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Middle Eastern fantasies

India’s first talkie, Alam Ara (Light of the World, Ardeshir Irani, 1931) was set in the Middle East.

So was Lal-e-Yaman (Jewel of Yemen, JBH Wadia, 1933). Lâl literally means ‘ruby.’ This was the first talkie that the Wadias made.

Both films were made by Parsi (Zoroastrian) filmmakers. Both were set in Muslim-majority countries. And both employed writers and actors from Parsee theatre which, in any case, mainly staged entertainers based on Arabian Nights-style fantasies.

Indian cinema: historical outline Covers the era before the first Indian feature filmIndian cinema: 1913-20 Indian cinema: 1920-29 Indian cinema: 1930-39 Indian cinema: 1940-49 Indian cinema: 1950-59 Indian cinema: 1960-69 Indian cinema: 1970-79 Indian cinema: 1980-89 Indian cinema: 1990-99 Indian cinema: 2000-09 Indian cinema: 2010-19

Hindi-Urdu cinema: 1930-39

Middle Eastern fantasies

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