Industry | Film distribution, production |
---|---|
Headquarters | , |
Products | Films |
Owner | Abdur Rashid Kardar |
Playart Phototone (formally known as United Players Association) was a film studio established in 1929 by Abdur Rashid Kardar. [1]
In 1928, with no work left after their maiden venture, Kardar and Ismail sold their belongings to set up a studio and production company under the name of United Players Corporation, the foundation stone for the film industry in Lahore. After scouting for locations, they settled for their offices to be established at Ravi Road. Although, the dim-lit area presented with much difficulties after the studios were established. Shootings were only possible in the day-light but nevertheless the area had some very important landmarks like the Ravi Forest and the tombs of Mughal emperor Jahangir and his wife Nur Jahan. [1] It is reported that the team working at the studios would commute on tangas and even lost equipment once while travelling on the bumpy roads on the horse-drawn carriage. [1] However basic and crude their working conditions, Kardar believed in his work and in 1930 he produced the first film under the studio's banner. [2] With this film, Husn Ka Daku a.k.a. Mysterious Eagle, [3] Kardar made his first directorial début. He also cast himself as an actor in the male lead opposite Gulzar Begum with Ismail in a supporting role. The film featured an American actor, Iris Crawford, as well. The film had mild success at theatres but prominently established Lahore as a functioning film industry. Kardar vowed on not acting in any other film and instead focusing on direction. [1] Immediately afterwards the studio released the film Sarfarosh aka Brave Heart, with Gul Hamid playing the lead rold with more or less the same cast as in the previous film. This production proved equally appealing but was able to stir noise about this industry in film production circles throughout India. Roop Lal Shori, a resident of Brandreth Road in Lahore, upon hearing of a new film industry in the city, returned to his hometown. He later produced Kismet Ki Hera Pheri (Life After Death) which would firmly ground the new industry's reputation as being in line with other film industries of the time. [1]
Baldev Raj Chopra was an Indian director and producer of Bollywood movies and television serials. Best known for directing Hindi films like Naya Daur (1957), Sadhna (1958), Kanoon (1961), Gumrah (1963), Humraaz (1967), Insaaf Ka Tarazu (1980), Nikaah (1982), Awam (1987), and the producer of TV series, Mahabharat in 1988, he was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1998.
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The cinema of Pakistan or Lollywood, refers to the filmmaking industry in Pakistan. Pakistan is home to several film studios centres, primarily located in its two largest cities - Karachi and Lahore. Pakistani cinema has played an important part in Pakistani culture and in recent years has begun flourishing again after years of decline, delivering entertainment to audiences in Pakistan and expatriates abroad. Several film industries are based in Pakistan, which tend to be regional and niche in nature. Over 10,000 Urdu feature films have been produced in Pakistan since 1948, as well as over 8000 Punjabi, 6000 Pashto and 2000 Sindhi feature-length films. The first film ever produced was Husn Ka Daku in 1930, directed by Abdur Rashid Kardar in Lahore. The first Pakistani-film produced was Teri Yaad, directed by Daud Chand in 1948. Between 1947 and 2007, Pakistani cinema was based in Lahore, home to the nation's largest film industry. Pakistani films during this period attracted large audiences and had a strong cult following, was part of the cultural mainstream, widely available and imitated by the masses. During the early 1970s, Pakistan was the world's fourth largest producer of feature films. However, between 1977 and 2007, the film industry of Pakistan went into decline due to Islamization, strengthening of censorship laws and an overall lack of quality. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the film industry went through several periods of ups and downs, a reflection of its dependency on state funding and incentives. By 2000, the film industry in Lahore had collapsed and saw a gradual shift of Pakistani actors, actresses, producers and filmmakers from Lahore to Karachi. By 2007, the wounds of Pakistan's collapsed film industry began to heal and Karachi had cemented itself as the center of Pakistani cinema. This was the time new generation producers stepped into the industry with short films with quality story line and new technology led to an explosion of alternative form of Pakistani cinema. The shift has been seen by many as the leading cause for the "resurgence of Pakistani cinema". Despite the industry crisis starting in the mid-1980s, Pakistani films have retained much of their distinctive identity. Since the shift to Karachi, Pakistani films have once again began attracting a strong cult following.
Gul Hamid or Gul Hamid Khan (1905-1936) was an Indian film actor. He started his acting career in silent films and later played leading roles in talkies. He had many honors to his credit. He acted in Heer Ranjha, the first film produced in Punjabi and in Seeta, a talkie that won an honorary diploma in the 1934 Venice Film Festival and that was also the first Indian film shown at an International film festival. Hamid also wrote the script, acted in, and directed the film Khyber Pass (1936). Hamid died of Hodgkin's Disease in 1936.
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Abdur Rashid Kardar (1904–1989), was an Indian actor, director and producer. He is credited as establishing the film industry in the Bhati Gate locality of Lahore, British India.
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Husn Ka Daku is a 1929 action adventure silent film directed by A. R. Kardar. The film, also called Mysterious Eagle was made by Kardar's Playart Phototone. Kardar acted in this, his first production from Playart Phototone. Playart Phototone was a progression from United Player's Corporation, which he had set up in 1928. Husn Ka Daku was Kardar's debut directorial venture. It set the foundations for the Lahore film industry in the Bhati Gate area of Lahore. The director of photography was D. D. Dabke.
Sarfarosh also called Brave Hearts was a 1930 Indian silent film directed by A. R. Kardar. Made as action adventure film based on the RKO dramas, it was produced by Kardar's production company, "Playart Phototone". According to Hameeduddin Mahmood, the films had double titles up until the mid-1930s; the Hindi/Urdu name for the home market (India), and the English name for the overseas market. Kardar gave up acting after having starred in Husn Ka Daku (1929) and cast Gul Hamid in the main role. He also gave Rafiqe Ghaznavi a break as an actor in the film. Ghaznavi went on to become a famous music director.
Safdar Jung is a 1930 action costume silent film directed by A. R. Kardar. The film was the third to be produced by Kardar's United Players Pictures, following Husn Ka Daku (1929) and Sarfarosh (1930).
Farebi Shahzada also called The Shepherd, is a 1931 Indian cinema's action silent film directed by A. R. Kardar. The film was also known as Gudaria Sultan or The Shepherd King and was the fourth of seven films Kardar produced under Kardar's United Players Corporation, Lahore.
Khooni Katar also called Golden Dagger is a 1931 Indian cinema's action adventure silent film directed by A. R. Kardar. The film was also called Sunheri Khanjar and the fifth film to be produced by Kardar for his United Pictures Corporation. The film is famous for the debut of the actor-producer-director Nazir.
Farebi Daku also called Mysterious Bandit is a 1931 action silent film produced and directed by A. R. Kardar. Kardar set up his own production company "United Players Corporation" in 1928 and in quick succession produced and directed seven pictures, Husn Ka Daku (1929), Safdar Jung (1930), Sarfarosh (1930), Farebi Shahzada (1931), Khooni Katar (1931), Farebi Daku and The Wandering Dancer or Awara Raqasa. Awara Raqasa was the only film out of the seven produced by Kardar, which was directed by J. K. Nanda, who had received his direction and cinematography training in Germany.