''Bhakta Vidur'' ( hi, भक्त विदुर, "

Devotion Devotion or Devotions may refer to: Religion * Faith, confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept * Anglican devotions, private prayers and practices used by Anglican Christians * Buddhist devotion, commitment to religious observance * Cat ...

Vidura Vidura (Sanskrit: विदुर, lit. ''skilled'', ''intelligent'' or ''wise''), also known as Kshatri, plays a key role in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is described as the prime minister of the Kuru kingdom and is the paternal uncle o ...

") is a 1921 silent Indian film directed by

Kanjibhai Rathod Kanjibhai Rathod was an Indian film director. Early life Kanjibhai Rathod from Maroli village in south Gujarat, was considered the first successful director in Indian cinema. His rise to fame in an era when most people stayed away from films d ...

and made under

Kohinoor Film Company Kohinoor Film Company was an Indian film studio established in 1918 by Dwarkadas Sampat (1884-1958). Along with Ranjit Movietone and the Imperial Film Company it was the largest movie studio when Indian talkies began in the 1930s. Kohinoor did ...

banner. In this film the Hindu mythological character

was moulded on the personality of

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, Anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure ...

. This was the first Indian film to face a ban.

Plot

The story of the film is based on

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

epic ''

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

'' and depicts a series of conflicts between ''Pandava''s and ''Kaurava''s.

, who was half-brother to the kings

Dhritarashtra Dhritarashtra ( sa, धृतराष्ट्र, ISO-15919: Dhr̥tarāṣṭra) was a Kuru king, and the father of the Kauravas in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He was the King of the Kuru Kingdom, with its capital at Hastinapura. He was ...

(father of ''Kaurava''s) and

Pandu In the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata'', Pandu ( sa, पाण्डु, Pāṇḍu, pale) was a king of the Kuru Kingdom. He was the foster-father of the five Pandava brothers, who were the boons bestowed upon his wife Kunti by a number of deities ...

(father of ''Pandava''s) of

Hastinapura Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'', described in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom, is also mentioned in ancient Jain tex ...

, is the main character of the film and the events of the film are portrayed from his perspective. Throughout the film, Vidura shows his compassion and sympathy towards ''Pandava''s multiple times. He gives condolences to ''Pandava''s and assures them that truth always prevails, ''Kaurava''s will be punished soon for their sins. The series of conflicts between ''Pandava''s and ''Kaurava''s finally leads to the terrible

Kurukshetra War The Kurukshetra War ( sa, कुरुक्षेत्र युद्ध ), also called the Mahabharata War, is a war described in the ''Mahabharata ( sa, महाभारत )''. The conflict arose from a dynastic succession struggle be ...

Cast

* Dwarkadas Sampat as

* Maneklal Patel as

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

Homi Master Homi Master (?–1949) was an actor-director of early Indian cinema. His work extended from the silent era to the talkie era and up to his death. He produced his best films for Kohinoor Film Company and he has been referred to as "silent cinema's ...

Duryodhana Duryodhana ( sa, दुर्योधन, ) also known as Suyodhana, is the primary antagonist in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata.'' He was the eldest of the Kauravas, the hundred sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra and his queen Gandhari. Being ...

* Prabhashankar * Gangaram

Restrictions

''Bhakta Vidur'' became the first film to be banned in India. The film came just after

Rowlatt Act The Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919, popularly known as the Rowlatt Act, was a law that applied in British India. It was a legislative council act passed by the Imperial Legislative Council in Delhi on 18 March 1919, indefinitel ...

was passed in India. The character of Vidura was reportedly portrayed imitating

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

, his personality. There were scenes in the film where Vidura appeared like Gandhi wearing Gandhi cap, ''Khaddar'' etc. Many more contemporary political events of India were shown as reference in the film. As a result, the film was restricted, as the censor board concluded– "We know what you are doing, it is not Vidur, it is Gandhiji, we won't allow it." It was also written in the censor's report– "It is likely to excite dissatisfaction against government and incite people to non co-operation". The film was banned in Madras, Karachi and some other provinces.

References

External links

*
Film Heritage Foundation
{{Works based on the Mahabharata 1921 films Indian silent films Films based on the Mahabharata Indian black-and-white films

Plot

Cast

Restrictions

See also

References

External links