March 14 will always be a milestone for Indian cinema, for it was on this day, 88 years ago, that Indian cinema found its voice in Alam Ara. Based on a Parsi play written by Joseph David, the film marked the end of the silent era and beginning of talkies. First screened at the Majestic Cinema in Bombay, the film starred the superstars of silent era, Master Vithal, Zubeida and the patriarch of Kapoor family,
Prithviraj Kapoor. But did you know that the movie also has a Hyderabadi connection? The mogul of South Indian cinema,
L V Prasad
worked in
Alam Ara
as a junior artiste. “Back in the day, working as a junior artiste meant that you’d play multiple roles, both on the screen as well as on the set. So, my father can be seen in bit roles in the movie, but that apart, he also was an errand boy,” says
Ramesh Prasad
, son of the late movie mogul. “Sadly, I don’t know much about the film or his experiences from the set. Neither do we have photographs,” he adds.
L V Prasad was just 23 when he left home to head to Bombay with `100 in his pocket and dreams to make it big in Indian cinema. undaunted in the face of adversities, he got by in the initial years doing bit roles in silent films and other odd jobs as an errand boy. And not only did he earn the distinction of acting in the first Indian talkie, but also went on to be part of
Bhaktha Prahlada
, the first Telugu talkie, and
Kalidas, the first Tamil talkie.
Curiously in years to come, LV Prasad went on to become one of the pioneers of south Indian cinema. This is especially noteworty because the sound revolution in Indian cinema had taken a toll on the biggest superstars of silent era, including Master Vithal. Prithviraj Kapoor, who was only a supporting actor in the silent era, was one of the few other silent era actors to go on to become a stalwart of the Indian film industry.