with Ashok Kumar.She was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1976

Leela Chitins worked at Prabhat Pictures, Pune and Ranjit Movietone before going on to be the leading lady in Bombay Talkies.  Bombay Talkies was having limited luck at the box office. But it bounced back with Kangan ("Bangles", 1939), which introduced Chitnis playing the lead role. With Kangan's success, Leela replaced Bombay Talkies' ravishing leading lady Devika Rani. Leela made a particularly good partner with Devika Rani's leading man Ashok Kumar for a series of box-office hits such as Azad (Free, 1940), Bandhan (Ties, 1940) and Jhoola ("Swing", 1941) that broadly deal with societal issues. Ashok Kumar was so impressed by her acting abilities that he admitted to having learnt how to speak with his eyes from her. In 1941 Chitnis, at the height of her popularity and glamour, created history of sorts by becoming the first Indian film star to endorse the popular Lux soap brand, a concession then only granted to top Hollywood heroines.

Leela Desai, aka Lila Desai, was a famous Indian actress in the 1930s and 1940sShe acted in 11 Indian movies and was the associate producer of the movie, Kabuliwali in 1961.Her notable films are 'Didi' (a Bengali  film of 1937) Badi Bahen (1937) President (1937) Jiban Maran (1937) Dushman with  K.L.Saighal.In the film 'Kapal Kundala'(1939) she acted as 'Kapal Kundala'.Nartaki' was a film  having two versions and in both of them Leela Desai handled heroine role as 'Roop Kumara'.'Tamanna' was a Hindi film directed by Phani Majumdar in 1942.Leela Desai, Krishna Chandra Dey, P.Jairaj, Jagdish Sethi etc acted in it. 'Nagad Narayan' was a Hindi film which was directed by Vishram Bedekar in which Leela Desai, Kusum Deshpande and Pratima Devi acted. In 1944 she acted in the film 'Kaliyan'. She was associate producer of the movie ‘Kabuliwala’ in 1961.

Akhtari Bai‘s good looks and sensitive voice made her an ideal candidate for a film career in her early years. After the advent of talkie era in India, Beghum Akhtar acted in a few Hindi movies in the 1930s. East India Film Company of Calcutta approached her to act in "King for a Day" (alias Ek Din Ka Badshah) and Nal Damayanti in 1933.Like others of that era, she sang her songs herself in all her films. She continued acting in the following years. Her notable films are Roti (1942) and Jalsaghar (directed by Satyajit Ray).

Shobhna Samrath's first film was "Orphans of Society" (1935) also called Nigahe Nafrat or Vilasi Ishwar for Kolhapur Cinetone.She left Kolhapur Cinetone and joined Sagar Movietone (Sagar Film Company), she acted in Do Dilwale (1936) and Kokila (1937). By the end of 1937, Shobhana left Sagar and joined General Films, acting in Industrial India (Nirala Hindustan)and  Pati Patni (1939).By 1939 she had joined Hindustan Cinetone making four films with them, which included Kaun Kisi ka (1939) Saubhagya (1940)  Apni Nagariya (1940) and  Ghar Javai (1941)In 1942 came her career-defining film Bharat Milap, followed by Ram Rajya in 1943.Samarth later produced and directed a pair of movies that launched the careers of her aughters, Nutan and Tanuja

Jaddan Bai was an early singer, music composer, actress and filmmaker of Bollywood and one of the pioneers of Indian cinema. She was the mother of well-known actress Nargis. She was the first female music director in the Indian film industry, followed by Saraswati Devi. She later began acting and her films were Raja Gopichand, Insaan ya Shaitan, Prem Pariksha and Seva Sadan, She started her own production company called Sangeet Films. The company produced Talashe Haq in 1935, in which she acted and composed the music.

Sitara Devi When she was just a twelve-year-old girl, Sitara Devi was recruited by Niranjan Sharma, a filmmaker and a dance director, and she gave dance sequences in some Hindi movies including her debut in Usha Haran 1940, Nagina 1951, Roti, Vatan 1954, Anjali 1957 (directed by Chetan Anand, brother of Dev Anand). In Mother India 1957, she performed a Holi dance dressed as a boy, and this was her last dance in any movie. She stopped performing dances in movies, as the same were adversely affecting her passion for excelling in the classical dance, kathak.

Sabita Devi is stated to be one of the "prominent" leading ladies of the "pioneering era" of Indian cinema. A Jew by birth, she changed her name to find acceptability in Hindi cinema like the other Anglo-Indian and Jewish actresses of her time. After initially working with British Dominion Films Ltd., Calcutta, she shifted to Bombay and performed mainly in films produced by Sagar Movietone with her co-star in most films being Motilal. Some of the popular films with Motilal were Dr. Madhurika (1935) and Kulvadhu (1937). One of the top directors of the time she worked with doing social genre films was Sarvottam Badami. She formed her own production company, Sudama Pictures, in collaboration with Sarvottam Badami along with the assistance of Ranjit Studios. From 1935–1943 Sabita acted in fifteen films, all directed by Badami. Some of the comedy films she acted in like Aap Ki Marzi (1939) and Ladies Only (1939), turned out to be big box-office successes.[

Jamuna   was married to the legendary actor director Pramathesh Barua, or P.C. Barua, who died in 1950. She began her acting career in her husband's famous production Devdas in 1936 and was the film's lead character Parvati or Paro. She went on to make a number of memorable movies in Assamese, Bengali and Hindi, notably Amiri, Mukti, Adhikar and Sesh Uttar. She stopped acting after Barua died.