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Posted: 18 years ago

#51

In Bengal, a region rich in culture and intellectual activity, the first Bengali feature film in 1917, was remake of Phalke's Raja Harishchandra. Titled Satyawadi Raja Harishchandra, it was directed by Rustomjee Dotiwala. Less prolific than Bombay based film industry, around 122 feature films were made in Calcutta in the Silent Era.

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#52

The first feature film in Tamil, also the first in entire South India, Keechakavatham was made during 1916-17, directed by Nataraja Mudaliar.

Marthandavarma (1931) produced by R Sunder Raj, under Shri.Rajeswari Film, Nagercoil, directed by P V Rao, got into a legal tangle and was withdrawn after its premiere. Based on a celebrated novel by C V Raman Pillai, the film recounts the adventures of the crown prince and how he eliminates the arch-villains to become the unquestioned ruler of the Travancore State. The film has title cards in English and Malayalam, some of which are taken from the original text. A few of the title cards and action make obvious reference to the Swadeshi Movement of the time. Had it not been for the legal embargo, the film would have had a great impact on the regional cinema of the South.

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Posted: 18 years ago

#53

V Shantaram

V Shantram was one of the founding fathers of Indian cinema. His art and works remain unparalleled in aesthetics and technique to this day. True to the name of the company 'Prabhat' that he founded; V. Shantram was not just a pioneering actor, director and producer of the Bollywood, but a genius who infused talent, creativity and life into the fledgling industry. An indefatigable worker to his last days V. Shanataram left an extensive body of his works for others to seek inspiration and emulate.

As is true of most of the showbiz greats of yesteryears, this doyen was born in a household of very modest means as Rajaram Vankudre Shantaram in 1901 at Kolhapur. Due to urgencies of being born in a poor house, V. Shantram was deprived of his basic education. He started working early in life on small time jobs to support himself and his family. Mysterious indeed are the ways of destiny! One of the greatest showmen of Bollywood was to begin his career as a curtain puller in a theatre. V. Shantaram kept on doing such lowly jobs, while picking up nuances of acting and filmmaking in whatever interaction he had with professionals of those times.

Slowly, he graduated to acting and performed a role in Savkari Pash (1925) directed by Babu Ram Painter. In the process he became one of the ardent disciples of Painter, A stroke of fate brought Shantram in contact with V.G. Damle, K.R. Dhaiber, Syed Fatelal, and S.B. Kulkarni – all professionals in different aspects of filmmaking. In 1929 they set up the Prabhat Film Company. Prabhat came out with a brilliant movie Gopal Krishna (1931). Those were the times when mythological themes generated greater interest than social ones. But it was the ingenuity of Shantram and his colleagues that they could bring about fusion of contemporary themes into mythological dramas. 'Ayodhya Ka Raja (1932) was the first talking picture produced by Prabhat.

As the silent movies gave way to 'talkies', the glory of Painter was on the wane and the star of his protgs came on the ascendant. After making a few hits, Shantaram became obsessed with the idea of making a colour motion picture. This experimentation sent him to a tour of Germany, where he met some of the best cinematographers of that age. V.Shantaram fully incorporated the 'tricks of the trade' learnt in Europe and imbibed them in his craft. Since then there was no looking back for V. Shantram as he churned out film-by-film; winning public acclaim and awards on regular intervals.

This was also the time he shifted to Poona and set up his studio on a sprawling piece of land. V.Shantaram produced and directed 'Amrit Manthan' set in the ancient society when Buddhism had challenged the decadent ritualistic practices. The film subtly tried to comment on the life and times of current society too. In Padosi (1941) V Shantram seemed to make a desperate appeal to his people to forsake sectarianism and bigotry.

