Kisan Kanya (1937 film)

Infobox_Film
name = Kisan Kanya


director = Moti B. Gidvani
writer = Saadat Hasan Manto
starring = Padmadevi
Jillo
Ghulam Mohammed
Nissar
Syed Ahmed
Ghani

producer = Ardeshir Irani
distributor =
music =
cinematography =
editing =
released = 1937
runtime = 137 min.
language = Hindi/Urdu
imdb_id = 0214858

"Kisan Kanya" was a 1937 Hindi feature film which was directed by Moti B. Gidvani and produced by Ardeshir Irani of Imperial Pictures. It is largely remembered by the Indian public on account of it being India's first indigenously made colour film.Cite web|url=http://www.thecolorsofindia.com/interesting-facts/cinema/first-color-film-made-in-india.html|title=First Color Film Made in India|accessdate=2008-04-29|publisher=colorsofindia.com] Cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/2004/may/27cinema.htm|title=Know more about Hindi cinema|accessdate=2008-04-29|publisher=rediff.com] cite book | title=Bollywood: A Guidebook to Popular Hindi Cinema |url=http://books.google.co.in/books?id=DIVlw5AzQTgC&pg=PT220&lpg=PT220&dq=kisan+kanya+color+film+story&source=web&ots=M1G9HE5EDT&sig=Y6BMrc4JzN8FwfqFdAoZDu8jjRM&hl=en| last=Ganti| first=Tejaswini| date=2004| pages=208| publisher=Routledge| id=ISBN:0415288533] Cite web|url=http://www.culturopedia.com/Cinema/earlyera.html|title=The Early Films (1930s-1960s)|accessdate=2008-04-29|publisher=culturopedia.com]

Production

Film pioneer Ardeshir Irani, who had produced notable films as "Nala Damayanti" (1920) which was India's first international co-productionCite web|url=http://www.punjabilok.com/misc/movies/first_indian_cinema.htm|title=The firsts in Indian cinema |accessdate=2008-04-29|publisher=culturopedia.com|author=Subir Ghosh] (with Italy) and India's first talkie "Alam Ara" (1931)Cite web|url=http://www.indianetzone.com/9/ardeshir_irani.htm|title=Ardeshir Irani, Indian film maker|accessdate=2008-04-29|publisher=indianetzone.com] conceived the idea of producing a color film. The result of his efforts was the color film "Kisan Kanya" made with the Cinecolor processcite book | title=Encyclopedia of Hindi cinema| url=http://books.google.co.in/books?id=8y8vN9A14nkC&pg=PT76&lpg=PT76&dq=Kisan+Kanya+film+cinecolor&source=web&ots=rvPx1hxmb8&sig=LiIkMiY2Ks1-pNU7fb5iV2u4l9A&hl=en| last=Encyclopedia Britannica| coauthors=Gulzar, Govind Nihalani, Saibal Chatterjee| date=2003| pages=52| publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica (India) Pvt Ltd| id=ISBN:8179910660] whose process rights Irani had obtained from an American company.

V. Shantaram had earlier produced a Marathi film "Sairandhri" (1933) which had scenes in color.Cite web|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2002/05/02/stories/2002050200380100.htm|title=A navrang of Shantaram's films |accessdate=2008-04-29] Cite web|url=http://www.culturopedia.com/first_in_india_misc.html|title=First in India|accessdate=2008-04-29|publisher=culturopedia.com] However, the film was processed and printed in Germany "Kisan Kanya" was, therefore, India's first indigenously made color film.

Cast

*Padmadevi
*Jillo
*Ghulam Mohammed
*Nissar
*Syed Ahmed
*Ghani

Plot

Kisan Kanya was based on a novel by Saadat Hasan Manto and focussed on the plight of poor farmers. The story revolved on the life of a poor peasant Ram (Nisar) who was being ill-treated by his landlord Ghani. Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0214858/plotsummary|title=Plot summary from the IMDB entry for Kisan Kanya|accessdate=2008-04-29|publisher=IMDB] Eventually, Ghani is murdered and Ram becomes the prime suspect in the eyes of the public. The film performed moderately at the box-office.

Other early color films

Ardeshir Irani made another color film Mother India in 1938 which was another average grosserCite web|url=http://www.downmelodylane.com/firstinfilms.html|title=First in Films|accessdate=2008-05-05|publisher=downmemorylane.com] . However, the commencement of the Second World War delayed the advent of color. The first Indian film in Kodachrome color was "Ajit" made in 1948.

References

External links

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