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80 Years Of Hindi Talkies! PDF Print E-mail
Written by Gajendra   
Monday, 14 March 2011 15:31
Friends, Eighty Years Ago the first Hindi Talkie, Alam Ara (The Light Of The World) released on March 14, 1931 at the Majestic Cinema in Mumbai. 
Alam Ara

Both the movie and its music were widely successful, including the hit song De de khuda ke naam per, which was also the first song of the Indian cinema, and was sung by actor Wazir Mohammed Khan who played a  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. Ardeshir Irani handled the sound recording department, using the 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 at night, to avoid daytime noises, with microphones hidden near the actors.

 

A Still From Alam Ara

The film also marked the beginning of filmi music in the 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.

An Alamara Still

he film is a 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).

Master Vithal and Zubeida in Alam Ara

In the end, Adil is released, Dilbahar is punished and the lovers marry.

Newspaper Advertisement For Alam Ara

After the fire at National Film Archives Of India in 2003, which destroyed the last surviving prints of several classics such as Raja Harishchandra and Achhut Kanya, this film is no longer available in its original format. 

Ardeshir Irani Recording Alam Ara

But one can enjoy Zubeida ji reminiscing a few lines from the movie, which were recorded for the Mortal Men Immortal Melodies Concert in 1981 to commemorate 50 years of Hindi Talkies below:-

 

 

 

Also enjoy some lines from the superhit De De Khuda Ke Naam Pe sung by a young Hariharan.

 

 

 

The song is lost but our friends from Hind Yugm have attempted to recreate the song and pay tribute to the film   here

Information Sources: Wikipedia, Venkat (Simplefable), Sujoy

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Last Updated on Monday, 14 March 2011 16:03
 

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