1930s Indian Movies

A Princess is tricked into marrying a naive and illiterate youth.

A jaded socialite, Vinakumari, and her lover, Dr. Rasik, discover purpose at a Gandhian ashram. Vinakumari dedicates herself to the poor as the ashram battles challenges from urban temptation to famine and greedy landlords. Dr. Rasik eventually joins the cause, bringing much-needed medical aid to the struggling community.

Dr. Madhurika, a career-focused woman, marries Narendra on condition .of no children or interference. Her neglect of home and close ties with colleague Dr. Gaurish spark Narendra's jealousy. However, when Narendra helps Gaurish's wife and a stranger, Madhurika's own jealousy leads her to embrace a domesticated role

Motilal in the role of a doctor, wants to join the revolutionaries along with his girlfriend played by Shobhana Samarth. Both are opposed by their parents. The parents find it difficult to come to terms with what they consider as 'western influences' on their children in clothes and thinking. Several humorous situations arise in the process with everything finally ending to the satisfaction of both generations.

About the modern girl of India. Fashion, fast cars, luxury and sexual freedom.

Gunsundari, the dutiful wife, acts as savior for her troubled joint family. Her father-in-law Shyamaldas battles alcoholism and accusations, while her husband Chandrakant falls prey to villains and a prostitute, losing his property. Gunsundari also aids her sister-in-law Sushila through marital woes, facing personal trouble due to a secret. Destitute, she eventually reunites with a similarly down-on-his-luck Chandrakant on the streets. A coincidence ultimately reveals Shyamaldas left his property to his estranged son, leading to a happy ending.

Set in medieval Rajput court, mainly addresses Rajput notions of chivalry. The legendary warrior Mansingh (Phatak) is the nation's strong man but he is cordially hated even by his own people. Claiming to have been offended by Taramati (Tarkhad), he insists to her eminent father that only a marriage (on terms insulting to her) can placate him. He becomes a tyrant imprisoning large numbers of people, and eventually Taramati's father, also in prison, leads a popular revolt, threatening to kill his son-in-law. Only Taramati's decision to protect her husband resolves the conflict.

Two sisters, Iqbal and Sharifa, battle for control of a kingdom. Iqbal wins, persecuting Sharifa, who is supported by Iqbal's husband. When Iqbal captures her brother-in-law, he stands firm in his ideals. The treacherous general's daughter, Bano, champions a pacifist campaign after losing her lover. With the help of the adventurous Nadia and Parsee Charlie, disguised as dancers, they infiltrate the enemy.

Betaab's best-known script tells of Radha (Gohar), a carefree rural belle who is supposed to marry childhood friend Gopal, but instead falls in love with a stranger who turns out to be the missing Prince Vijaysingh. When Ihe king despatches soldiers to recover the prince, Vijaysingh discards the pregnant Radha. She is attacked by the villagers for her immorality and eventually appears before the prince, her former lover, in court where she refuses to denounce him. Her child dies, she becomes a prostitute and eventually dies in the arms of the prince.

This classic film chronicles the life of Tukaram (17th C.), one of Maharashtra’s most popular saint poets, activating the 20th century resonances of his turning away from courtly Sanskrit towards vernacular rhythms of religious poetry.

An adventorous drama centered on a bold, rebellious, and unconventional female protagonist

A period adventure with Motilal in a famous dual role. Judhajit (Sankatha), the outlawed brother of the king of Udayanagar, wants revenge on the royal family. He had left the palace with one of the king's twin sons who grew up as Indrajit, the twin of the drunken and debauched Prince Shatrujit (both Motilal) due to marry Princess Chanda (Sabita Devi). Indrajit is sent to kidnap her as part of the vendetta but the two fall in love. Shatrujit is too drunk to go through the marriage procedure and the dewan (Ansari) asks Indrajit to impersonate his brother. Indrajit is now torn between his love for Chanda and his promise to the dewan, but the story ends happily,

The naive Saroop (Nandrekar) romantically renounces earthly pleasures under the influence of a sadhu (Ashraf Khan). Arrested at a fairground and jailed, fellow convicts change his view of the world. Working in the prison’s garden, he meets the superintendent Sohanlal’s (Nazir) daughter Durga (Kumari), who was married as a child to a boy now believed dead. Ranjit (Singh) covets her and on her wedding day to the nasty Ranjit, it is discovered that Saroop was her child-husband.

