Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a key figure in the production of India’s first talkie film, Alam Ara.Here’s how | Bollywood News
Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the founder of Pakistan, but he was also the lawyer who actually made it possible for Alam Ara to become India’s first talkie 93 years ago.
It is said that when the Lumière Brothers’ “The Arrival of a Train” was first performed in front of an audience in 1896, some patrons actually got up from their seats and ran outside. This was because they were afraid that a train might come closer and run them over. . When video was first introduced to the world, the impact was so great that audiences couldn’t even fathom that the visuals playing on screen weren’t actually happening live in front of their eyes. In India, cinema was introduced by the British, but our first domestically produced films were Dadasaheb Phalke’s Raja Harishchandra, 1913, made Indians believe that building their own film industry was an achievable dream. 111 years later, we know it was totally worth it. Eighteen years later, there was a rush to produce the first talkies in India, where people actually spoke the lines and the audience didn’t have to read the cards on the screen, and this gave birth to Alam Ara. I did.
The world’s first talkie film, The Jazz Singer, had already been released in 1927, and a few years later, filmmaker Ardeshir Irani produced Universal Pictures’ 1930 film in Mumbai (then Bombay). When I saw the movie “Show Boat” in 2017, I knew it was time. He will produce India’s first talkie film. In a 1980 interview with BD Garga, Irani stated that they filmed indoors at night to minimize noise and record as there was no soundproof stage. However, the production of a talkie film was a “closely guarded secret” as other studios were also competing to make India’s first talkie film. Irani said filming took “many months” as recording with audio proved difficult.
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Alam Ara’s problems were not limited to the filming process, but actually began during the casting of the film.In fact, the problem becomes so large that at some point Muhammad Ali Jinnah also had to be involved. During this period, Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a prominent lawyer in Mumbai and a key member of India’s fight against the British Raj. At that time, Alam Ara was still in the casting stage and all the popular silent actors wanted to appear in this historic film.
One of those actors was Master Vitthal, who was popular for his action films, but he too was contractually signed to another company, Sharada Studios. Master Vitale knew that the future of cinema lay in talkie films, and was ready to break his contract at once. Irani also wanted to cast him because he was a popular face and a surefire way to attract audiences. However, as soon as Master Vittal signed Irani for Alam Ara, Sharada Studios sued him. According to a Scroll article from 2015, this was when Master Vitthal approached Jinnah, the most prominent lawyer of the time, who defended him and ultimately won the case, which led to Master Vittal being named Alam.・He says he was able to play the role he wanted at Ara.
As is well known, Jinnah himself had an affinity for performing arts. After she received her education in England, Jinnah briefly considered building her theatrical career with Shakespeare’s troupe. But she received a stern letter from her father and she quickly abandoned her idea. Although Jinnah could not become an actor, he played a key role in producing India’s first talkie film. Jinnah is one of the historical figures he founded Pakistan in 1947 and was responsible for the partition of India.
Also read | Indian PM rejects post over Kashmir attack plan: Rumors and facts about Jinnah on birth anniversary
Casting Master Vitthal may have been a challenge, but Irani soon realized that it was not a good decision as the actor was not good at speaking lines. Irani built scenes with minimal dialogue. After talkie films became popular, Master Vitale’s career as a movie star ended. Alam Ara also starred Zubeida and Prithviraj Kapoor. The Kapoor family is still involved in the film industry. His great-grandchildren are actors Kareena Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor. They are often referred to as the “first family of Indian cinema”.
Six weeks after the release of “Alam Ara”, Madan Theaters released “Shirin Farhad”, which went on to achieve further success, but lost the competition to become India’s first talkie film. In 1931, 28 of his talkies were released in India, and it was clear that a new era of cinema had arrived.
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Date first uploaded: March 14, 2024, 08:04 IST
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