INDIAN FILM SONGS AND THE 1930S

Scene from Bollywood film, "Alam Ara"(1931)

This page is but a small sampling of film songs from the 1930's. So sit back, relax, and enjoy

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WORLD EVENTS OF THE 1930S

The 1930's saw a great improvement in air travel

A de Havilland commercial airliner (circa 1938)
There was a rise of fascism in many parts of the world.

Hitler rose to great power in Germany's embrace of fascism
Expansion of radio as a means of communication.
Spanish Civil war acquired international importance and has been viewed by many as a form of practice for the 2nd World War.
World War II begins

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MAJOR SOUTH ASIAN EVENTS OF THE 1930S

Growing independence movement.

Rabindranath Tagore, a prominent figure in the independence movement
1930 - Gandhi and his followers set off on the "Salt March"(1930).
1932 - Indian Airforce established (1932).
1932 - Tata Airlines formed.

Tata Airlines
1934 - Nepalese earthquake kills 10,000.
1936 - All India Radio (AIR) is established.
1939 - Nehru and other political leaders protest the British government's declaration of war against Germany in the name of India.

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1930's ** Next Decade

Durga Khote, Shanta Apte, and Vasanti in "Amar Jyoti"(1936)

FILM WORLD EVENTS OF THE 1930S

1930 - The colonial government bans all newsreels on Gandhi's protests and activities.
1931 - India's first "Talkie" is release, this is "Alam Ara".

Alam Ara Advert
1931 - De De Khuda Ke Naam Par Pyare becomes India's first film song. It was sung by W.M. Khan and appeared in "Alam Ara".
1931 - The first sound films in Tamil, Telugu, and Bengali are produced
1932 - The actress Zubeida creates a sensation in her film "Zarina", with her scanty attire and her kissing scenes. Kissing on-screen would not become acceptable for many decades.

Zubeda
1932 - The first talkies in Gujarati and Marathi are produced.
1932 - Punjab's first film is made. This is "Heer Ranjah" and was produced by Hakim Ram Prasad.
1932 - The Motion Picture Society of India is established
1932 - "Indra Sabha" is made. This film holds the record for the number of songs it has. It contains 71 songs.
1932 - India makes its first Marathi film. This is "Ayodhecha Raja" and is directed by V. Shantaram.
1933 - India's first colour film is released it is "Sairandhri" However this film was processed in Germany.
1933 - The Regal Cinema in Bombay becomes India's first air conditioned movie theatre.

Regal Cinema
1935 - The film "Dhoop Chhaon" introduces the concept of the "playback singer". Before this, the actors sang for themselves.
1936 - Ashok Kumar makes his film debut in the film "Jeevan Naiya".
1937 - India's first indigenously processed colour film is released, this is "Kisan Kanya".

Scene from "Kisan Kanya"
1937 - J.B.H. Wadia's "Naujawan" becomes India's first song-less talkie.
1937 - Homi Wadia Nadia releases silent film "Naujawan"; however he is forced to explain to the audiences why he has released a silent film. This underscores the great speed in which the Indian film industry embraced the "talkie".
1938 - The first Malayalam talkie is made. This is "Balan" and it was produced by Modern Theatres Ltd.
1939 - R.D. Burman is born to S.D. Burman and his wife Meera.
1933-1938 - Many silent film companies go out of business under pressure from the the new "talkies".