| Ayodhyecha Raja | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre (V. Shantaram) |
| Produced by | Prabhat Film Company |
| Written by | N.V. Kulkarni (story and screenplay) |
| Starring | Govindrao Tembe Durga Khote Baburao Pendharkar Master Vinayak |
| Music by | Govindrao Tembe |
| Cinematography | Keshavrao Dhaiber |
| Editing by | Rajaram Vankudre Shantaram |
| Studio | Prabhat Film Company |
| Release date(s) | January 23, 1932 |
| Running time | 146 min |
| Country | India |
| Language | Marathi |
Ayodhyecha Raja (English title: King of Ayodhya) was the first Marathi talkie released in 1932, directed by Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre (V. Shantaram) [1]. It is based on the mythological story of Raja Harishchandra of Ayodhya and his test by sage Vishwamitra, as recounted in Valmikis epic, Ramayana[2].
The film was also made as a double-version, Ayodhya Ka Raja (1932) in Hindi, making it the first double version talkie of Indian cinema, wherein Munshi Ismail Farooque wrote the Hindi dialogue, while screenwriter, N.V. Kulkarni also did Marathi dialogue [3]. India's first full length feature film, Raja Harishchandra (1913) was also made on the same storyline.
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The film was not just Prabhat Film Company's first talkie film [4], but also for its director, V. Shantaram [5]. In its time, it was a leap not just in sound, song and dialogue quality and became a hit. Eventually, it turned out to be a social leap as well for the film industry, as the entry of Durga Khote, who belonged to an upper class and elite Brahmin family into Marathi cinema, paved way for other women from upper classes to enter cinema [6]. V. Shantaram made another version film, Duniya Na Mane (Kunku in Marathi) in 1937.
After the 2003 fire at the National Archives of India, Pune in which prints of first Indian talkie Alam Ara (1931) were lost, it is also the earliest surviving talkie of Indian cinema [7].
Film has music by Govindrao Tembe