''Balidan'', also called ''Sacrifice'', is a

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the BBC, British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, John Reith becomes the first ...

Indian

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

directed by Naval Gandhi and based on a play by

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...

. It was produced by Orient Pictures Corporation. Balidan is cited as one of the top ten lost films of Indian Cinema by P. K. Nair. Hailed as "an excellent and truly Indian film" by The Indian Cinematograph Committee, 1927–28, ''Balidan'' was used by them as one of the films to "show how 'serious' Indian cinema could match Western standards". The film starred the then popular cast of

Master Vithal Master Vithal or Vithal (1906-1969) was an actor in Indian cinema, best known as the hero of India's first talkie ''Alam Ara'' (1931) and of Marathi and Hindi silent stunt films (silent films had cue cards in a particular language), which gav ...

, Sulochana,

Zubeida Zubeida Begum Dhanrajgir (1911 – 21 September 1988) was an Indian actress. Early in her career, she starred in a number of silent films, which were followed by a breakthrough in the first Indian talkie ''Alam Ara'' (1931). Her other notable ...

, Sultana, Jal Khambata and Jani Babu. A social-reformist costume drama film, written by Tagore in 1887, ''Balidan'' was set in the fictional kingdom of Tippera, and involved clashes between a progressive-minded King and a "tradition-bound priest". The film was stated to be commercially successful.

Cast

* Sulochana (

Ruby Myers Ruby Myers (1907 – 10 October 1983), better known by her stage name Sulochana, was an Indian silent film actress of Jewish descent, from the community of Baghdadi Jews in India. In her heyday she was one of the highest paid actresses of he ...

) *

as Aparna * Sultana * Jal Khambata * Jani Babu * J. Makhijani

References

External links

* 1927 films 1920s Hindi-language films Films based on works by Rabindranath Tagore Indian black-and-white films Indian silent films Films about social issues in India Indian drama films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub