Vidyapati
About Vidyapati
King Shiva Singha of Mithila invites the poet Vidyapati to court. Vidyapati arrives with his follower Anuradha. Queen Laxmi falls in love with the poet, and the king grows ill and neglects his duties. Anuradha tells him that love does not have to be returned. The queen, pulled between the king and the poet, thinks of suicide, and the prime minister, worried about the effect of the poems on the king, encourages her.
Cast & crew
More about Vidyapati
Debaki Bose directed and wrote the story, screenplay, and dialogue with Kazi Nazrul Islam. New Theatres released Bengali and Hindi versions. Kapurchand Ltd. distributed the film. Yusuf Mulji photographed it and Subodh Mitter edited it.
Themes
Look
Yusuf Mulji shot it. The narration leans on tight close-ups during the songs.
Music
R. C. Boral wrote the music and Kidar Sharma the lyrics, drawing on Vidyapati's poetry. The words were considered bold at the time, and the songs became widely known.
Preservation
A Commons file of the Bengali picture runs about 59 minutes, shorter than the 141 minutes listed for the film.
Notes
- Pahari Sanyal plays Vidyapati. Kanan Devi plays Anuradha, a part Nazrul Islam created for the film.
- The king is associated in the two versions with Durgadas Bannerjee and Prithviraj Kapoor. Chhaya Devi plays Queen Laxmi.
- Kidar Sharma wrote the lyrics and also appears. He left New Theatres after disagreements with Bose, following his lyrics for Devdas and this film.
- Kanan Devi's songs include "More Angana Mein Aaye Aali" and duets with K. C. Dey.
- A Wikimedia Commons copy runs about 59 minutes, against the 141-minute running time.
Scenes
- Anuradha tells the ailing king that love does not require an answer.
- The prime minister urges the divided queen toward suicide.
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (বিদ্যাপতি - বাংলা চলচ্চিত্র (১৯৩৭).webm)