A quirk of fate made him dismantle the Parbhat Film Company in 1942 and he set up his own production unit under the banner of RajKamal Mandir in Bombay. It is here that some of the best-directed films of V.Shantram like Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani (1942) and Do Aakhen Baara Haath (1957) saw the light of the day. Do Aakhen Baara Haath (1957) won many National and International Awards, including the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and the Samuel Goldwyn Award for Best Foreign Film. Besides, the film won the President's Gold Medal as the Best Feature of 1957 in India.

Dahej (1950) was a poignant commentary on the evil of dowry. We see strong under currents of social reform in most of the films produced and directed by V. Shantaram. The first colour film of V. Shantaram Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955) was a box office hit. As the time progressed he launched his daughter Rajshree in Geet Gaya Pathron Nein (1960). Pinjra (1972), a bi-lingual in Hindi and Marathi stands out as a trademark V. Shantaram film in many of his later works. However, the last film Jhanjaar (1986) performed miserably.

V.Shantram passed away in 1990 at the ripe old age of 89. A versatile genius, the life flow of V.Shantram was marked exactly by the time and tenure of the emergence and evolution of Indian cinema. V. Shantaram had seen and performed in all the eras of the Indian film. But as someone has said, "Life is short and art is long"-- the ever-onward journey of filmmaking continues to prosper, as the memories of this great master slowly faint into obscurity.

Edited by Chalavanth - 18 years ago

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Posted: 18 years ago

#54

Spotlight on Pre-independence era

A rare still from Ardeshir Irani's Alam Ara, the first Indian talkie (1931).

11 March 1931 will remain as the second most important date in the annals of the region's history of cinema. On that day Alam Ara, the first full length locally-produced talkie film, was released at the Majestic Cinema, in Bombay. It was made under the banner of the Imperial Film Company owned by Ardeshir Irani and his silent partner, Abdul Ali Yusuf Bhai. Though the film was only partly in sound, it created a great impact at the box office. The public response was overwhelming and for the first time tickets were sold in the black market for as much as twenty rupees for a normal seat otherwise worth a few annas. Alam Ara a.k.a. The Light of the World had top ranking artistes like Master Vithal, Zubeida, Prithivi Raj, Jillo Bai, Yaqub, Jagdish Sethi and W.M. Khan in the cast.

The film had a few songs, sung by the actors themselves and recorded at the time of shooting. The concept of playback singing, using the voice-over technique, was introduced later, after the invention of the optical sound recording and playing sound machine which could run in sync with the camera. The popularity of a lyrical composition, De de khuda ke naam par pyare (Give alms in the name of God) went beyond the imagination of any analyst. The film's business soared as the melody spread to every nook and corner of the country. Though it was another five years before the era of silent films ended, the song, as a new element in the cinema of the subcontinent, had come to stay.

Alam Ara was closely followed by yet another talkie, Shirin Farhad, produced by Madan Theatres of Calcutta. Based on the love legend of Persia, it starred Master Nisar and Jahanara Kajjan, a popular duo of the time. The script and dialogues were penned by Agha Hashar Kashmiri. The film had as many as forty-two songs.

The first talkie of the Punjab was Heer Ranjha and it came within a year and a half of Alam Ara. It was produced under the banner of a newly-formed studio called Play Art Photo Tone, owned by Hakim Ram Parshad, the proprietor of the Capital Theatre (later Ranjit Cinema) in Lahore. Kardar directed the film in the Urdu language, casting Anwera Begum and Rafiq Ghaznavi (the flamboyant actor and music composer) in the main lead, with M. Ismail, Lala Yakub, and Walayat Begum also in the cast. The heroine and hero got married and are the maternal grandparents of Salma Agha, the glamorous singer-actress who achieved the distinction of acting in both Indian and Pakistani films during the late eighties.

Balo, who acted in Heer Sial (1938) was the

mother of Pakistan's first superstar actress Sabiha Khanum.

Edited by Chalavanth - 18 years ago

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Posted: 18 years ago

#55

Cont...