Radical journalist Diwakar clashes with his traditional father and a scheming politician, Vithalrao, who seizes his newspaper. Disgusted, Diwakar leaves home. His wealthy girlfriend, Nalini, initially supports Vithalrao but later campaigns for Diwakar, who represents slum-dwellers in an election. Despite her father's support, Nalini urges voters for Diwakar. Nalini wins, but Diwakar's loss is depicted as a moral victory, critiquing middle-class materialism.

A love affair and two feuding families who play out a Romeo and Juliet type drama in 17th century India, under the Emperor Jehangir.

A classic modernization melodrama exploring the consequences of female autonomy.

The film is based on a story set in the Chola Empire in year 1083 AD. The titular character in the story is Ambikapathy (M K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar), the son of the Tamil poet Kambar (Serugulathur Sama) who is in love with the Chola princess and daughter of Kulothunga Chola, Amaravati (played by M. R. Santhanalakshmi). The king objects to their love and insists on testing Ambikapathy's literary mettle before judging his worth. The test given to Ambikapathi is that he should write and sing a hundred poems in the field of Puram (dealing with war and politics). The poems should not have any reference to the field of Aram (dealing of love and romance). Ambikapathi begins the test in the King's court with a Kadavul Vaazhthu (invocation to God). Amaravathi who is keeping the count, mistakes the invocation as a poem and counts it as poem number one.

A tearful melodrama about a progressive writer, Pushpa (Gohar), and her weak husband, Kulin (Billimoria). She has to fight her domineering mother-in-law and the tyrannies of a conservative household. When falsely accused of theft and infidelity by her wayward sister-in-law Gulab, Pushpa is forced out of the house. In her final state of penury, she recalls the examples of the great female Saint-Poets of Indian history, like Meerabai. Secondary characters are used to caricature Bombay's merchant class e.g. Mahatma Ramanand Adambar, a fortune-teller who suspects his wife of infidelity, and a gold collector called Prof. Pyarelal.

Ostensibly a Central Asian war fantasy about a conflict between the Cossacks and the Tartars, Mehboob’s film proposes a tale advocating national independence. The Cossacks are oppressed by the despotic Russian king (Siddiqui) and his minister Jabir (Kayamali), who has Tartar blood in him. General Murad (Kumar) covertly sides with the opposition, gets arrested for treason and escapes. He meets the wild Gulnar (Sitara Devi) and gets her to spy as a maid of Princess Nigar (Bibbo). Nigar falls for Murad and Gulnar withdraws from the scene for the sake of her nation. Eventually Nigar, at the head of an army of women, helps defeat the villains.

A love tragedy featuring a policeman, Ganpat (Modak) and a prostitute, Mainal (Hublikar). Ganpat saves Maina from a police raid on a brothel and they fall in love. Her reputation and sense of guilt resist his attempts to rehabilitate her. Ganpat's respectable middle-class mother (Sundarabai) symbolizes all that Maina would like to be, but she is arrested for murdering her evil uncle and refuses Ganpat's offer to release her from prison.

Preceded by a legend describing its heroine as a 'Brave Indian girl who sacrificed royal luxuries to the cause of her people and her country', the story opens with a prologue showing Krishnavati and her infant son being thrown out of the house in a thunderstorm by the wicked Prime Minister Ranamal who also killed her brother. 20 years later the now adult son, Jaswant, is hit by a royal motor car and given a bag of gold in compensation. His refusal of the gift attracts the admiration of Princess Madhuri. When the nasty Ranamal, who wants to marry her, imprisons her father the king, she becomes the masked Hunterwali, 'protector of the poor and punisher of evildoers', and performer of stunts like jumping over a moving cartand fighting 20 soldiers at once. She steals Jaswant's prize horse, Punjab, but returns it later. Jaswant chances upon a nude Hunterwali bathing in the river and after a long duel captures her and takes her to Ranamal to claim his reward.

A mythological tale tells the cherished tale of Lord Krishna, the divine king of Dwarka, and his impoverished childhood friend, Sudama. Despite their vastly different lives, their pure bond of friendship endures. The story portrays Sudama's reluctant visit to Dwarka and Krishna's miraculous, selfless blessing upon his devoted friend.

Neera (Apte) is trapped into marrying an old widower Kakasaheb (Date). He is a progressive lawyer with a son and daughter of Neera's age. Neera refuses to consummate the union claiming that while suffering can be borne, injustice cannot. Neera faces many hurdles including her mother-in-law and a lascivious stepson Pandit (Nene).

