Alam Ara

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Alam Ara (transl. Ornament of the World) is a 1931 Indian historical fantasy film directed and produced by Ardeshir Irani. It revolves around a king and his two wives, Navbahaar and Dilbahaar, who are childless; soon, a fakir (Wazir Muhammad Khan) tells the king that the former wife will give birth to a boy, later named Qamar (Master Vithal), but the child will die following his 18th birthday if Navbahaar cannot find the necklace he asks for. Meanwhile, the king finds out that Dilbahaar has fallen for the senapati Adil (Prithviraj Kapoor), leading the king to arrest him and evict his pregnant wife, who later gives birth to Alam Ara (Zubeida). Irani was inspired to make Alam Ara after watching the 1929 American part-talkie Show Boat. The story was adapted from the Bombay-based dramatist Joseph David's play of the same name. Made on a budget of ₹40,000 (equivalent to ₹13 million or US$140,000 in 2026), principal photography was handled by Adi M. Irani within four months in Bombay. Because...

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