Indrasabha: The 1932 Film with the Most Songs
The film Indrasabha was made by Jamshedji Framji Madan’s company, Madan Theatre, and starred Jehanara Kajjan among others. This 1932 release holds the world record for the most songs in any musical ever made, with a staggering 72 songs in total. Among these, 31 were ghazals.
Not only the story and casting of a film, but its songs are crucial for its success at the box office. Over the past few years, films like Amar Singh Chamkila, Lootera, and Qala have impressed audiences. Even in the 90s and early 2000s, Indian films such as Hum Aapke Hain Koun and Taal had 10 or more songs, fitting well with the narrative.
Indrasabha, an Urdu play and opera written by Agha Hasan Amanat and first staged in 1853, was released as a film in 1932. This 3-hour, 31-minute-long film was made when the era of sound films began. Indrasabha was one of the earliest sound films made in India, the very next year after Alam Ara, which was the first Indian talkie.
The film was made by Jamshedji Framji Madan’s company, Madan Theatre, and starred Jehanara Kajjan among others. Indrasabha holds the world record for the most songs (72) in any musical ever made. Among these 72 songs, it included 31 ghazals, 9 thumri of gaya and Benares gharana, 4 holis, 15 songs, and two chaubolas, with five chhands that could be used for dances.
In comparison to today’s times, films like Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994) with 14 songs, Taal (1997) with 12 songs, Mohabbatein (2000) with 9 songs, Rockstar (2011) with 14 songs, and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (2005) with just 7 songs, still fall short of Indrasabha, which has a combined track count of 56 songs, 16 less than Indrasabha.
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