NFAI acquires rare footage of 1930’s film Madhabi Kankan

PUNE: The National Film Archive of India (NFAI) has added surviving footage of Indian silent film ‘Madhabi Kankan’ (1930) to its collection. This is the second such film to be discovered and added to the NFAI collection in recent times. The footage has been acquired from Cinematheque Francaise, Paris. In 2017, NFAI had acquired the footage of silent-era film ‘Bilwamangal’ (1919).

The film, ‘Madhabi Kankan’, was an adaptation of a famous historical novel by RC Dutt. It is believed to be based on the Bengali version of the novel. The Filmland magazine of 1933 makes note of the film and writes, “If not for any other merits, this picture certainly claims a high place for its superb locations.” The main plot of the film revolves around the events in the 17th Century when Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan’s sons fought for the throne. The surviving footage has the character of Shuja, Jahan Ara and Shah Jahan.

“The surviving footage is of 13 minutes duration. It has been digitised. It is important as it has been produced by Madan Theatres Ltd, who was one of the biggest production houses in the silent film era in India,” NFAI Director Prakash Magdum said. One of the prominent silent film stars, Nawab, plays the role of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Begum plays the role of Jahan Ara. As the film does not have credits or inter-titles, NFAI is taking the help of film historians in this regard. With the addition of ‘Bilwamangal’ and ‘Madhabi Kankan’, NFAI now has footages of 31 Indian silent films.

SILENT FILM MADHABI KANKAN
Madhabi Kankan (Slave Girl) of Agra was produced by Kolkata-based Madan Theatres Ltd in 1930. The historical film was directed by Jyotish Bannerjee starring Mumtaz Begum, Lalita Devi, Nawab, Bhanu Bannerjee, Leelavati, Jainarayan Mukherjee and Farida Begum. The film was initially banned, re-censored and released in 1932. The film was shot by two foreign technicians Charles Creed and Marconi.