Ardeshir Irani facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ardeshir Irani
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| Born |
Khan Bahadur Ardeshir Irani
5 December 1886 |
| Died | 14 October 1969 (aged 82) |
| Alma mater | Sir J. J. School of Art |
| Known for | Early Indian cinema |
Khan Bahadur Ardeshir Irani (born December 5, 1886 – died October 14, 1969) was a very important person in early Indian cinema. He was a writer, director, producer, actor, and even a camera person. He helped movies change from silent films to "talkies" (films with sound).
Ardeshir Irani is famous for two big achievements. He directed Alam Ara, which was India's very first sound film. He also produced Kisan Kanya, India's first color film. He made movies in many different languages, like Hindi, Telugu, English, German, Indonesian, Persian, Urdu, and Tamil. He was also a successful businessman who owned movie theaters and other agencies.
Life and Career
Ardeshir Irani was born in Pune, India, on December 5, 1886. His family followed the Zoroastrian religion. In 1905, he started working as a representative for Universal Studios in India. He also managed the Alexander Cinema in Bombay for over 40 years. This is where he learned a lot about making movies.
In 1917, Ardeshir Irani began producing films. His first silent film was Nala Damayanti, which came out in 1920.
In 1922, Irani teamed up with Bhogilal Dave. Dave used to manage Dadasaheb Phalke's film company. Together, they started a new company called Star Films. Their first silent film was Veer Abhimanyu, released in 1922. It starred Fatma Begum. Dave handled the filming, while Irani directed and produced. Star Films made 17 movies before their partnership ended.
Later, in 1924, Irani started Majestic Films. He worked with two talented young people, B.P. Mishra and Naval Gandhi. Irani produced the films, and Mishra or Gandhi directed them. After making 15 successful films, Majestic Films closed. Then came Royal Art Studios, which also made many romantic films.
In 1925, Irani founded his most important company, Imperial Films. Here, he made 62 movies. By the time he was 40, Ardeshir Irani was a well-known filmmaker in India.
His biggest achievement was making Alam Ara, India's first sound film. It was released on March 14, 1931. Many of his silent films were later remade into talkies with the same actors. He also made Noor Jahan (1931), which was the first Indian English film.
Irani continued to make history by producing Kisan Kanya (1937). This was India's first color film. His work didn't just add sound and color to movies. He also brought new ideas and stories to Indian filmmaking. Many films today still use themes from the 158 movies he made.
In 1933, Irani produced and directed Dokhtar-e-Lor. This was the first sound film made in the Persian language.
Imperial Films also helped many new actors become famous in Indian cinema. These included Prithviraj Kapoor and Mehboob Khan. Irani even made Kalidas as a bilingual film. It was shot in both Telugu and Tamil on the same sets as Alam Ara.
To learn about sound recording, Irani traveled to London, England, for 15 days. He used this knowledge to record the sounds for Alam Ara. He also started a new trend in filming. Back then, outdoor scenes were shot in sunlight. But the outdoor noises bothered him. So, he decided to shoot the entire film inside the studio using bright artificial lights. This is how shooting under artificial light became popular.
Ardeshir Irani made 158 films over 25 years. This was between the First and Second World Wars. His last film was Pujari in 1945. He was smart and realized that wartime was not good for the film business. So, he stopped making films during that period. Ardeshir Irani passed away on October 14, 1969, in Mumbai, at the age of 82.
Filmography
As director
- 1922: Veer Abhimanyu (Silent film)
- 1931: Alam Ara (First Indian Talkie)
- 1933: Lor Girl (First film in Persian)
As producer
- Anarkali (1928)
- Draupadi (1931)
- Kisan Kanya (First Indian Colour film)
As actor
- Ferdowsi (1934)
See also
