Knowra Alam Ara Alam Ara A 1931 Hindi fantasy film directed by Ardeshir Irani, widely recognized as India’s first sound feature. Its songs and dialogue helped establish sound cinema in India.
Ardeshir Irani : An Indian film producer and director who made Alam Ara, India’s first sound feature. He directed and produced the film, adapting its sound production to limited studio resources.
Sound-on-disc : A sound-film system that records audio on a separate disc synchronized with the projected image. Alam Ara used disc-based sound recording rather than a sound track printed on film.
Jubilee Cinema : A Bombay movie theater where Alam Ara premiered on 14 March 1931. Its premiere there drew crowds that made the film’s arrival a public event.
Hindi film music : Music created for Hindi-language films, often combining songs with dramatic storytelling. Alam Ara’s songs helped make music a central attraction of Hindi sound films.
Imperial Film Company : An Indian film studio founded by Ardeshir Irani in Bombay. Irani produced Alam Ara through this studio, which supplied the production base for the pioneering film.
Synchronized sound : Recorded audio timed to match speech, music, or other events in a motion picture. The film’s defining technical achievement was synchronizing dialogue and music with its images.
Alam Ara (song) : The 1931 film’s song sequence featuring W. M. Khan singing “De De Khuda Ke Naam Par.” It is often identified as the first song filmed for Indian sound cinema.
Indian film industry : The network of film production, distribution, and exhibition across India. The film’s commercial impact pushed this industry toward sound production.
Indian cinema : The film industries and screen traditions of India, produced in many languages and regions. Alam Ara began the sound era in this broader national cinema.
Playback singing : A filmmaking practice in which songs are recorded separately and actors lip-sync to them on screen. Alam Ara’s performers sang live during filming, before playback became standard in Indian cinema.
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