Bhakta prahlaada (1931)

Bhaarat Movie Tone
Bhakta prahlaada (1931)


Technical
Duration...108min
35mm
Black & White
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Producer and Director: H.M reDDi,

Cast: Dorasami Naidu, surabhi kamalaabaayi, L.V.Prasad, B.V.Subbarao, munipalle venkaTa subbayya, Master Kishore

Story: (adapted surabhi naaTaka samaajam s dialogues)

Camera: Gordhanbhai Patel

Dialogues: (adapted surabhi naaTaka samaajam s dialogues)

Music:� H.R padmanAbhaSAstri,

Lyrics:� chandaala kESavadaasu (Excepting some songs by Chandala Kesavadasu rest all were adapted from surabhi naaTaka samaajam repertoire)
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Comments
The first Telugu talkie in Telugu. The later well-known producer and director LV Prasad played two small roles.

The First Telugu talkie was Bhakta Prahalada made in 1931 by Sri H.M. Reddy.
H.M.Reddy's full name is Hanumantappa Muniyappa Reddy. He did his schooling in Bangalore .He worked as a Police inspector before he became a light boy for Ardesh M.Irani in Imperial Studious. Slowly he started making silent movies. His first film was Rajkumar with Prudhviraj kapoor.

Ardesh M.Irani directed the first Indian Talkie ' ALAM ARA'. Using the same sets H.M.Reddy made the first Tamil talkie 'Kalidas'. In this movie both Tamil and Telugu drama artists played the roles. The dialogues in this movie were a mix of both Telugu and Tamil. Like all Tamil actors spoke in Tamil and all Telugu Actors in Telugu. But all the songs were in Telugu. Akkineni Laxmi vara prasad (LV Prasad) acted in all the first talkies like 'ALAM ARA', 'Kalidas' and 'Bhakta Prahalada�.

For a silent movie you need to have a good face along with good expressions. That used to be sufficient. But for talkie movies you need to have good voice too. At that time there is no concept of playback system. All the actors had to sing their own songs as well as say their own dialogues. The first Tamil movie Kalidas was completed in 9000 feet film. At that time all the movies are based on top dramas only. So to attract audience they use to have minimum of 15 to 20 songs in a movie.

Bhakta Prahalada was the first talkie made in Telugu by Sri H.M.Reddy. In this film Munepalle Subramanyam acted as Hiranya Kashyapa, Surabhi Kamalabai as Leelavathi. This was made under Srikrishna films banner with a budget of 20,000 rupees. This is based on famous surabhi drama, so all most all surabhi actors acted in it. The heroine Kamalabai was born on the stage (not while making this film, but her mother was doing a play and she delivered her on the stage).
This film became a big hit. Famous directors like Raja Sando, C.Pullaiah, H.V.Babu, Chitapu Narasimha Rao made so afterwards all most all-popular dramas into films. They made pictures in Tamil/Telugu.

After so many years AVM made this film in color with S.V.R, Anjali and Baby Rojaramani (now Rojaramani is married Chakrapani and mother of Tarun who is also acted in some movies as a child artist like Mansu Mamata, Teja and Anjali and as a hero films like nuvve kavali, nuvvu leka nenu lenu etc..).

Acknowledgements: Srinivas Parachuri and K.N.T.Shastry
-By Sri
achieves from Telugucinema.com