Facts about bollywood

Film with Most Number of Songs

Madan Theatres' Indra Sabha with 71 songs is the film with most number of songs. The film was made in 1932 and the director of the film was J.J. Madan. The plot of the film revolves around a benevolent king whose moral character is tested by celestial powers. They cause an apsara (a fairy) to appear before the king as a fallen woman begging for mercy.
Indra Sabha was based on a play written by Sayed Aga Hasan Amanat. The film had two singers Master Nissar and Jehanara Kajjan. The other cast of the film included Abdul Rehman Kabuli and Mukhtar Begum.

First Color Film Made in India

First Color Film Made in India was Kisan Kanya in the year 1937, although the trend of colour films began very late. The film was produced by Imperial Film Co and was directed by Moti B. Gidwani. The music of the film was composed by Ram Gopal Pandey. The film had 10 songs, which were released by Gramophone Records. The storyline of the film featured an exploitative landlord and a good peasant Ramu who is accused of murdering the landlord. The film was colored using the Cinecolour process imported by Imperial Film Co. Kisan Kanya had a run time of 137 minutes and its main starcast included Padmadevi, Jillo, Ghulam Mohammed, Nissar, Syed Ahmed, and Gani.

First Indian 3D Movie

Chota Chetan was the first Indian 3D Movie. The film was made under the banner of Navodaya Films in 1984. Chota Chetan was a huge box office success and earned around Rs 60 crore during 1984-85. The film also won the President's Gold Medal. The movie was re-released with additional footage and digital sound upgrade during 1998 and amassed Rs 50 crore during that period. The film's starcast included Dalip Tahil, Suresh Mukesh, Sonia Sahni, and Arvind. Lyrics were written by Javed Akhtar, Anand Bakshi, and Sameer. Music was given by Anu Malik, and the director of the film was Jijo. The version that was released in 1998 also included Urmila Matondkar.

First Indian Cinemascope Film

First Indian cinemascope film was Kaagaz ke Phool, produced and directed by Guru Dutt in 1959. The film's starcast included Guru Dutt, Veena, Waheeda Rehman, Johnny Walker, Minoo Mumtaz and Baby Naaz. Kaagaz ke Phool is considered as Guru Dutt's finest film. But the film was a box office disaster and Guru Dutt never directed a movie again. The film is a technical masterpiece. The camerawork with its use of light and shadows is magical. The frames have been beautifully composed keeping in mind the cinemascope format. The plot of the film is often seen as Guru Dutt's autobiography, and to some extent derives its astonishing power Guru Dutt's extraordinary impersonation of the tragic hero. The film is renowned for its superb song picturisation, particularly Dekhi Zamaane ki Yaari and Waqt ne Kiya Kya Haseen Situm.

First Indian Feature Film

Raja Harishchandra was the first full-length Indian feature film. The film was directed by Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (better known as Dadasaheb Phalke). The film was based on the legend of Harishchandra. Dadasaheb Phalke was greatly influenced by the style of painter Raja Ravi Verma in the making of Raja Harishchandra. The film was shown to a select audience on April 21, 1913 and was formally released on May 3 the same year at the Coronation Theatre in Bombay, where it ran for 23 days. Raja Harishchandra tells the tale of a virtuous monarch who donates his kingdom and sells himself into penury. The film was adapted from a successful stage production. It had subtitles in Hindi and English and featured male actors in the female roles.

First Woman Music Director in Indian Film Industry

Jaddan Bai, mother of famous actress Nargis, was the first woman music director in Indian film industry. Jaddan Bai made a film Talash-e-Haq in the year 1935 and composed the music for it herself. In the same year Saraswati Devi scored the music for Mumbai Talkies' Jawaani Ki Diwani.
Jaddan Bai was a struggling artiste in Calcutta. It was the legendary singer K.L. Saigal who noticed her talent and encouraged her. So, from a gramophone singer, Jaddan Bai became an actress, music director and film producer.
The movies in which Jaddan Bai worked are:
Raja Gopichand (1933)
Insaan Ya Shaitan (1933)
Prem Pariksha (1934)
Talash-e-Haq (1935)
Madam Fashion (1936)

India's First Talkie Film

India's first talkie film was Alam Ara (Light of the Universe). The film was released on March 14, 1931 at Majestic Cinema in Bombay. Alam Ara was made under the banner of Imperial Movietone. It was produced and directed by Ardeshir Marwan Irani. The film was based on a successful Parsi play of the same name, written by Joseph David. The star cast of Alam Ara included some of the popular stars of the silent era like Prithviraj Kapoor, L.V. Prasad, W.M. Khan, Master Vithal and Zubeida.
Alam Ara exploited the technological wonder of sound to the full. It had opulent sets and made rich use of music, song, and dance. Alam Ara had seven songs. The film took two months to complete. There were several technical hitches in sound recording. At that time there were no sound proof stages and most of the film was shot indoors and during night. Since the film was shot close to a railway track, the unit had to wait till the trains ceased to operate to begin the shoot.

Longest Hindi Film Song

The song Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyon in the film by the same name is the longest Hindi film song. The length of the song is 20 minutes and the song is featured in three installments in the film. The song is sung by Sonu Nigam, Udit Narayan, and Kailash Kher and is written by Sameer. The music of the song is composed by Anu Malik. The movie Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyon is directed by Anil Sharma and the star cast of the film includes Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol, and Divya Khosla. Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyon belongs to the genre of patriotism and the basic plot of the film revolves around the theme of fight against terrorism.