Sagar Movietone

Company type	Private
Industry	Indian Film industry
Founded	1929
Founder	Chimanlal Desai, Ambalal Patel,Ardeshir Irani
Defunct	1940
Headquarters	Bombay , India
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 forIndian cinema. It was launched byArdeshir Irani with Chimanlal Desai and Dr. Ambalal Patel in 1929 inBombay, Maharashtra, India.^[1] Sagar was initially started as a branch company of Ardeshir'sImperial Film Company. Several key figures from Imperial, such asMehboob 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 asPrafulla Ghosh,Sarvottam Badami,Ezra Mir andNanubhai Vakil were promoted by the company. Mehboob Khan got his first break as a director inAl 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, fivesilent films were produced in 1930. Their first silent film wasDav Pech (The Web) (1930). Their firsttalkie film wasMeri Jaan, also calledRomantic Prince (1931).That year Sagar made nine films. The company also produced films inGujarati,Telugu,Tamil,Bengali andPunjabi. The first Tamil talkie was produced by Sagar Movietone;Kalidas (1931), directed byH. M. Reddy and starringT. P. Rajalakshmi.^{[citation needed]} However, production reference forKalidas has also been credited to Imperial Film Company, the parent company of Sagar.^[4] The first Gujarati TalkieNarsinh Mehta was produced by Sagar in 1932.

Films such asManmohan (1936),Jagirdar (1937),Hum Tum Aur Woh (1938) andEk Hi Raasta (1939) were stated to be a notable collaboration between Mehboob Khan as director andAnil 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]

The people involved in the formation of Sagar Movietone were: Ardeshir Irani who started the company as a subsidiary of Imperial Films in 1929; Chimanlal Bhogilal Desai and Dr. Ambalal Patel who joined and took over the company in 1930.

• Ardeshir Irani (1886-1969) earlier founded Star Films (1920) with Bhogilal Dave, then Majestic Films (1923), Royal Art Studios (1925) and Imperial Film Company in 1926.^[7] Under the banner of Imperial Films, Irani produced the first talkie film of IndiaAlam Ara (1931) and the first colour filmKisan Kanya (1937). According to an interview Mehboob Khan gave to Filmfare on 16 August 1957, Irani wanted to contract actorMaster Vithal, who had become popular doingDouglas Fairbanks'The Thief Of Baghdad (1924) style of swashbuckling roles and was known as "The Indian Fairbanks". Vithal at that time was working for Sharda Film Company and it was deemed unethical of a man of Irani's stature to lure Vithal to Imperial.^[8] Irani then started Sagar Film Company as a "subsidiary of Imperial Film Company", in 1929, with Mehboob Khan heading the production unit.^[1] The matter regarding Vithal was taken to court (1929) when Vithal was forcibly kept in Nanubhai Desai's house in Pune under the say of Bhogilal Dave, who now ran Sharda Film Company. Irani hired lawyerMuhammad Ali Jinnah, who advised Vithal to go for a bid. Sharda Film Company was unable to match Imperial's bid and lost Vithal to them. Chimanlal Desai and Dr. Ambalal Patel joined Irani as partners at Sagar in 1930.^[9] The Select Film Circuit was owed money by Irani, he instead offered Desai and Patel a partnership for an amount of Rs. 50,000. Once Desai and Patel joined, Irani left Sagar, leaving them as the sole proprietors.

• Chimanlal Desai was representative and distributor for Imperial Film Company and Sharada Film Company in South India with his base in Bangalore. Prior to getting into the film distribution business, Desai had worked in coal supply, in printing and then in the textile business. It was while working as a cloth merchant with his brothers in Bangalore that Desai was approached to help with a film distribution concern, Select Film Circuit, owned by Vasantray Desai and managed by Vasantray's younger brother Thakorbhai Desai. Chimanlal Desai decided to invest in the company, inviting his friend Dr. Ambalal Patel to join in with Rs. 5000. The two started distributing films through Select Film Circuit, which now belonged to them. They became the sole distributors for Imperial Films and Sharda Film Company based in Bombay for the South India market. In 1929, when the business hit a snag due to problems in sending films by the film companies, Desai decided to travel to Bombay himself to find a solution. There, he was invited by Ardeshir Irani, who owed money to Desai, to join as a partner in Sagar for a sum of Rs. 50,000. Later, in 1930, Desai and Patel became the sole proprietors, when Irani left to focus on Indian cinema's first talkie,Alam Ara, while Sagar concentrated on their first talkie film,Meri Jaan. Desai remained the active partner in the production department.
• Ambalal Patel was born inSojitra,Kheda district,Bombay Presidency (nowGujarat). Leaving his job as a doctor, he joined the Velchand group, who were in bicycles sales. He then joined the Bombay Cycle & Motor Agency that sold cars manufactured by General Motors. After joining Desai as a partner in Select Pictures Circuit in 1925, the company expanded distributing films from Bombay. He joined Desai in Bombay, where they went into partnership in Sagar Movietone in 1930. He left Sagar in 1936, and returned to Bangalore. He was later to help form Sudama Pictures withSarvottam Badami andSabita Devi along withRanjit Studios. Badami was to make three films for Sudama,Sajani (1940),Chingari (1940) andBambai Ki Sair (1941) before he left Sudama Pictures.^[10]