The story of Heer Ranjha was written by Syed Abid Ali Abid and the screenplay by M. Sadiq. The film was major box-office hit and Kardar's fame reached Calcutta, his next destination. Other notables in the field were Seth Hari Ram who founded the Punjab Art Studios to produce Abla and Falcon under the direction of Ramgopal Kirpalani. Elephanta Movietone was set up as production unit in the Capital cinema building by film journalist B.R. Oberoi to produce Pavitar Nartiki. Daily Milap's editor Lala Nanak Chand set up the Ravi Talkies to produce Paap Ki Nagri. It was during this period that Sant Nagar's Jaswant Singh purchased land from landlord Fida Husain to set up a studio on the banks of the Lahore canal. This was named Northern India Studios which later came to be known as Punjab Studio. The first film produced here was R.L. Shori's Radhe Shyam, which Shori directed with the help of A.P. Kapoor in 1932.

Lahore talkie productions found easy access to the mainstream distribution market and attracted many entrepreneurs including a rich Lahorite, Dr Daulat Ram, who invested in a film studio at Muslim Town. He made three films: Sacred Ganges and Suhag Din directed by Imtiaz Ali Taj and also Surag Ki Seerhi. All the scripts were written by Syed Imtiaz Ali Taj and directed by J.K. Nanda. The cast included Bibbo (Ishrat Sultana), Prem Adeeb and Jeevan. Swarg Ki Seerhi was the first film of Master Ghulam Haider as music director. It was during the shooting of the same film that Haider fell in love with Umrao Zia and married her. Commercially, none of the films clicked at the box office.

Pran and Ranjana in Pancholi's Yamla Jatt (1940).

While Dr Daulat Ram was making sound films, two other cineasts, Roshan Lal Shorey and Dalsukh Pancholi, were planning to make talkies in Lahore. R.L. Shorey started his career in the photolitho department of the Military Staff College, Quetta. From there he went to the USA for training in photography. On his return, he settled in Lahore and founded Kamla Movietone in 1924. During the era of silent movies, his film work was mostly sponsored by the government of British India. With the advent of sound he turned towards feature production and made his first film Radhe Shyam based on Hindu mythology. Later his Quetta-born son, Roop Kishore, better known as Roop. K. Shorey, expanded the family enterprise and attained the status of a movie mogul. The first film Roshan Lal Shorey directed and produced was Majnu (1935). Herald Louis was the hero opposite Shyama Zatshti, the daughter of a Lahore barrister. Sheyama was a Congress leader who took part in political activities, therefore she bid farewell to the film world later. Other cast members included Mukhtar, Sultan Beg (Khosat), Hakam Singh and Kamla. This was also the first film of Wali Sahib as writer. Herald Louis earned such fame from the film that he was known for the rest of his life as Majnu.

Dulla Bhatti (1940), and the Punjabi blockbuster of 1942, Mangti with an all Lahorite cast of Mumtaz Shanti, Masud Pervaiz, Majnoon and Manorma were other hit films produced by Kamla Movietone. The same company later produced Koel and Nishani. But when the two films failed, the Shoris left the Northern Studios and shifted to a smaller studio behind Regent cinema.

The other cineast, Dalsukh M. Pancholi (1906-59) was born in Karachi. Dalsukh studied script-writing and cinematography at New York. He expanded the film distribution network started by his father during the First World War and became the largest importer of American motion pictures in northern and western India. His first feature was a Punjabi film Gul Bakavli, released in 1938. It marked the debut of child star Noor Jehan as a singer in films. One of the two compositions of Ghulam Haider, Shala Jawania, was cheered all over Punjab and earned a name for its singer.

Later, Seth Pancholi sent shock waves by producing Zamindar, a major box-office hit. Shanta Apte was called to lead the female cast opposite Dr S.D. Narang. The next Pancholi film, Poonji, was also a great hit. The film had, for the first time, a chorus in color.

