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Alam Ara

Alam Ara
Alam Ara poster, 1931.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Ardeshir Irani
Produced by Imperial Movietone
Written by Joseph David
Munshi Zaheer (Urdu)
Starring Master Vithal
Zubeida
Jilloo
Sushila
Prithviraj Kapoor
Music by Ferozshah M. Mistri
B. Irani
Cinematography Wilford Deming
Adi M. Irani
Edited by Ezra Mir
Release date
14 March 1931
Running time
124 mins
Country British India (Now India & Pakistan)
Language Urdu
Budget 390 million (US$5.8 million)(Adjusted)
Box office 2.89 billion (US$43 million) (Adjusted)

Alam Ara (Hindi: आलम आरा, Urdu: عالم آراء‎, translation: The Ornament of the World) is a 1931 Indian Bollywood Hindi/Urdu film directed by Ardeshir Irani. It was the first Indian sound film.

Irani recognised the importance that sound would have on the cinema, and raced to complete Alam Ara before several contemporary sound films. Alam Ara debuted at the Majestic Cinema in Mumbai (then Bombay) on 14 March 1931. The first Indian talkie was so popular that "police aid had to be summoned to control the crowds."

The film has long been lost and was not available as far back as 1967 according to the National Film Archive of India, Pune.

The film is a love story between a prince and a gypsy girl, based on a Parsi play written by Joseph David. David later served as a writer at Irani's film company. The story centres on an imaginary, historical royal family in the kingdom of Kumarpur. The main characters are the king and his two warring wives, Dilbahar and Naubahar. Their rivalry escalates when a fakir predicts that Navbahar will bear the king's heir.

Dilbahar, in a fit, attempts to have an affair with the kingdom's chief minister, General Adil (Prithviraj Kapoor). The affair goes sour and a vengeful Dilbahar imprisons him and exiles his daughter, Alam Ara (Zubeida). In exile, Alam Ara is brought up by Gypsies. Upon returning to the palace at Kumarpur, Alam Ara meets and falls in love with the charming young prince (Master Vithal). In the end, Adil is released, Dilbahar is punished and the lovers marry.


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