By the time Desai and Patel took over, nearly ten silent films were made starting withDav Pech (The Web) (1930). Out of a total of 12 silent films, only two;Hoor-E-Misr andDilawar were made following Desai and Ambalal joining Sagar. From the sixty-six films produced by Sagar, fifty-two were in Hindi, five in Tamil. three in Telugu, four in Gujarati and one in Punjabi.^[11] When Irani left Sagar in 1930 to concentrate onAlam Ara (1931), Sagar started work on its first talkieMeri Jaan (Romantic Prince) (1931), operating equipment used by Irani during the day forAlam Ara, while Sagar technicians used it during the night. Some of the notable films from Sagar were:

Veer Abhimanyu (1931), directed by Prafulla Ghosh and starring Jal Merchant,Zubeida,Yakub, Jilloobai, andMehboob Khan.Narsinh Mehta (Gujarati) (1932), directed byNanubhai Vakil became the first feature film in Gujarati. The cast included Master Manhar, Mohanlala, Marutirao andMehtab.Chandrahasa (1933), directed by Sarvottam Badami,Farzande Hind (1934),Shaher Ka Jadoo which introduced Motilal.

Grihalaxmi (1934) was directed bySarvottam Badami. A family melodrama about an educated wife going through humiliation at the hands of her husband, but continues to stay with him, it starredSabita Devi, Jal Merchant andYakub.^[12] Badami was known for directing "socially relevant" films for Sagar Movietone.^[13] It was a remake ofBhaneli Bhamini (1927), which carried a social message against sexually transmitted disease.^[14]

Al Hilal (1935) was the debut direction byMehboob Khan and introducedSitara Devi in the leading role opposite Kumar.Dr. Madhurika, a film, though successful at the box-office, got a mixed response from a select audience group, which were disappointed with the female protagonist submitting in the end.

Motilal was born inSimla. While in Bombay he visited a shooting schedule at Sagar Studios. He was spotted by director K. P. Ghosh and offered the lead inShehar Ka Jadoo (1934). He had no formal training, which acted to his benefit, becoming known for his natural acting. He was to work in several top films produced by Sagar most of them opposite Sabita Devi,Silver King,Dr. Madhurika,Do Diwane,Jagirdar (1937),Kokila,Kulvadhu andHum Tum Aur Woh. He left Sagar to join Ranjit Studios.^[15]

Sabita Devi was one of the top paid actresses at the time. She started her career in silent films, and with the arrival of talkies learned Hindi. She shifted fromBritish Dominion Films Ltd., Calcutta, to Kinema Arts, and then worked for the Calcutta-based East India Film Company. She moved to Bombay and joined Sagar Film Company. She acted opposite Motilal in his debut filmShaher Ka Jadoo (1934). She was the star of Sagar Movietone and acted in several films produced by them. Her last film for them wasLadies Only (1939). She left Sagar and went into partnership with Dr. Ambalal Patel and Sarvottam Badami at Sudama Pictures.^[16]

Surendra came to Bombay on the insistence of film distributor Lala Alopi Prasad. Mehboob Khan gave him his debut role inDeccan Queen (1935) andManmohan (1936).Manmohan was made as a Bombay response to the Calcutta-producedDevdas (1935). Surendra's acting and singing were appreciated by the audiences and he went on to act in several roles that show-cased his sensitive appeal. He moved to National with Mehboob Khan giving performances in successful films such asAurat.^[17]

Bibbo acted in India's first sound filmAlam Ara. She worked in thirteen films produced by Sagar. Her popular pairing with Surendra had them acting in several films together, most famous beingManmohan,Gramaphone Singer andLadies Only. When Sagar shut down, she shifted to Circo Productions.^[18]

Yakub started his acting career as an extra in silent films in Sharda Film Company. He joined Sagar Film Company and was a regular in most films produced by them. He acted in their first talkie,Meri Jaan. He worked with Mehboob Khan in several films and formed a working and friendly relationship with him. He shifted to National Studios with Khan when Sagar shut down acting inAurat (1940) cited as one of the finest performances in Indian cinema.^[19]

Other stars who worked with Sagar were Kumar, Maya Banerejee, Snehprabha Pradhan, Wahidan Bai,Kanhaiyalal and popular comedians such asNoor Mohammed Charlie,Bhudo Advani and V. H. Desai.Mukesh the playback singer, first acted in a Sagar productionNirdosh.^[6]

