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Parwana (1947)
Character: N/A
Inder is from a well-educated family but spends his life to help people in need which causes many misunderstandings
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Karwane Hayat (1935)
Character: N/A
Prince Parvez is against the marriage his mother has arranged for him with a neighbouring princess.
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Puran Bhagat (1933)
Character: N/A
The legend of Prince Puran, born under King Silwan of Sialkot's curse which binds his parents never to set eyes on him until he is 16. Accused of leading a debauched life by an evil general and by the king's second wife, Puran is sentenced to death. Rescued by the mystic Gorakhnath, he becomes an ascetic. When the king is overthrown, Purna rises from his meditations to depose the general who has seized power, before returning to his life of renunciation.
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Omar Khayyam (1946)
Character: Omar Khayyam
The film depicts Omar Khayyam's life, including his rejection of dancer Mahru, which prompts her and rival Ghiyas Beg to persecute him. Despite exile and suffering, Khayyam persists in his humanitarian and scientific work. The plot concludes with his unjust conviction and death sentence for treason, followed by eventual vindication.
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Yahudi Ki Ladki (1933)
Character: Prince Marcus
This costume drama, adapted from Agha Hashar Kashmiri's classic Urdu play, unfolds a tale of rivalry, revenge, and love set against the backdrop of Roman persecution of Jews. The story centers on the Jewish merchant Prince Ezra, whose young son is tragically lost due to the cruel Roman Priest Brutus. In an act of vengeance, Ezra's slave kidnaps Brutus's infant daughter, Decia, bringing her to Ezra. Unable to harm her, Ezra raises Decia as his own, renaming her Hannah. Years later, Hannah falls in love with Marcus, a Roman prince (played by K. L. Saigal), leading to a complex web of mistaken identities, betrayal, and a dramatic confrontation that exposes the intertwined fates of both families and challenges notions of religion and lineage.
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Badi Bahen (1937)
Character: Prakash
Badi Bahen aka President is a 1937 Hindi social romantic drama film (the Bengali version was called Didi and starred several different actors). The story according to the credit roll of the film is "A tale of love and greater love" developed on an idea by M. M. Begg. It was a love triangle with a social content that highlighted the conditions of the mill workers. It was also the first film to show a liberated educated woman managing her own factory
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Street Singer (1938)
Character: N/A
Two street urchins dream of singing and making it big in the glamorous world of theatre in Calcutta.
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Jiban Maran (1938)
Character: Mohan
A famous radio singer Mohan (Saigal) is in love with Geeta (Leela Desai). When he goes to his friend a doctor, TB Specialist, Bijoy (Bhanu) for a check-up, he is found to be in an advance stage of TB. Meanwhile Leela's dominant mother and aunt (Nibhanani and Manorama) had been against the poor Mohan and had set their eyes on same Dr. Bijoy, the son of a family friend. When Mohan comes to know of it, and also his sickness, he decides to walk away from them. He is intercepted by a doctor who ran a sanatorium for TB patients, with some new method of treatment. Geeta couldn't forget Mohan and waited, but in the end she had to relent. Then it was known that Mohan was alive and cured. What would now Bijoy and Geeta do? There wedding was the next day, and they have to go ahead with it, the honour of both the families were at stake. Mohan too aware of his being exposed, disappears from the sanatorium and is untraceable.
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Chandidas (1934)
Character: Chandidas
The story revolves around the 15th century poet-saint Chandidas who acts out against the deep-rooted bigotry against caste, untouchability and the hypocrisy of society, as he falls in love with a washer woman.
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Rajrani Meera (1933)
Character: N/A
Meera is immersed in her love and devotion to Lord Krishna since a young age. When she grows older, her family get her married to the Rana of Mewar. Misunderstandings occur when her devotional poetry is thought to be love songs for someone. Several hardships are inflicted on her by her husband and her in-laws. She takes to sitting in the temple and singing bhajans (sacred songs) composed by her. Her brother-in-law tries to have her killed many times, but fails. She finally renounces her life in the palace and wanders from place to place singing devotional songs.
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Zindagi (1940)
Character: Ratan
The story of an unemployed graduate who falls in love with a woman who ran away from her cruel husband.
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Bhanwara (1944)
Character: Pancham
Two friends, a singer and a wrestler-in-training, fall for two sisters while navigating job hunts and comical living arrangements in the city.
