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Alam Ara, a love story between a prince and gypsy girl – the first sound talkie to be made and released in India on this day (14 March) in 1931, which introduced the idea of music and playback singing in Indian cinema. A fantasy set piece directed by Ardeshir Irani, the sound film was an adaptation of a Parsi theatre play written by Joseph David. It breathed new life in storytelling since the silent era mostly relied on mythology for scripts.
Since the masterpiece completes 90 years of its release, here we are with Interesting 9 facts about Alam Ara.
- This was the first sound film made in Hindi.
- This was the first full-length sound film shot in India.
- As it was the first sound film it became so popular that cops had to be called in to control crowd outside the theater’s.
- De De Kuda Ke Naam Per”, which was also the first song of the Indian cinema.
- The film was mostly shot at night, between 1am and 4am with microphones hidden near the actors. The studio was near the railway tracks, and the noise of the trains disturbed the shooting during the day.
- Ruby Myers was considered for the title character but Zubeida was cast instead. It was because Ruby Myers was an Iraqi Jew and was not fluent in Urdu or Hindustani language.The then newcomer Mehboob Khan, who later went on to make Mother India (1957), was considered for the male lead. But, they decided to cast a more commercially viable actor and chose actor-stuntman Master Vithal.
- Films only print is said to be lost in 1967.
- Presently, no copy of this film officially exists.
- All Living. Breathing. 100 Per Cent Talking”
This was the tagline employed in the promotions of the film. Sounds pre-historic right? and the Hindi punchline was….wait for it…. ’78 murde insaan zinda ho gaye. Unko bolte dekho’?
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