Noor Jehan and Pran in Pancholi's Khandaan (1942),

Pancholi also offered Shaukat Hussain Rizvi his directorial debut in Khandan. It was, according to the local cinema genre, a Muslim social film. Noor Jehan and Pran Krishna were paired in this film as heroine and hero. In post-independence Bombay, Pran dropped Krishna from his name and had a long and highly successful career playing the villain and later doing several memorable character roles. Khandan featured some of Ghulam Haider's refreshing tunes sung in the melodious voice of Noor Jehan.

Tu kaun si badli me mere chand hey aaja and Meri ammi ka raj bhala became popular all over India. The film broke all previous collection records for Urdu films. Noor Jehan and Shaukat Hussain went to Bombay to pursue higher ambitions and soon got married there. Through the Hindi-Urdu productions of Pancholi Art Pictures, Lahore cinema penetrated the country-wide distribution network.

The years 1942-43 saw Lahore reaching the zenith of the Indian film industry when more than one dozen production units were set up. Syed Ataullah Shah Hashmi, then editing a film weekly Adakar ventured Ravi Par directed by Zia Sarhady. Patwari, directed by Raj Hans, Ik Musafir,directed by R.K. Shori, and Pagli were also made that year.

Rashid Attrre made his debut as music director in Pagli. Another notable film of the period was Gawandhi, in which Shyam appeared for the first time as hero and Veena as heroine. Veena's real name was Tajour Sultana and she belonged to Lahore's Chuna Mandi.

Seth Pancholi then gave another super hit, Daasi, which saw the first appearance of Om Parkash and G.N. Butt. Najmul Hasan was the hero with Raagini in the female lead. Direction was by Haran Bose, called from Calcutta, and film had music by Pandit Amarnath. Other less important films followed; and then came Gul Baloch (Punjabi), a film made in 1943-44 which was comedian Nazar's first film. It also introduced Mohammad Rafi as a playback singer. Nigar Production's Panchhi saw Ajmal in the male lead for the first and last time.

The success of Pancholi's films can be mainly attributed to the enchanting musical score of Ghulam Haider. The team worked well through five films but then Pancholi broke away from the maestro. Of Pancholi's five latter films including Shireen Farhad, Dhamki and Kaise Kahoon, none clicked at the box office. Pancholi fled to Bombay when communal riots erupted in most parts of the subcontinent at the time of independence - Mahmood Zaman, Mirza Abdul Haq, Mushtaq Gazdar & Ummer Siddique

Edited by Chalavanth - 18 years ago

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Posted: 18 years ago

#56

K.L.SAIGAL

- A CENTURY OF INDIA'S CINEMATIC LEGEND

K L Saigal in Devdas….Remembering India's first superstar

K. L. Saigal was no ordinary actor-singer. He created the grammar of film singing in the nascent Indian talkie era. Now, in the year-long celebrations to mark the century of the singer, there are plans for a retrospective of Saigal's films, research projects and release of a complete set of CDs of his songs.

Long before Shah Rukh Khan was born and when Amitabh Bachchan was still an infant, a colossus ruled the silver screen of India. Going by the name of Kundan Lal Sehgal, he was India's first legendary superstar whose aura and charisma still remains intact..

K. L. Saigal was no ordinary actor-singer. He created the grammar of film singing in the nascent talkie era in the thirties, setting standards that are nearly impossible to improve. He was the original Devdas. Besides he played a vast range of characters including Surdas and Tansen. He worked in Calcutta and the Bombay film industry and was the supreme singing star of the thirties and forties decade.

The range of Saigal's recorded music is vast. Besides film songs, he has sung khayal, bandish, ghazals, geets, bhajans, hori and dadra in numerous Ragas. He sang in Hindi, Urdu, Pushto, Punjabi, Bengali and Tamil.

Born on April 4, 1904 Saigal created magic till his untimely alcohol-related death on January 18, 1947. To mark the 100 years of the singer, Saigal Sangeet Sarita an organisation dedicated to propagate his music is spearheading year-long celebrations which will include a retrospective of Saigal's films, research project on his musical style and voice culture, a website and the release of a complete set of CDs of his songs.