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Daku Mansoor (1934)
Character: Mansoor
Mansoor, a feared bandit who falls for Husn Pari, the sister of a tyrannical caliph. After taking shelter with a merchant, he’s pursued by the merchant’s daughter Meher. Torn between love and guilt, Mansoor faces betrayal, loss, and a final choice between his past and redemption.
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Shahjehan (1946)
Character: Sohail
Shahjehan (a raw Rehman in one of his first releases) is approached by a Rajput chieftain, Jwala Singh, narrating the plight of his foster daughter, Ruhi (Ragini), who is blessed with unheard of beauty. This gives rise to an army of suitors, who indulge in violence to prevent her from getting married by scaring her to-be grooms. Her beauty, confined to four walls of Jwala's haveli becomes part of folklore, and street gossip, through the poetry of Sohail (Saigal) who accidentally catches her glimpse, and falls in love with her.
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तानसेन (1943)
Character: Tansen
Renowned, talent singer Tansen is settled in a small village. He has a lover whom he loves madly namely Tani. His singing talent pampers everyone in his village namely the animals, the Maharaja's and other living organisms.
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রূপ লেখা (1934)
Character: Arup in the Hindi version
For the first time in Indian cinema, flashback was used for storytelling.
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देवदास (1936)
Character: Devdas
Devdas, the son of a zamindar, and Parvati, his neighbour's daughter, are childhood sweethearts. However, class and caste differences prevent their marriage. Devdas is sent off to Calcutta, while Paro is married off to an aged rich widower. In Calcutta, as remorse drives him to alcohol, Devdas meets Chandramukhi, a tawaif.
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Meri Bahen (1944)
Character: Ramesh
Set against the backdrop of WW II in Calcutta, "Meri Bahen" is the story of a schoolteacher and his young sister. The film followed his rise to fame as a singer and the changes in his relationships following a bomb-raid.
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দেবদাস (1935)
Character: Cameo (guest at Chandramukhi's house)
Devdas, the son of a zamindar, and Parvati, his neighbour's daughter, are childhood sweethearts. However, class and caste differences prevent their marriage. Devdas is sent off to Calcutta, while Paro is married off to an aged rich widower. In Calcutta, as remorse drives him to alcohol, Devdas meets Chandramukhi, a prostitute. All Indian prints of this Bengali version were destroyed in a fire that ravaged New Theatre’s studios. Today, only one copy of the film survives which belongs to the Bangladesh Film Archives. Of that copy almost forty percent is destroyed.
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Bhakta Surdas (1942)
Character: Bhakta Surdas
Surdas, a blind poet, embarks on a spiritual journey. He transforms into a revered saint, dedicating his life to crafting devotional poetry for Lord Krishna.
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Kurukshetra (1945)
Character: Karna
A combination of the epic story of the Mahabharata with contemporary social issues. It starts with a focus on a new social order, featuring three social workers, including Suvarnarekha, dedicated to eliminating idleness. The main narrative then unfolds by incorporating well-known mythological events like the Draupadi Swayamvar and the Sabha (Court) incident, progressing toward the Kurukshetra war. Throughout the film, these epic sequences are mixed with modern "social sequences" and philosophical lessons from the Bhagavad Gita in an attempt to address and provide solutions for national problems.
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Didi (1937)
Character: N/A
A famous Saigal musical narrating a strange love story set against 1930s industrialization and worker-management relations. The 16-year-old Prabhavati inherits a mill and turns it into an extremely profitable enterprise. Prakash is a worker who designs a more efficient machine for the factory for which he first gets sacked and then is re-employed. He falls in love with Prabhavati's sister Sheila, who later makes way for Prabhavati who is also in love with Prakash. Her withdrawal distresses Prakash, causing him to bully the workers who then go on strike.
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Lagan (1941)
Character: Harish
Harish who's a poet who falls in love with Kusum, a singer he mentors. But Kusum sees him only as a guru and ends up marrying a wealthy admirer. Years later, misunderstandings resurface, leading to a bittersweet realization that love and respect don’t always mean the same thing.
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Zinda Laash (1932)
Character: N/A
The film is about a princess who is possessed by a demon. As soon as the princess comes under the control of the demon, she becomes like a living corpse. All the people around her start getting scared of the princess.
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Tadbir (1945)
Character: Kanhaiyalal
A man's birth is foretold by an astrologer: he will follow a prostitute, wield a knife, and face the gallows. These prophecies come true in unexpected ways, as he finds salvation through a sacrificing prostitute, becomes a surgeon, and battles personal demons, all while grappling with destiny.
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