 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Indian Film industry |
| Founded | 1929 |
| Founder | Chimanlal Desai, Ambalal Patel, Ardeshir Irani |
| Defunct | 1940 |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Films |
Sagar Movietone also Sagar Films, Sagar Film Company and Sagar Productions was an Indian film production company involved in the making of films for Indian cinema. It was launched by Ardeshir Irani with Chimanlal Desai and Dr. Ambalal Patel in 1929 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.[1] Sagar was initially started as a branch company of Ardeshir's Imperial Film Company. Several key figures from Imperial, such as Mehboob Khan were shifted to Sagar. The studio was in operation from 1930 to 1939. In 1940, it combined with General Pictures to form National Studios.[2] It made "Parsi theatre based films, mythologicals and stunt movies". Sagar fostered the career of many artists who rose to prominence. Early directors such as Prafulla Ghosh, Sarvottam Badami, Ezra Mir and Nanubhai Vakil were promoted by the company. Mehboob Khan got his first break as a director in Al Hilal in 1935. He was referred to as "the most important alumnus" from Sagar, who went on to become one of Indian cinema's "most influential film-makers".[3]
With the launch of the studio, five silent films were produced in 1930. Their first silent film was Dav Pech (The Web) (1930). Their first talkie film was Meri Jaan, also called Romantic Prince (1931). That year Sagar made nine films. The company also produced films in Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali and Punjabi. The first Tamil talkie was produced by Sagar Movietone; Kalidas (1931), directed by H. M. Reddy and starring T. P. Rajalakshmi.[citation needed] However, production reference for Kalidas has also been credited to Imperial Film Company, the parent company of Sagar.[4] The first Gujarati Talkie Narsinh Mehta was produced by Sagar in 1932.
Films such as Manmohan (1936), Jagirdar (1937), Hum Tum Aur Woh (1938) and Ek Hi Raasta (1939) were stated to be a notable collaboration between Mehboob Khan as director and Anil Biswas as music composer.[5] Both Mehboob Khan and Biswas worked at Sagar for a long period, with their collaboration extending to National Studios.[6]
- ^ Rauf Ahmed (1 January 2008). "3. The Turning Point". Mehboob Khan: The Romance of History. Wisdom Tree. p. 14. ISBN 978-81-8328-106-5. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- ^ Kathryn Hansen (1 December 2013). "Appendix 1-Sagar Film company". Stages of Life: Indian Theatre Autobiographies. Anthem Press. pp. 345–. ISBN 978-1-78308-068-7. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
- ^ Ashok Raj (1 November 2009). Hero Vol.1. Hay House, Inc. pp. 26–. ISBN 978-93-81398-02-9. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- ^ SM, p. 61
- ^ Raju Bharatan (1 August 2013). Naushadnama: The Life and Music of Naushad. Hay House, Inc. pp. 48–. ISBN 978-93-81398-63-0. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- ^ Khan, Saeed (2 March 2014). "Starry tale of 1st Gujarati film makers". Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. The Times of India. Retrieved 22 September 2015.