Kohinoor Film Company (Est: 1919) India’s largest and most influential silent studio. Preceded by S.N. Patankar’s Patankar Friends & Co., where Kohinoor proprietor D.N. Sampat (1884-1958) entered film production, and followed by the Krishna, Sharda and Imperial Studios, it was until 1928 the place where Indian cinema turned professional. Launched in partnership with Maneklal Patel, then an Ahmedabad exhibitor, some of the studio’s first films were documentaries informed mainly by Sampat’s Gandhian adherences, e.g. the film of the Ali brothers’ arrival (1920) and Horniman’s return to Bombay after release from prison (1925). Also known in this period for topicals and newsreels, incl. e.g. Bodhgaya-Benares, Taj Mahal and St. Xavier’s Exposition. Early Kanjibhai Rathod films were restricted to Bombay and Western Indian exhibition outlets but the studio made a national impact in the wake of the notoriety generated by the banning of the nationalist Bhakta Vidur (1921), followed by the success of Gul-e-Bakavali and Kala Naag (both 1924), all aimed at a pan-Indian audience. The big breakthrough was the appointment of independent distribution agents, Bachubhai Bhagubhai, who bought rights to all their films. By 1925 the studio’s monthly booking revenue exceeded Rs 50,000. The idea of the Hollywood-style film factory with several simultaneous productions, of story sessions and the building of star careers, transformed the production practices of the till then Phalke-dominated notion of a studio as a family-based cottage industry. Early cameramen incl. V.B. Joshi and D.D. Dabke. Although Kohinoor’s surviving publicity pamphlets indicate only one over-determining authorial presence, writer Mohanlal Dave (until Manilal Joshi shifted the practice by writing his own screenplays and giving a full list of credits, even the actors were rarely mentioned and almost never the director), it was nevertheless the place where the star system was born with Moti and Jamna and where the silent cinema’s most successful filmmaker, Homi Master, did his best-known films. Tara, Khalil, Raja Sandow and Zubeida started there, as did Sulochana in Bhavnani’s Veer Bala (1925). Other major Kohinoor figures include Chimanlal Luhar, Harshadrai Mehta, cameraman Pandurang Naik, Gohar, V.M. Vyas, Haribhai Desai (later of Surya Film) and Ranjit proprietor Chandulal Shah. Virtually the entire Imperial stable of directors, including R.S. Choudhury, Bhavnani, Nandlal Jaswantlal and R.N. Vaidya came from Kohinoor. After a fire virtually destroyed the studio in 1923, Maneklal Patel pulled out to start Krishna, and after 1928 Devare was mostly responsible for the studio’s new incarnation as the employee-run co-operative venture Kohinoor United Artists. A key figure in the studio’s later years was cameraman director N.G. Devare. It closed in 1932.
Kanjibhai J. Rathod: Often considered the first professional director in Bombay cinema. Former still photographer, he joined Suchet Singh as an actor (1919), appearing in Mrichhakatik and playing the lead in Narasinh Mehta; probably completed the unfinished films of Singh’s Oriental Film with G.S. Devare. Joined Kohinoor (1920) and remained top director with the 20s hit Gul-e-Bakavali and the celebrated Bhakta Vidur, banned for political reasons. Then worked in Saurashtra Film in Rajkot (1924-5). Returned to Bombay and became the force behind Krishna Studio after 1925 (barring a brief stint at the Kohinoor United Artists), making five soundfilms for Krishna Movietone in 1931. His Kono Vak?, from a story by Munshi, was a radical social for its time and confirmed his authorial signature. Briefly worked in talkies at Sagar, then made a few inexpensive films in Hindi and Gujarati as freelancer. Towards the end of his career was employed as production manager in Dhirubhai Desai’s Chandrakala Pics, even as the latter remade several Rathod silents, including Bolti Bulbul (1942), Devkanya and Bhakta Prahlad (both 1946).
Top silent cinema scenarist; first scenarist to get his name above the title (see e.g. the publicity pamphlets of Kohinoor Film which often give no other credits). Started as an accountant; then publicist for Imperial Theatre in Bombay. Apparently honed his craft writing lively synopses in publicity hand-outs for Pathé’s imports. Entered films with S.N. Patankar and moved to National Studio (where he was already paid Rs 10,000 a year to write a minimum of 15 stories) and Kohinoor, where he made his reputation and wrote about one screenplay a week. Thereafter worked at Jayant Pics. and at Imperial with the coming of sound, where he often teamed up with director Jaswantlal. As a professional, he handled all genres, but his narrative style is related to the then emerging popular Gujarati fiction as introduced to the cinema by ex-novelists like Naranji Vassanji Thakkar, Gopalji Delwadekar, Shaida etc. His scripts are said to have included detailed camera movements, fades etc., as in Rathod’s complicated Gul-e-Bakavali (1924), written in 92 scenes. Major early scripts: the politically controversial Bhakta Vidur (1921), the Rathod hit Kala Naag (1924), Chandulal Shah’s début film Panchdanda (1925) and Homi Master’s Fankdo Fituri (1925). His sound films were often rewrites of his own silent hits with dialogue. His major successes were with V.M. Vyas, including the Gujarati film Ranakdevi (1946). Remained a popular writer until the 60s.
(1911-90) Actress born in Surat as a Muslim princess, daughter of the Nawab of Sachin and Fatma Begum (later India’s first woman director). Started in silent films at Kohinoor aged 12. Early career was dominated by her extraordinarily beautiful sister Sultana, a better-known star in the 20s. Her second sister, Shehzadi, also became a teenage actress. Zubeida’s best silent work was for Manilal Joshi at the Kohinoor, Laxmi and Excelsior Studios. Played the lead in Alam Ara, India’s first sound film. Identified with courtesan roles in big Urdu, stage-derived costume pictures, a tradition extended by Meena Kumari. Developed the tragic dimension of her image in several of Naval Gandhi’s socials including the prestigious Tagore adaptation Balidan. Freelanced at the Ranjit and Sagar Studios and in her mother’s films: Bulbul-eParistan, Heer Ranjha, Milan Dinar. Set up Mahalakshmi Cinetone (1934) with the film-maker Nanubhai Vakil. Retired at the height of her stardom in the late 30s, doing only a few films later on.
Probably first woman director in India. Married the Nawab of Sachin and mother of silent superstars Sultana and Zubeida as well as of Shahzadi. Career on Urdu stage, then film actress in Irani’s Star Film (Veer Abhimanyu); set up Fatma Film (1926), later Victoria-Fatma Film (1928). Actress at Kohinoor and Imperial Studios while producing, writing and directing (often also acting in) her own films at the Fatma Co. Continued acting in the 30s, e.g. for Nanubhai Vakil and Homi Master.
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