An early social drama produced and directed by Sohrab Modi

Badi Bahen aka President is a 1937 Hindi social romantic drama film (the Bengali version was called Didi and starred several different actors). The story according to the credit roll of the film is "A tale of love and greater love" developed on an idea by M. M. Begg. It was a love triangle with a social content that highlighted the conditions of the mill workers. It was also the first film to show a liberated educated woman managing her own factory

Prince Parvez is against the marriage his mother has arranged for him with a neighbouring princess.

Ayodhyecha Raja, literally "The King of Ayodhya", was the first Marathi talkie. It is based on the mythological story of Raja Harishchandra of Ayodhya and his test by sage Vishwamitra, as recounted in Valmiki's epic, Ramayana. The film was also made as a double-version, Ayodhya Ka Raja (1932) in Hindi, making it the first double version talkie of Indian cinema.

The Wadia's, remake of Homi Master's 1932 silent film is a Ruritanian drama mainly featuring the stunts of the horse Punjab-Ka-Beta. Good King Mansingh (Tarapore) is dethroned by evil minister Zalim Singh (Khambatta). Princess Hansa (Husn Banu) transforms lover Prince Randhir (Sarda Mansoor) from an easy-going youth into the masked Hind Kesari, saviour of the poor.

This classic opens with a sensational low-angle circular track movement as Chandika cult followers meet in a dungeon of flickering lights and deep shadow. As the more rationalist King Krantivarma (Varde) banned human or animal sacrifices from the increasingly fanatical festivals dedicated to the goddess, the cult's high priest (Chandramohan/Date) orders the hapless Vishwagupta (Kelkar) to kill the king.

Thiruneelakantar is a 1939 Tamil-language film directed by Raja Sandow and starring M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar. The film was a big hit and was known for M.K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar's acting apart from his songs. Famous nadaswaram artist T. N. Rajarathinam Pillai makes a guest appearanace in the movie.The film was based on the life history of Thiruneelakanta Nayanar, one of the 63 Nayanmars.

This silent historical drama chronicles the life of Mehr-un-Nissa, who rises from humble beginnings to become the powerful and influential Empress Noor Jahan, wife of Mughal Emperor Jehangir. The film explores her intelligence, beauty, and significant role in shaping the Mughal Empire.

This mythological film is based on the Mahabharata. It depicts the tale of how Savitri (Gohar) saves her husband Satyavan (Bhagwandas) from the clutches of Yama, the god of death.

Nightingale (Kokila) is a 1937 Hindi social family drama film directed by Sarvottam Badami

Mafatlal, an unemployed wanderer, is kicked out of his home with a mission: get rich. He chases a "resident son-in-law" ad, plots lawsuits, and even fakes being a station-master, enduring robbery along the way. Ultimately, he's chosen by Heeralaxmi, a woman with "advanced views." The film is packed with quirky women campaigning on bizarre platforms, a comedy subtly exploring male anxieties in the face of female liberation.

1938 Hindi language film

Successful stunt movie featuring a vivacious prince (Jayant), his evil uncle, and a masked girl (Akhtar). Its major attractions, apart from Akhtar who also sings all the songs, is a performing gorilla. Together with e.g. Leatherface (1939), this is the best known of mythological specialist Bhatt’s early stunt work.

Amar (Bilimoria) and Ila's (Shantakumari) love is disrupteted by the dashing Samar (Ishwarlal). The rivals get embroiled in the Kashmir war and Samar dies in Amar's arms. Amar returns to find that Ila has become an ascetic but they eventually get married.

Hansa, daughter of Veer Singh, escapes an attack on her family by the villain Zalim Singh in which her mother is killed, her father injured and her sister Padma abducted. Growing up as a Harijan (an untouchable) she transforms the word to 'Hurricane', dons a mask and overthrows Zalim. She falls in love with Zalim's good son Diler. The horse Punjab-Ka-Beta features in its usual key role, rescuing Hansa when she hangs from a cliff, leaping over a wall of fire and aiding the love angle by nudging Diler into the pond where Hansa is having a bath.

A parable about human suffering and capitalist enterprise. The village head man has bandits attack the house of Ramesh to settle a feud. They kidnap the man's wife Roma, and abandon their infant son in the forest. Years later, Roma works as the nurse of a kind millionaire while the boy Raghunath shares a neighbourhood house with other unemployed youths who collectively dream of starting a soap factory. The father is a beggar on the streets. None of them know of each other's existence until circumstances bring the family together...

To the vow made to sage Vishwamitra, King Harishchandra bequeath his kingdom to the sage, sells his wife Chandramati and son Rohitdas.