Aag (1948): Raj Kapoor's debut film

Aag is a 1948 Bollywood movie produced, directed and acted by Raj Kapoor. The film marked Raj Kapoor's debut as producer and director and was the first film produced by his R.K Banner. It was also the first of many films he did with actress Nargis. Premnath, Nigar Sultana, Kamal Kapoor and Kamini Kaushal also starred in supporting roles. Raj Kapoor's youngest brother Shashi Kapoor appeared as a child artist in this film playing the younger version of his character.

Kewal (Raj Kapoor) reluctantly accepts his father (Kamal Kapoor)'s demands to continue the family tradition by studying law and become a successful lawyer just like him. However due to a lack of interest in becoming a lawyer and more interest in opening up his own theatre company, he fails his law exams and is thrown out of the house by his father. Luckily he finds a patron of the arts Rajan, (Premnath) who is the owner of a theatre company that has closed down. A childhood romance with a girl named Nimmi haunts his fantasies, and Kewal searches for her in other women, even renaming them after his former sweetheart. With a theatre, a play and a feminine image in his mind, he discovers a woman made homeless by Partition (Nargis) and the play of his dreams can at last be written and performed.

The music for this film was composed and conducted by Ram Ganguly. For his next film Barsaat, Raj Kapoor employed Shankar-Jaikishan. This duo went on to produce memorable melodies for the RK banner.

The song Zinda Hoon Is Tarah Se Mere Zindagi Nahin written by Behzad Lakhnavi and sung by Mukesh is quite popular even today.

 ( Inputs from Wikipedia)

Kismet (1943): Movie Which Made Ashok Kumar a Big Star!

Kismet is a film, written and directed by Gyan Mukherjee and produced by Bombay Talkies during the Second World War period, while it was in a succession battle between Devika Rani and Sashadhar Mukherjee after owner Himanshu Rai's death. The film is one of the biggest hits in the history of Hindi Cinema.

The movie came with some bold themes for the first time in Indian Cinema showing an anti-hero character and an unmarried girl getting pregnant. The movie also has the distinction of first 'double-role' played by any Indian actor.

The lost and found crime drama, had screenplay by Niranjan Pal and the film stars Ashok Kumar, as a pickpocket and trying to be con man who ends up falling in love, with Mumtaz Shanti. He is wrongfully jailed while trying to help his sweetheart but fate (Kismet) comes to his rescue. In between he encounters his enemy's long lost innocent son (also played by Ashok Kumar) who helps him in clearing his name.

The film went on to become a major success, at a theatre in Calcutta it ran for three years, and gave Indian cinema its first title of superstar, Ashok Kumar. According to the numbers, it has been given the status of All-Time Blockbuster. In the decade of 1940s, this movie made the most money. Its net gross came to Rs.10 million in 1943, which in today's date is equivalent of Rs.632 million. This record was beaten in 1949 by Barsaat.
( Inputs From Wikipedia)

Raja Harischandra ( 1913): India's First Movie

 The film revolves around the noble and righteous king, Harishchandra, who first sacrifices his kingdom, followed by his wife and eventually his children to honour his promise to the sage Vishwamitra. Though, in the end, pleased by his high morals, the Gods are pleased and restore his former glory, and further bestow him with divine blessings.

Phalke was greatly influenced by the style of painter Raja Ravi Verma in the making of this film. The film had an all-male cast; no woman was available for playing female leads, so the men played all the roles.The film reel was 3700 feet long, roughly 40 minutes.

In 2008, Harishchandrachi Factory, a film based on the making of Raja Harishchandra was announced. The title is based on the fact that, when the film was made, working in films was taboo, so Dada Saheb advised his artists to tell others that they were working in the factory of one 'Harishchandra'.

The film was first shown in public on 3 May 1913 [at Mumbai's Coronation Cinema, Narayan Choyal, Girgaon, where crowds thronged the roads outside the hall, as it marked the beginning of the Indian film industry. The film was so successful that Dada Saheb had to make more prints to show the film in rural areas as well. The film was a grand success and soon established Phalke as a producer and paved the way for the Indian film industry. Dada Saheb's wife cooked food alone, without any help, for the whole cast and crew, which were more than 500 people. She also washed the clothes and costumes, helped in the posters and production of the film, and co-operated with the cast, satisfying them with food and water.

Publicity poster for film, Raja Harishchandra (1913) show at 'Coronation Hall', Girgaum, Mumbai

The original film was in four reels, and the National Film Archive of India has only the first and last reels, though some film historians believe that they belong to a 1917 remake of the film, by the same name.

( Inputs from Wikipedia)