 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 10 February 1931; 94 years ago (10 February 1931) |
| Headquarters | , India |
Key people | Birendranath Sircar (Founder) |
| Owner | Birendranath Sircar |
New Theatres is an Indianfilm studio.[1] It was formed inCalcutta by producerB. N. Sircar (Birendranath Sircar, the recipient ofDadasaheb Phalke Award of 1970 AndPadma Bhushan in 1972). It was formed on February 10th, 1931. The company motto was "Jivatang Jyotiretu Chhayam," meaning, "Light infusing shadows with life." Sircar preferred to function roughly analogous to anexecutive producer. He built a processing laboratory, and acquired staff. Once a film subject was selected and a team assembled to create the picture, Sicar ensured that adequate funds were provided, while refraining from interfering with its execution. He made New Theatres a symbol ofBengali cinema's artistic good taste and technical excellence.[2]: 12–13 [according to whom?]
Dena Paona, a Bengali talkie, was produced by New Theatres and released in 1931. It was directed byPremankur Atarthi, with music composed byRaichand Boral.
According toKironmoy Raha, "New Theatres made its reputation secure withChandidas directed byDebaki Bose in 1932,"[2]: 13 after the studio produced fivetalkies.
In 1935,P.C. Barua directed and acted inDevdas, based onSaratchandra Chatterjee's novelDevdas, and this film became successful in the industry.[citation needed][according to whom?]
In 1935,playback singing was first used in India in the Bengali filmBhagya Chakra byNitin Bose. The singers wereK C Dey,Parul Ghosh and Suprabha Sarkar.[3]Dhoop Chhaon, a Hindi remake of this film, was the first Hindi film to use playback singing.[4]
Kanan Devi was the first popular actress, who appeared in many films produced by New Theatres.[clarification needed] There was also a group of actors working with New Theatres likeK.L. Saigal,K. C. Dey,Prithviraj Kapoor,Trilok Kapoor,Chhabi Biswas,Bikash Roy,Pahari Sanyal,Basanta Choudhury.
Directors likePremankur Atarthi,P.C. Barua,Debaki Bose, Phani Majumdar andNitin Bose worked in New Theatres films. Musicians who worked there includedR. C. Boral,Pankaj Mullick,Timir Baran andMani Bardhan.
New Theatres produced films in its studios at Tollygunge in Kolkata, founded on February 10th, 1931.[5] From 1931 to 1955, 150 films were shot in these studios.[5] New Theatres made a comeback with the 2011 filmAadur Prem. Films produced by New Theatres include:[6]