Satyawadi Raja Harishchandra | |
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Directed by | Rustomji Dhotiwala |
Written by | Nityabodha Bidyaratna |
Produced by | Elphinstone Bioscope |
Starring | Hormusji Tantra, Savaria, Gaharjan, Behramshaw |
Cinematography | Jyotish Sarkar |
Distributed by | Madan Theatre |
Release date |
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Running time | 120 minutes |
Country | India |
Languages | Silent film Bengali inter-titles |
Satyawadi Raja Harishchandra (Bengali: সত্যবাদী রাজা হরিশচন্দ্র; English: Truthful King Harishchandra) is a 1917 silent black and white Indian film based on Hindu mythology, directed by Rustomji Dhotiwala. It was produced by J. F. Madan's Elphinstone Bioscope.[1] Credited as the first remake in Indian cinema, the film is a remake of the first Indian feature film, Raja Harishchandra (1913) and was also inspired by an Urdu language drama, Harishchandra.[2] The film is based on the mythological story of a Hindu King Harishchandra, the 36th king of the Solar Dynasty, who donated his entire kingdom and sold himself and his family to keep the promise given to the sage Vishvamitra in the dream.[3] It is also the first feature film made in Calcutta. The intertitles used in the film were in Bengali language as the film was a silent film.[4] The film was released on 24 March 1917 at New Tent Maidan, Calcutta.[5][6]