Bhakta Prahlada (1932)

Interesting facts

Bhakta Prahlada is a 1932 Indian Telugu-language film based on the story of Prahlada in the Srimad Bhagavatam and Vishnu Purana directed by H. M. Reddy and produced by Ardeshir Irani of Imperial Film Company. It features Sindhoori Krishna Rao as the titular Prahlada, along with Munipalle Subbayya, Surabhi Kamalabai, Doraswamy Naidu, Chitrapu Narasimha Rao, and L. V. Prasad. No complete synopsis of the film is known to survive, but it is an adaptation of a play of the same name.

Production

Following his success in Hindi cinema with India's first sound film Alam Ara (1931), the producer Ardeshir Irani decided to expand his career to South Indian cinema; his plan was to release one film each in Telugu and Tamil, which would later be titled Bhakta Prahlada and Kalidas (1931) respectively, in the same year. He entrusted their direction to his associate H. M.

Reddy adapted the story of a popular play of the same name, written either by Dharmavaram Ramakrishnamacharyulu or Surabhi Nataka Samajam. M. L. Narasimham of The Hindu reported in 2011 that Surabhi Theatres, who produced the play, was initially hesitant of the decision without mentioning the rationale. The same cast, all Telugus, was used for the film adaptation.

With a budget of between ₹15,000 (equivalent to ₹5.0 million or US$52,000 in 2026) and ₹18,000 (equivalent to ₹6.0 million or US$62,000 in 2026), Bhakta Prahlada was shot over 18 or 20 days at Imperial Studios, Bombay. Principal photography was done by Adi M. Irani using the Parvo camera. H. R.

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