Bandhan (1940)

         Basic  Information,

Directer             -  N.R. Acharya
Producer          -    N.R. Acharya
Writer                -    J.S. Casshyap, Amiya Chakrabarty
Cast                     -  Leela Chitnis, Ashok Kumar, Suresh
Studio                -  Bombay Talkies
Release             -   1940 
Running Time   -    154 minutes
Box Office       -  50,00,000 
Special  note     -    It was the second highest grossing Indian film of   1940. 

Zindagi (1940)

    Basic  Information,

Directer             -   P.C. Barua
Producer          -    P.C. Barua
Writer                -    Javed Hussain, Kidar Nath Sharma
Cast                    -   K.L. Saigal, Jamuna, Pahadi Sanyal, Ashalata Wabgaonkar
Studio                -  New Theatres Ltd.
Music                 -   Mullick
Release             -    1940 
Running Time  -     120 minutes
Box Office     -  55,00,000 
Special  note     -    This was the most earning movie in the year 1940.

It was the highest grossing Indian film of 1940. The music, by Mullick,  features songs such as 'So ja Rajkumari' and 'Jeevan asha hai'. The film has been described as one of Barua's most beautiful films, and his last for New Theatres". The film revolves around Ratan (K.L. Saigal), an unemployed university graduate.

Pukar (1939)

poster of 'Pukar' 

        Basic  Information,

Directer           -   Sohrab Modi
Producer        -    Sohrab Modi
Writer              -    Kamal Amrohi, Vishnupant Aundhkar, S. Ameer Hyder
Cast                      -    Sohrab Modi,  Chandramohan,  Naseem
Cinematography    -  Y. D. Sarpotdar
Editor                 -    A. K. Chaterji,  D. Shirdhankar
Release            -    1939 
Running Time   -     165 minutes
Story  note      -     A love affair and two feuding families who play out a Romeo and Juliet type drama in 17th century India, under the Emperor Jehangir.

 Introduction

A seen of washerwoman

Pukar is about Mughal emperor Jehangir's legendary justice and focuses how Jehangir offers himself to be killed when a washerwoman accuses the empress Noorjehan (Naseem Bano) of killing her husband in a hunt.

The movie is a typical Sohrab Modi production (which always seemed to be historical) with heavy and lengthy Urdu dialogues said in a loud and dramatic style. Story and lyrics are by Kamal Amrohi. Pukar is considered to be the earliest Muslim social film.

                                                                    Story

Chandramohan in a seen of Jahangir

Set at the court of the harsh Mughhal Emperor Jehangir (Chandramohan), the film tells two separate love stories: the first of Mangal Singh (Ali) and Kanwar (Sheela) amid the violent feud raging between their families, and the second, the famous one of Jehangir and Nurjehan (Banu). Mangal kills the brother and father of his lover. His father, the loyal Rajput chieftain Sangram Singh (Modi), captures his son and Jehangir passes the death sentence. Jehangir's claim that the law knows no class distinction is put on the test when a washerwoman (Akhtar) accuses Queen Nurjehan of having inadvertently killed her husband during a hunt. Jehangir offers his own life but the washerwoman magnanimously forgives him.

Kisan Kanya (1937)

         Basic  Information,

Directer                   -    Moti B. Gidvani
Producer               -    Ardeshir Irani
Writer                      -    Saadat Hasan Manto
cast                              -    Padmadevi, Jillo, Ghulam Mohammed, Nissar, Syed Ahmed, Ghani
Cinematography    -   V. Avadhoot
Release                  -    1937 
Running Time      -     137 minutes
Special note         -     this was the first colour film in history of Indian cinema

Introduction

Film pioneer Ardeshir Irani, who had produced notable films as Nala Damayanti (1920) which was India's first international co-production  (with Italy) and India's first talkie Alam Ara (1931) conceived the idea of producing a color film. The result of his efforts was the color film Kisan Kanya made with the Cinecolor process  whose process rights Irani had obtained from an American company.

V. Shantaram had earlier produced a Marathi film Sairandhri (1933) which had scenes in color.  However, the film was processed and printed in Germany Kisan Kanya was, therefore, India's first indigenously made color film.

Kisan Kanya was based on a novel by Saadat Hasan Manto and focussed on the plight of poor farmers. The story revolved on the life of a poor peasant Ram (Nisar) who was being ill-treated by his landlord Ghani.  Eventually, Ghani is murdered and Ram becomes the prime suspect in the eyes of the public. The film performed moderately at the box-office.

Story

Rural crime drama featuring an exploitative landlord (Gani) and a good peasant Ramu (Nissar) who is accused of murdering the landlord.

Duniya Na Mane (1937)

      Basic  Information,

Directer                          -    V. Shantaram,  Rajaram Vankudre Shantaram
Producer                       -    Prabhat Film Company
Writer                             -    Narayan Hari Apte (novel & screenplay),  Munshi Aziz (dialogue)
cast                                 -   Shanta Apte, Keshavrao Date, Raja Nene
Cinematography       -       V. Avadhoot
Release                        -        1937 
Running Time            -     154 minutes




Introduction
Kunku or Duniya Na Mane   based on the Marathi novel, Na Patnari Goshta by Narayan Hari Apte, who also wrote film’s screenplay.

The movie went on to become both a critical and commercial success, and was shown at the Venice International Film Festival. The film is now hailed for "its daring attack on the treatment of women in Indian society." and depiction of child marriage.

For film's lead actress, Shanta Apte, it was third most memorable performance in a row, after V.Shantaram's previous classics, Amrit Manthan (1934) and Amar Jyoti (1936). Besides other songs, she also sang a full-fledged English song in the film: "A Psalm of Life", written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882).

Story

Neera [Marathi]/Nirmala [Hindi](Apte) is trapped into marrying the old widower Kakasaheb (Date). He is a progressive lawyer with a son and a daughter of Neera's age. She refuses to consummate the union, claiming repeatedly that while suffering can be borne, injustice cannot. After facing many hurdles including an aunt (Vasishta), her mother-in-law, and a lascivious stepson Pandit[M]/Jugal[H] (Nene), her husband has a change of heart and magnanimously commits suicide, enjoining Neera to marry someone more suitable. The change occurs mainly through his widowed daughter Chitra[M]/Sushila[H] (Paranjpye, a noted social worker off screen) who provides a forcefully feminist movement in a speech to the young bride.

Reference sites 

• Wikipedia
• IMBD