Ardeshir Irani

Khan Bahadur Ardeshir Irani (5 December 1886 – 14 October 1969) was a writer, director, producer, actor, film distributor, film showman and cinematographer in the silent and sound eras of early Indian cinema.

He is considered one of the greatest personalities in recent Indian Cinema. He was the director of India's first sound film Alam Ara. He was the producer of India's first colour film Kisan Kanya. He was renowned for making films in Hindi, Telugu, English, German, Indonesian, Persian, Urdu and Tamil. He was a successful entrepreneur who owned film theatres, a gramophone agency, and a car agency.

Life and career Ardeshir Irani was born into a Parsi Zoroastrian family on 5 December 1886 in Pune, Bombay Presidency. In 1905, Irani became the Indian representative of Universal Studios and he ran Alexander Cinema in Bombay with Abdulally Esoofally for over forty years. It was at Alexandera Cinema that Ardeshir Irani learned the rules of the art of filmmaking and became fascinated by the medium. In 1917, Irani entered the field of film production and produced his first silent feature film, Nala Damayanti, which was released in 1920.

In 1922, Irani joined Bhogilal Dave, the former manager of Dadasaheb Phalke's Hindustan Films, and established Star Films. Their first silent feature film, Veer Abhimanyu was released in 1922 and starred Fatma Begum in the female lead. Dave, a graduate of the New York School of Photography, shot the films while Irani directed and produced them. Star Films produced seventeen films before Irani and Dave dissolved the partnership.

In 1924, Irani founded Majestic Film Company, joined by two talented youngsters, B.P. Mishra and Naval Gandhi. At this establishment, Irani produced the films and either Mishra or Gandhi directed the films. Despite its success, fifteen films later, Majestic Films closed, giving way to the equally short-lived Royal Art Studios which had exactly the same life-span as the earlier two, however, it became famous for a certain type of romantic films. Irani improved on it, using new talent to great effect.

In 1925, Irani founded Imperial Films, where he made sixty-two films. By the age of forty, Irani was an established filmmaker of Indian cinema. Ardeshir Irani became the father of talkie films with the release of his sound feature film, Alam Ara on 14 March 1931.

Irani's Imperial Films introduced a number of new actors to Indian Cinema, including Prithviraj Kapoor and Mehboob Khan. He also interfered with the medium. He produced Kalidas in Telugu and Tamil, as a bilingual talkie, on the sets of Alam Ara, with songs and major casting in Telugu.

Filmography As director 1922 : Veer Abhimanyu- Silent 1924: Vir Durgadhar - Silent 1924: Paap No Fej - Silent 1924: Bombay Ni Sethani (Call of Satan - Silent) 1924: Shahjehan - Silent 1925: Narsingh Dakoo - Silent 1925: Navalsha Hirji - Silent 1927: Wild Cat of Bombay - Silent 1931: Alam Ara - First Indian Talkie 1933: Lor Girl - First film in Persian 1937: Carlos

As producer Anarkali (1928) Draupadi (1931) Narsih Mehta (1932) Shirin and Farhad (1934) Kisan Kanya - First Indian Colour (1937) Lor Girl (1933)

As actor Ferdowsi (1934)