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Gul Sanobar (Homi Master) 1934
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Gul Sanobar
Year: 1934; Language: Hindi; Color: Black and White
Writer: Homi Master, Mohanlal G. Dave; Cinematographer: Adi M. Irani; Composer: Pransukh M. Nayak
IMDb ID: 0239022
Adventure drama based on a Persian legend. Mubarak (Kader) kidnaps Sanobar (Mohammed), the son of the king of Yemen (Peerjan) and raises him in the forest. Prompted by Mubarak, Sanobar attacks the king returning from a hunt, but is caught, condemned to be locked in a box and thrown into the sea. A fakir teaches the king the language of the animals, warning him not to pass on the skill to any other humans. Listening to two birds, the king realises that Sanobar is his own son. The queen Uilloo), learning that the king has special linguistic powers, forces him to teach them to her as well. He does so and becomes paralysed. Only a flower from.the mouth of Meherangez, the princess of Sistan (Sulochana) can save him. Umar (Bilimoria), the good prince, attempts the task. Zubeida may have acted in ttje film as the helpful fairy, Gul. Remake of Master's 1928 silent film.
Imperial Films (Studio) - Show Films
Imperial Films Company Est: 1926. Successor to the Majestic and Royal Art Film companies set up by Ardeshir Irani as a diversification of his exhibition interests in partnership with Esoofally, Mohammed Ali and Dawoodji Rangwala. Organised as a vertically integrated combine with its own exhibition infrastructure. Started following the decline of Kohinoor, it continued many of the latter’s Mohanlal Dave-inspired genres, often with the same stars and film-makers. Imperial became closely associated with the costumed historical genre launched with Anarkali (1928), shot and released almost overnight in direct competition to Charu Roy’s The Loves of a Mughal Prince (1928). Irani also rushed out Alam Ara (1931), released as India’s first full talkie narrowly beating Madan Theatres’ Shirin Farhad (1931). Imperial was the first studio to shoot scenes at night (in Khwab-e- Hasti, 1929) using incandescent lamps. It owned India’s top silent star, Sulochana, and promoted her along with Zubeida, Jilloo and, for a while, the young Prithviraj Kapoor. This was perhaps the first major instance of a deliberate manufacturing of a star-cult as a marketing strategy. Top Imperial film-makers include R.S. Choudhury, B.P. Mishra and Mohan Bhavnani, whose film-making set the house style, as did Nandlal Jaswantlal’s sound films. A fair number of the studio’s talkies were remakes of its own silent hits with Sulochana (Anarkali, 1928 & 1935), Wildcat of Bombay (1927) became Bambai Ki Billi (1936), etc. It made films in at least nine languages: Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Burmese, Malay, Pushtu and Urdu. The first Iranian sound film, Dukhtar-e-Lur (aka Dokhtare Lor Ya Irane Diruz Va Emruz, 1932) was also made here. Kisan Kanya (1937) by Gidwani was India’s first indigenously manufactured colour film, made with the Cinecolour process. When it closed in 1938, its economic and generic inheritance was continued by Sagar Movietone.
Homi Master (Director, Writer) - Show Filmography
(?-1949) Top Kohinoor director in the 20s, esp. 1924-6: Lanka Ni Laadi, Fankdo Fituri, The Telephone Girl were big silent hits. Joined leading Parsee theatre company Baliwala aged 13; became very popular stage actor, notably in Pakzaad Parveen. Employed briefly at sent abroad to market Phalke’s films in Europe. Joined Kohinoor as actor (he played Duryodhan in Bhakta Vidur, 1921; the lead in Kala Naag, 1924) and as assistant to Kanjibhai Rathod. As director created one of the most successful teams of 20s Indian film with scenarist Mohanlal Dave and cameraman D.D. Dabke. Described by silent star Gohar as perhaps the most ‘dramatic’ film-maker she worked with, contrasting with e.g. the ‘realism’ of Bhavnani and Chandulal Shah. Made several B films in Hindi and in Gujarati. Ended his career as production manager at Kardar’s Studio in Bombay.
