Home > Entertainment > Indian Movies > First Film Studios in Mumbai
First Film Studios in Mumbai
The film studios in Mumbai provided the foretaste of the shape that Indian cinema took

Share this Article:

First Film Studios in MumbaiIn 1918, Dwarkadas Sampat set up Kohinoor Film Company, which was India"s first film studio. Along with Ranjit Movietone and Imperial Film Company it was the largest movie studio when Indian talkies began in the 1930s. The Kohinoor Film Company didn"t just produce some of the most successful films of its era. The studio dominated the scene until the 1940s and 1950s. The studio also trained such people as Nandlal Jaswantlal and Mohan Bhavnani, and produced artists such as Goharbai, Zebunissa and Rampiyari.

History of First Film Studios in Mumbai
In 1918, the film pioneer, Dwarkadas Narendas Sampat (1884-1958) established the Kohinoor Film Company. Sampat introduced wooden sets, doing away with the painted sceneries of the past. In 1923 a fire at the studio destroyed negatives of the company`s films. However, Eastman Kodak willingly granted further credit for raw film stock.

Filmography of First Film Studios in Mumbai
Between 1919 and 1929, Sampat and Kohinoor made 98 films. Some are as follows:

Bhakta Vidur (1919)
Vikram Urvashi (1920)
Anusuya (1921)
Kala Nag (1924)
Handsome Blackguard (1925)
Telephone Girl (1926)

First Film Studios in Mumbai Dwarkadas Sampat also made a Gandhian film using the allegorical mythological subject, Bhakta Vidur. Kanjibhai Rathod directed this film which alluded directly to political issues of the day. In the wake of the Rowlatt Act in 1919 -- which put restrictions on Indian imports -- protests and agitation broke out, thrusting Mahatma Gandhi into the national spotlight. This film adapted a section from the Mahabharata that concerns the fall of an empire at the hands of two warring clans -- the Pandavas and the Kauravas. More overtly, the film`s main character, Vidur (Dwarkadas Sampat), is a dead ringer for Gandhi, complete with his trademark hat and khaddar shirt. This film became something of a controversial issue in India, as it generated a huge censorship controversy and was ultimately banned in Karachi and Madras.

From the beginning the influence of Hollywood on the Indian film industry was evident. The characteristics of the first studios, such as, a full team covering all the aspects of filmmaking from acting, technical expertise to distribution resembled that of Hollywood.

The employees of these studios at Mumbai and Kolhapur were more or less permanent ones. They were remunerated on a monthly basis. By 1921, twenty-one such units existed in India, though initially most of them were quite small.


Share this Article:

Related Articles

More Articles in Indian Movies


3D Films in India
3D films in India have gradually marked a prominent presence in the Indian film industry with the advancing technology. The movie Chota Chetan was the first 3D film of India which was followed many others in Hindi as well as regional film industries.
Filmfare Award for Best Music Director
Filmfare Award for Best Music Director is awarded to the music director who composes the most soulful and audience appealing music album for a Hindi film of the preceding year.
Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut
Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut is awarded to the debutante actress who gives the most impressive performance in her debut Hindi film and shows a promising presence in Bollywood.
Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer
The Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer is awarded to the best female playback singer who has delivered an outstanding performance in a film song.
Arundhati Devi
Arundhati Devi is considered as one of the most independent minded, educated and forceful women in the history of Bengali cinema who was a multidimensional talent from being a director to actress.
Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer
Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer is given by Filmfare to the singer who gives the most pleasant and melodious male voice to a song of a film in the previous year.
Filmfare Award For Best Actor
The Filmfare Award for Best Actor is presented by Filmfare every year to the actor who portrays his character and performs the role in a film with most commendable finesse.