Wadia Movietone was a noted Indian film production company and studio based in Mumbai, established in 1933 by Wadia brothers

J. B. H. Wadia Jamshed Boman Homi Wadia (13 September 1901 – 4 January 1986), commonly referred to as J. B. H. Wadia, was a prominent Bollywood movie director, screenwriter, producer and founder of Wadia Movietone Studio. He was born in prominent Parsi famil ...

and

Homi Wadia Homi Wadia (22 May 1911 – 10 December 2004) was an Indian film director and producer in Bollywood (Hindi cinema). He was the co-founder of Wadia Movietone productions, established in 1933 and later after the closure of Wadiatone, he founded Ba ...

. It was most known for stunt, fantasy and mythological films, including ''

Hunterwali ''Hunterwali'' () is a 1935 Indian Hindi-language action film by the Wadia Movietone company of Bombay (now Mumbai), featuring Fearless Nadia as the heroine. A story of a princess who fights injustice as the masked crusader Hunterwali (lit. "lad ...

'' (1935).

History

Wadia brothers belong to a

Parsi Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...

family, and their ancestors came from the shipbuilding

Wadia family The Wadia family is a Parsi family from Surat, India currently based in Mumbai, India. The family rose to wealth in the mid-1700s as ship-builders serving the British East India Company as the latter established its sway over India. During t ...

(

Wadia Group Wadia Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate, headquartered in Mumbai. It was founded by Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia in 1736 and is the oldest company in India, with its subsidiary The Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Limited, establis ...

), originally from Surat, which also built the British wartime ship HMS Trincomalee (1817). Their ancestors moved to Bombay in the 18th century. It was co-established in 1933, by producer and screenwriter

, his younger brother director

, film distributor Manchersha B. Billimoria, and brothers Burjor and Nadirsha Tata. However, the Tata brothers left the partnership within three years. The company then continued production of film, documentaries and newsreels from its studios near Lowjee Castle, Mumbai, the Wadia family mansion, owned by their great-grandfather

Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia (1702–1774) was a Parsi from Surat province of Gujarat in India and was a member of the Wadia family of shipwrights and naval architects, who founded Wadia Group in 1736. Lovji Wadia secured contracts with the British ...

, a noted shipbuilder, who founded the

in 1736. The company even had its logo as a ship, honouring their family legacy. They company made ''

'' (1935) starring

Fearless Nadia Mary Ann Evans (8 January 1908 – 9 January 1996), also known by her stage name Fearless Nadia, was an Australian-born Indian actress and stuntwoman, who worked in Indian cinema. She is most remembered as the masked, cloaked adventurer in ''Hun ...

, Boman Shroff and

John Cawas John Cawas (1910 – 4 October 1993) was a stuntman and actor in Hindi movies. Cawas made his debut in the Hindi film ''Hunterwali'' (1935), which became a career-defining movie for Fearless Nadia and Wadia Movietone. Cawas himself was famous for ...

, which became a surprise hit and its first big success. Thereafter, they made several films based on the Arabian Nights. However, by the end the 1930s, the genre of stunt, fantasy and mythology films which dominated the early films, was beginning to fail and the company ran into heavy losses, after they invested into ambitious projects which flopped. The last film made by the company was ''

Raj Nartaki ''Raj Nartaki'' is a 1941 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Modhu Bose under the Wadia Movietone Wadia Movietone was a noted Indian film production company and studio based in Mumbai, established in 1933 by Wadia brothers J. B. H. Wad ...

'' (1941) under the direction of Madhu Bose. Thereafter, the studio premises were up for sale;

V. Shantaram Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre (18 November 1901 – 30 October 1990), referred to as V. Shantaram or Shantaram Bapu, was an Indian filmmaker, film producer, and actor known for his work in Hindi and Marathi films. He is most known for films such ...

bought the studio in 1942 and established

Rajkamal Kalamandir Rajkamal Kalamandir was a noted film production company and studio in Mumbai. It was established by V. Shantaram in 1942, after he left Prabhat Films. The studio produced films both in Hindi and Marathi, and it was best known for '' Dr. Kotnis Ki A ...

on the premises. Homi Wadia, who worked as a director the company, went on to establish Basant Pictures in the same year, though initially as a film production house. Subsequently, he established a film studio under the same banner in 1947, which functioned till 1981. Riyad Vinci Wadia, grandson of J.B.H. Wadia inherited the studio in 1990. He is most known for his film, '' Bomgay'' (1996) and a documentary on Nadia, ''Fearless: The Hunterwali Story''. He died in 2003.

Filmography

*''

Lal-e-Yaman ''Lal-e-Yaman'' is a 1933 Indian Bollywood film. It is also known as ''Parwiz Parizad''. Cast *Jal Khambatta as The King of Yaman *Karimja as Prince Parviz *Padma as Princess Parizad * Feroze Dastur as Prince Nadir *Master Mahomed as Pirm ...

'' (1933) *''Noor-E-Yaman'' (1935) *''

'' (1935) *''

Hind Kesari Hind Kesari is an Indian-style wrestling championship, established in 1958. It is affiliated to the Indian Style Wrestling Association of India (ISWAI). Hindi Kesari Title is a biggest Kushti Wrestling Title in India . In 2011, women were a ...

'' (1935) *''

Miss Frontier Mail ''Miss Frontier Mail'' is a 1936 Indian action crime thriller film directed by Homi Wadia and produced by Wadia Movietone. The film starred Fearless Nadia, billed as the "Indian Pearl White" in the film. Her co-stars were Sardar Mansur, John Ca ...

'' (1936) *''

Lutaru Lalna ''Lutaru Lalna'' (Hindi: लुटारू ललना, ''Dacoit Damsel'' or ''The Dacoit Girl'') is a 1938 Indian Hindi-language action adventure film directed by Homi Wadia and produced by Wadia Movietone. The music was composed by Master Moh ...

'' (1938) *'' Punjab Mail'' (1939) *''

Hind Ka Lal ''Hind Ka Lal'' is a Bollywood film. It was released in 1940. The film was directed by Homi Wadia Homi Wadia (22 May 1911 – 10 December 2004) was an Indian film director and producer in Bollywood (Hindi cinema). He was the co-founder of W ...

'' (1940) *'' Diamond Queen'' (1940) *''

Bambaiwali ''Bambaiwali'' (Hindi: बम्बईवाली, ''The Girl from Bombay'') is a Bollywood action adventure film. It was released in 1941. The film was directed by Homi Wadia and produced by Wadia Movietone. It starred Fearless Nadia, John C ...

'' (1941) *''

Muqabala ''Muqabala'' is a 1942 Indian action drama film directed by Batuk Bhatt and Babubhai Mistri, and starring Fearless Nadia, Yakub, Agha, Dalpat, Srinivas and Rajni. Batuk Bhatt started his career as a director by co-directing this film and '' ...

'' (1942) *''

Hunterwali Ki Beti ''Hunterwali Ki Beti'' is a Bollywood film. It was released in 1943, and is the sequel to the 1935 film '' Hunterwali''. Both films starred Fearless Nadia as the heroine and were produced by the Wadia brothers JBH and Homi (Nadia's husband) o ...

'' (1943)

References

Bibliography

* * {{cite book, editor= Ramchandani, Indu, title=Encyclopaedia Of Hindi Cinema, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8y8vN9A14nkC&pg=PT619, year=2003, publisher= Britannica, Popular Prakashan, isbn=978-81-7991-066-5, ref={{sfnref, Britannica, 2003

External links

Wadia Movietone, website
Film studios in Mumbai Mass media companies established in 1933 Defunct companies of India Hindi cinema