Mehboob Khan was shifted from Imperial to Sagar at its formation. He played supporting roles in several initial Sagar films. With the help of his friends cinematographerFaredoon Irani and Gangaram, a laboratory assistant, he developed a story narrating it to Ambalal Patel. The film wasAl Hilal (Judgement Of Allah) and it marked the entry of Mehboob as a director. He was to direct several successes for Sagar such asDeccan Queen,Manmohan,Jagirdar,Watan,Hum Tum Aur Woh,Ek Hi Raasta (1939) andAli Baba. He moved to National Studios on its formation and directed three big hits;Aurat,Bahen (1941) andRoti (1942). He went on to form his own production companyMehboob Productions in 1943 and remadeAurat in 1957 asMother India (1957), which went on to become a classic.^[20]

Sarvottam Badami came to Bombay from Bangalore to learn automobile engineering. He was asked by Ardeshir Irani to help in the recording forAlam Ara. Though he only knew Kannada and English, he was asked to direct regional films such asHarishchandra (1932),Galav Rishi andRama Paduka Pattabhishekam (1932) for Sagar. His first Hindi film for them wasChandrahasa (1933), following which he directedGrihalakshmi. He made satirical comedies such asTeen Sau Din Ke Baad (1938), andLadies Only, both of which were big commercial successes. His specialty, however, was sensitive, socially relevant films, which includedDr. Madhurika,Ver Ka Badla,Jeevanlata,Village Girl,Kokila,Kulvadhu andLadies Only.^[13] All these films had Sabita Devi as the leading lady, paired most often with Motilal. He left to join Dr. Ambalal Patel at Sudama Pictures.

Ezra Mir initially worked in Madan Studios in a few films as an actor. He went to Hollywood and joined Universal Studios, working in several categories, before returning to India in 1930. He was invited to work onNurjehan (1930) by Ardeshir Irani. His next film directionZarina (1932) was offered to him by Desai for Sagar, which became a success. His other films includedPagal Premi (Mad Cap) where he introduced Noor Mohammed Charlie in a main role andFarzand-E-Hind (Phantom Of The Hills) (1934). He then left Sagar and moved to Calcutta. He was to make a shift from feature films to documentaries, during WWII. He made a series of short films under the seriesRoad To Recovery In 1940, he joined the Government Advisory Board.^[21]

The other directors of note at Sagar were C. M. Luhar, Virendra Desai (Desai’s second son), Nanubhai Desai and Ramchandra Thakur.

Faredoon Irani was a noted cinematographer. He started his career as "an apprentice" at Imperial Films. His first independent film was a Gujarati short four-reeler;Shri Krishna Danlila, shown along withMeera Bai in 1932. His work inBulbul-E-Baghdad was appreciated when the film became a big commercial success. Faredoon worked on Mehboob Khan'sAl Hilal.

Anil Biswas started his career as a music director with his first film;Dharam Ki Devi (1935) at Indian Arts.Jagirdar (1937) was Biswas' first big success. His other films for Sagar wereKokila,Dynamite,Gramaphone Singer,Hum Tum Aur Woh,Postman,300 Days And After,Watan,Comrades andEk hi Raasta.

Zia Sarhadi wrote the lyrics, story, screenplay and dialogues for Sagar films. Other people of note working at Sagar were Safdar Aah, Pandit Indra,Wajahat Mirza, Pransukh Naik and S. P. Rane.

Sagar Movietone closed down by end of 1939. The last two completed films of Sagar wereCivil Marriage (1939) andAlibaba (1940), withKumkum The Dancer, a bilingual in Hindi and Bengali, scheduled to be released by Christmas 1939. "And that is the end of Sagar!" stated Filmindia in its December 1939 Studio Close-ups column.^[22]

The closure was reported byBaburao Patel, editor of cine-magazineFilmindia in his column "An Eventful Year" in the December 1939 issue,

"1939 will be sadly remembered as the year that saw the collapse of Sagar, one of the oldest studios in India. They seemed to have started the year fairly well with "Ladies Only" and "The Only Way" and had announced an ambitious programme including two bi-lingual pictures ("Ali Baba" in Punjabi and Hindustani and "Kumkum The Dancer" in Bengali and Hindustani) for which they considerably increased their staff of artistes and technicians. But then something went wrong, "Comrades" proved treacherous, there were rumours of mergers, closures, mortgages of pictures, reduction of staff, heart-breaks and tears until today the old Sagar glory is no more, and Seth Chimanlal Desai plays the second fiddle to the Fazalbhoys in the newly-formed National Studios. It is a sad, sad story with its own moral".^[23]

Desai, in association with Yusuf Fazalbhoy of General Pictures, amalgamated the two companies, Sagar Movietone and General Pictures, to form "National Studios" in 1939. The person of importance in National was Mehboob Khan, with his first film under National;Aurat (1940) becoming a big success both with the critics as well as the audiences.

^[8]

• Ardeshir Irani
• Mehboob Khan
• Sarvottam Badami

• Sagar Movietone; by Biren Kothari. Translated by Parth Pandya. Saarthak Prakashan, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, 2014.ISBN 9788192686868
• Profile at Book Buy

• Sagar Movietone atIMDb

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