" A genius like Saigal comes once in generations," says Amarjeet Singh Kohli, impresario and organizing secretary of the Saigal Sangeet Sarita. " It is but natural that we pay our homage to such a gifted artist."

Saigal was born in Jammu where his father Amar Chand was a tehsildar at the court of the Raja of Jammu & Kashmir. His mother Kesar Bai was a deeply religious lady who was very fond of music. She used to take her young son to religious functions where bhajan, kirtan and shabad were sung in traditional styles based on classical music.

The young Saigal also accompanied his father to the interior parts of the state where he listened intently to the folk music of Punjab and Kashmir straight from the shepherds and wandering minstrels. He did not have a formal training in classical music nor a Guru but his extraordinary musical perception made him absorb the notes that went into his ears and respond to all technical musical needs as a singer.

His formal schooling was brief and uneventful. He got a job in the railways as a timekeeper and later in Remington Typewriters as a salesman where he toured several parts of India. Meanwhile, the passion for singing became more intense with the passage of time.

A friend introduced Saigal to Raichand Boral, the highly respected music director of the pioneering film company New Theatres of Calcutta. He was employed at a salary of Rs 200 per month. There, he came in contact with stalwarts like Pankaj Mallik, K C Dey and Pahari Sanyal and in a short time he stood tallest among them with his brilliant singing and popularity. There was a certain pain in his voice that left listeners bewitched.

Mohabbat Ke Ansoo
was the first film in which Saigal had a very minor role. This was followed by Subah ka Sitara and Zinda Laash in 1932. These films did not do well. It was in 1933 that his two bhajans in Puran Bhagat created a sensation. These were, Radhe Rani De Daaro Na Bansari Mori and Bhajun Mai To Bhaav Se Shri Girdhari.

Thereafter, Saigal never looked back. Films that followed included some of the all-time greats like Chandidas, Yahoodi Ki Ladki and Rooplekha.The real breakthrough came soon thereafter with Devdas in 1935 which established him as the first superstar of the Indian Cinema. It created history and continued to haunt film lovers for years to come.

In Devdas, Paro was played by Jamuna and Chandramukhi by Rajkumari both top actresses of their time. The songs of this film, like Baalam Aye Baso More Man Mein, Dukh Ke Ab Din Beetat Naahin and Piya Bin Nahin Aavat Chaen were sung in all corners of India.

Interestingly, Saigal picked up Bengali and acted in seven films produced by New Theatres of Calcutta. Rabindranath Tagore first heard Saigal before giving consent to a non-Bengali singing his songs. He endeared himself to the whole of Bengal with his 50-odd Bengali songs.

Success followed success and he went on a signing spree acting in great hits like Crorepati, Karwan-e-Hayat, Dharti Mata, President, Pujarin, Dushman, Lagan, My Sister, Zindagi and Street Singer. Needless to say they were lapped by viewers mainly for Saigal's songs.

There are a number of immortal songs of this era which form the heritage of film music in India. Do Naina Matwaare Tihaare, Main Kya Jaanoo Kya Jaadu Hai, Preet Me Hai Jeevan Jokhon, Ek Bangla Banay Nyara, Tarpat Beete Din Raen, Soja Rajkumari and the unforgettable Babul Mora.

In December 1940, Saigal shifted to Bombay where he did more memorable films like Bhakta Surdas, Tansen, Kurukshetra, Omar Khayyam, Tadbeer, Shahjahan and Parwana. The songs which took him to greater heights were: Diya Jalao Jagmag Jagmag, Rumjhum Rumjhum Chaal Tihari, Baag Laga Doon Sajani, Chah Barbaad Karegi, Ai Dil-e-beqarar Jhoom, Gham Diye Mustaqil, and the immortal Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya.

