Ajit (film)
| Ajit | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Mohan Bhavnani |
| Based on | Asir of Asirgarh by Snilloc |
| Produced by | Mohan Bhavnani |
| Starring | |
Production company | Bhavnani Productions |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
Ajit, also known as Rangeen Zamana, is a 1948 Indian Hindi-language directed by Mohan Bhavnani and produced under the banner of Bhavnani Productions.[1] Among the earliest colour films made in India,[2][3] it was shot on 16 mm Kodachrome and subsequently enlarged to 35 mm in the United States using the Ansco colour process.[1][4] Film historian Panna Shah described it as "India's second colour film after a lapse of twelve years".[4]
The story of Ajit was based on Snilloc's novel Asir of Asirgarh.[1] The film marked the acting debut of Prem Nath.[5] Its cast also included Monica Desai, Yashodhara Katju, Gope, Nayampalli, Badri Prasad and Ram Kamlani, with music composed by Govind Ram. Ajit was Bhavnani's final feature film.[1]
Shah gives the film's Bombay release date as 16 December 1949.[4] A contemporary news report stated that the film received a "big ovation" at its theatrical release.[6] Reviews published in The Times of India described Ajit as "a Rajput story fraught with great drama and tender romance"[1] and considered the film's "sheer pictorial beauty in entrancing colour" its "saving grace".[7] Critic Baburao Patel of filmindia reported that Ajit failed at the box office but called its use of colour "quite an experience" as an experimental novelty.[8]
Cast
- Prem Nath
- Monica Desai
- Yashodhara Katju
- Gope
- Nayampalli
- Badri Prasad
- Ram Kamlani
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (10 July 2014). Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema. Routledge. p. 309. ISBN 978-1-135-94318-9.
- ↑ Raj, Ashok (1 November 2009). Hero Vol.1. Hay House, Inc. ISBN 978-93-81398-02-9.
- ↑ Chahryar, Adle (3 October 2005). History of civilizations of Central Asia: Towards the Contemporary Period: From the Mid-nineteenth to the End of the Twentieth Century. UNESCO Publishing. p. 806. ISBN 978-92-3-103985-0.
- 1 2 3 Shah, Panna (1981). The Indian Film. Motion Picture Society of India. p. 80. ISBN 978-0-8371-3144-3.
- ↑ Kaul, Gautam (1999). Cinema and the Indian Freedom Struggle: Covering the Subcontinent. Internet Archive. Sterling Publishers. p. 139. ISBN 978-81-207-2116-6.
- ↑ ""Ajit" Gets Big Ovation At New Empire". The Times of India. 17 December 1949. p. 14. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
- ↑ "Sheer Pictorial Beauty In Entrancing Colour Saving Grace Of "Ajit"". The Times of India. 4 February 1950. p. 10. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
- ↑ Patel, Baburao (February 1950). "Colours Run Amok In "Ajit" – M. Bhavnani's Pioneering Effort!". Filmindia. 16 (2): 47, 49 – via Internet Archive.