Alam Ara

Infobox_Film
name = Alam Ara


caption =Alam Ara film poster, 1931.
writer = Joseph David
Urdu: Munshi Zaheer
director = Ardeshir Irani
producer = Imperial Movietone
starring = Master Vithal
Zubeida
Jilloo, Sushila, Prithviraj Kapoor
music = Ferozshah M. Mistri
B. Irani
cinematography = Wilford Deming
Adi M. Irani
distributor =
released = March 14, 1931
runtime = 124 mins
country = flagicon|IndiaIndia
language = Hindi
budget =
editing = Ezra Mir
imdb_id = 0021594

"Alam Ara" ("The Light of the World"; 1931), directed by Ardeshir Irani, was the first Indian sound film. [ Goddard, John. "Missouri MasalaFear not, St. Louisans: You don't need to go to Bombay to get your Bollywood fix" Riverfront Times, St. Louis, Missouri, July 30, 2003, Music section. ]

Irani recognized the importance that sound would have on the cinema, and raced to complete "Alam Ara" before several other contemporary sound films. "Alam Ara" debuted at the Majestic Cinema in Mumbai (then Bombay) on March 14, 1931 [ [http://www.indiamarks.com/guide/The-'First'-movies/242 The 'First' talkies film] www.indiamarks.com.] . The first Indian talkie was so popular that "police aid had to be summoned to control the crowds." [Quoted in Chatterji (1999), "The History of Sound."]

ignificance

Both the movie and its music were widely successful, including the hit song, "De de khuda ke naam per", which was also first song of the Indian cinema, and was sung by actor, "Wazir Mohammed Khan", who played a fakir in the film, . As playback singing had yet to start in Indian cinema, it was recorded live with musical accompaniment of a harmonium and a tabla [ [http://www.saregama.com/magezine_html/Issue1/ourArchives-Alam.htm Alam Ara- first song] Archives, www.saregama.com.] .

The film also marked the beginning of filmi music in Cinema of India, as noted film director, Shyam Benegal said, "“It was not just a talkie. It was a talking and singing film with more singing and less talking. It had a number of songs and that actually set the template for the kind of films that were made later,” .

Production

Ardeshir Irani handled the sound recording department, using Taran Sound System. It was shot with the Tanar single-system camera, which recorded sound directly onto the film. Since there were no soundproof studios available at the time, the shooting was done mostly in the night, to avoid daytime noises, with microphone hidden near the actors. [http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060326/spectrum/main1.htm Talking images, 75 years of cinema] The Tribune, March 26, 2006, "Retrieved:2008-08-04"]

ynopsis

The film is love story between a prince and a gypsy girl, based on a Parsi play written by Joseph David. David later served as a writer at Irani's film company. The story centers on an imaginary, historical royal family in the kingdom of Kumarpur. The main characters are the king and his two warring wives Dilbahar and Navbahar. Their rivalry escalates when a fakir predicts that Navbahar will bear the king's heir. Dilbahar, in revenge, attempts to have an affair with the kingdom's chief minister Adil. The affair goes sour and a vengeful Dilbahar imprisons him and exiles his daughter, Alam Ara (Zubeida). In exile, Alam Ara is brought up by Gypsies. Upon returning to the palace at Kumarpur, Alam Ara meets and falls in love with the charming young prince (Master Vithal). In the end, Adil is released, Dilbahar is punished and the lovers marry.

After the fire at National Archives of India, Pune, in 2003, which destroyed last surviving prints of several classics such as, Raja Harishchandra and Achyut Kanya, this film is no longer available in original format [http://www.idleburra.com/2007/03/indias-first-talkie-lost-in-silence.html India's first talkie lost in silence] "“It is a sad thing, but there is no print of the film available. We are, however, trying to see if there is anything to be found anywhere else in the world. The search is still on,” says former director of NFAI, K S Shashidharan."] .

Influences

The film was inspired by Rodgers and Hammerstein's Show Boat by Universal Pictures. [ Goddard, John. "Missouri MasalaFear not, St. Louisans: You don't need to go to Bombay to get your Bollywood fix" Riverfront Times, St. Louis, Missouri, July 30, 2003, Music section. ]

oundtrack

Film had music by Ferozshah M. Mistri and B. Irani, and had seven songs:

* "De de khuda ke naam pe pyaare, taaqat ho gar dene ki, kuch chaahe agar to maang le mujhse himmat ho gar lene ki": Wajir Mohammed Khan
* "Badla Dilbayega Ya Rabb tu Sitamgaron se": Zubeida [ [http://mazhar.dk/film/history/40s/1947.htm Alam Ara] Film History.]
* "Rutha Hai Asman gum ho gaya mahatab": Jillu
* "Teri Katili nigahon ne mara"
* "De dil ko aaram aye saki gulfam"
* "Bhar bhar ke jam pila ja sagar ke chalane bala"
* "Daras bina mare hai tarse naina pyare"

Cast

* Master Vithal ... Adil
* Zubeida ... Alam Ara, this made her the First Talkie Actress of India [ [http://www.downmelodylane.com/firstinfilms.html First Talkie Actress - Rani Zubieda] www.downmelodylane.com.]
* Jillo
* J. Sushila (as Sushila)
* Prithviraj Kapoor
* Elizer
* Wazir Mohammed Khan
* Jagdish Sethi
* L.V. Prasad

ee also

Dena Paona

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0021594| title=Alam Ara