Mohanlal G. Dave (Writer) - Show Filmography
Top silent cinema scenarist; first scenarist to get his name above the title (see e.g. the publicity pamphlets of Kohinoor Film which often give no other credits). Started as an accountant; then publicist for Imperial Theatre in Bombay. Apparently honed his craft writing lively synopses in publicity hand-outs for Pathé’s imports. Entered films with S.N. Patankar and moved to National Studio (where he was already paid Rs 10,000 a year to write a minimum of 15 stories) and Kohinoor, where he made his reputation and wrote about one screenplay a week. Thereafter worked at Jayant Pics. and at Imperial with the coming of sound, where he often teamed up with director Jaswantlal. As a professional, he handled all genres, but his narrative style is related to the then emerging popular Gujarati fiction as introduced to the cinema by ex-novelists like Naranji Vassanji Thakkar, Gopalji Delwadekar, Shaida etc. His scripts are said to have included detailed camera movements, fades etc., as in Rathod’s complicated Gul-e-Bakavali (1924), written in 92 scenes. Major early scripts: the politically controversial Bhakta Vidur (1921), the Rathod hit Kala Naag (1924), Chandulal Shah’s début film Panchdanda (1925) and Homi Master’s Fankdo Fituri (1925). His sound films were often rewrites of his own silent hits with dialogue. His major successes were with V.M. Vyas, including the Gujarati film Ranakdevi (1946). Remained a popular writer until the 60s.
Sulochana (Ruby Myers) (Cast) - Show Filmography
(1907-1983) One of the highest paid actresses of her era, Ruby Myers was known by her screen name Sulochana. An Indian film star of Jewish ancestry, Ruby Myers was first approached by Mohan Bhavnani of the Kohinoor Film Company to act. Since acting was considered to be dubious profession in those days she turned him down. Having no knowledge of acting she became a star under the tutelage of Bhavnani and later moved to the Imperial Film Company where she was paired with Dinshaw Billimoria.

Bio from Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema (Ashish Rajadhyaksha, Paul Willemen):
Born in Pune as Ruby Myers, one of the many Eurasian actresses to become silent stars (cf. Seeta Devi, Patience Cooper and Ermeline). A former telephone operator (1925), she became a star under Bhavnani’s direction at Kohinoor. Reputedly the highest-paid star in the film industry at Imperial. She was billed as the Queen of Romance or the Jungle Queen in DeMille-type costume epics, often co-starring with D. Bilimoria under her favourite director, R.S. Choudhury. A fair portion of Imperial’s sound films were remakes of their silent Sulochana hits. e.g. Anarkali (1928 and 1935), Indira BA (1929, remade as Indira MA in 1934), Wildcat of Bombay (1927, remade as Bambai Ki Billi in 1936), Khwab-e-Hasti/Magic Flute (1929 and 1934) and Madhuri (1928 and 1932). In Wildcat of Bombay, she played eight roles including a gardener, a policeman, a Hyderabadi gentleman, a street urchin, a banana seller and a European blonde. Also known for costumed period movies, e.g. Alibaba and her favourite role of Anarkali. Jaswantlal pays tribute to her association with the Anarkali figure in his 1953 version of the legend (where he casts her as Salim’s mother). Started her own Rubi Pics in the mid30s, continuing production after she retired as actress. From the 60s, she had to accept cameo roles in Hindi films. Ismail Merchant’s short, Mahatma and the Mad Boy (1974), contains a passing tribute to her.
D. Bilimoria (Cast) - Show Filmography
Dinshaw Bilimoria (b. 1904) Actor-director born in Kirkee. Usually described as the highest-paid silent star in India. Formed the celebrated lead couple with Sulochana esp. at Imperial. Introduced in stunt movie-derived historicals and mythologicals adapting Maratha legends at N.D. Sarpotdar’s United Pics. First two films at Imperial, Bhavnani’s Wildcat of Bombay and Choudhury’s Anarkali, were massive hits for him and Sulochana. His John Barrymore- style image was born in elaborate costume fantasies opposite Sulochana’s Orientalised ‘Queen of Romance’, a reference elaborated later by some of the biggest directors of the silent era, e.g. Choudhury, Chandulal Shah, Homi Master, Jaswantlal and Nanubhai Vakil. Several of his silent hits were remade as sound films, notably Indira MA and Anarkali. Acted in some films at Ranjit. Azadi-e-Watan (1940), advertised as directed by him, is probably a dubbed version of an American import.
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