Saigal acted in 36 films of which 29 were in Hindi and seven in Bengali. He sang 150 film songs and 110 non-film songs and lent his voice to the creations of Ghalib, Zauk and others.

Saigal had one son, Madan and two daughters, Nina and Bina. None of his children are now alive, the younger daughter Bina Chopra expired in October 2001 in Delhi.

Edited by Chalavanth - 18 years ago

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Posted: 18 years ago

#57

1948

Prem adib and naseem bano in anokhi ada

Uday Shankar made Ballet film Kalpana and got huge appreciation for his innovative and unique idea.

S S Vasan made Chitralekha with a huge budget of Rs. 35 lacs and thus gave challenge to the film makers.

Raj Kapoor founded his RK Banner.

Government revived the production of documentaries and newsreels.

Nehru Ji announced a freeze on construction of movie theatres.

Edited by Chalavanth - 18 years ago

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Posted: 18 years ago

#58

Year 1948

Popular films

Shaheed : Ramesh Sehgal
Dilip Kumar, Kamini Kaushal

Mela : S U Sanni
Dilip Kumar, Nargis

Anokha Pyar : M I Dharmani
Dilip Kumar, Nargis

Anokhi Ada : Mehboob
Prem Adib, Naseem Bano

Nadiya Ke Paar : S U Sanni
Dilip Kumar, Kamini Kaushal

Chandralekha : S S Vasan
Rajkumari, Yashodhara Katju, Ranjan

Popular songs

Yaad Rakhna Chand Taron : Anokha Pyar
Lata Mangeshkar

Gaye Ja Geet Milan Ke : Mela
Mukesh

Ek Teer Chalane Wale Ne : Pagdee
Sitara, Mukesh

Ek Dil Ke Tukde Hazar Hue : Pyar Ki Jeet
Mohd. Rafi

Watan Ki Raah Me : Shaheed
Mohd. Rafi, Khan Mastana

Marne Ki Duwayen Kyun Mangoon : Ziddi
Kishore Kumar

Films released

Total Films Released : 263

Hindi : 147

Bengali : 37

Tamil : 32

Telugu : 7

Marathi : 7

Kannada : 2

Others : 4

Edited by Chalavanth - 18 years ago

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Posted: 18 years ago

#59

1949

Raj kapoor with nargis in Barsaat

Government re-introduced the compulsory exhibition of 'approved' documentary films.

Indian Cinematograph 1918 amended to include new censorship classification for 'Adult' and 'Unrestricted' exhibitions of films.

Film Division of India established.

Dev Anand founded his Banner Nav Ketan alongwith his elder brother Chetan Anand..

Bombay Talkies made 'Anyaay' by putting the clips from its earlier 14 films, together.

Edited by Chalavanth - 18 years ago

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Posted: 18 years ago

#60

Year 1949

Popular films

Andaaz : Mehboob
Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Nargis

Barsaat : Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor, Nargis

Mahal : Kamal Amrohi
Ashok Kumar, Madhubala

Dillagi : Kardar
Shyam, Suraiyya

Shabnam : B Misra
Dilip Kumar, Kamini Kaushal

Badi Bahan : D D Kashyap
Suraiyya, Rehmaan

Popular songs

Uthaye Ja Unke Sitam : Andaaz
Lata Naushad

Chup Chup Khade Ho : Badi Bahan
Lata Mangeshkar

Hawa Me Udta Jaye : Barsaat
Lata Mangeshkar

Chhod Gaye Balam : Barsaat
Lata Mangeshkar

Tu Mera Chand Main Teri Chandni : Dillagi
Suraiyya, Shyam

Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon : Patanga
Shamshad Begum, Chitalkar

Films released

Total Films Released : 291

Hindi : 159

Bengali : 62

Tamil : 21

Telugu : 7

Kannada : 6

Marathi : 15

Others : 21

Edited by Chalavanth - 18 years ago

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Down the Years( frame to frame) - Page 6

V Shantaram

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